Tendulkar Fusses Over Not Getting a Double Hundred
The day when the Indian cricket fans were celebrating Virender Sehwag’s blistering 300, the Indian team management had to resolve one of the biggest disputes that can ever occur in a dressing room.
Along with Sehwag on day 2 of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan, there was Sachin Tendulkar also notching up one of his regular hundreds.
When India reached 675/5, Tendulkar was batting at 194. Stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid wanted to have a go at the Pakistan batsmen in the twilight overs of the day and therefore rightly so, declared the innings.
The Little Master was very upset about the fact that he wasn’t given a chance to complete his double century.
What Indian captains don’t tend to do is declare when Sachin Tendulkar is on 194 not out. The matter became a full-fledged sensation when Tendulkar told a press conference he was disappointed not to get his double century.John Wright, Former Indian Coach
Sachin Tendulkar maintained throughout his career that he always batted for the team and never for himself. But this incident raised a lot of question marks over Tendulkar’s desires.
I was shocked as it did not make any sense. It was day 2 of the Test match and not day 4, as it had been in Sydney, a month earlier.Sachin Tendulkar
2. Sunil Gavaskar Strikes At 20.68
Sunil Gavaskar didn’t want people to forget the value of Test cricket in the inaugural match of the first cricket World Cup.
After England piled on a mammoth total of 334/4 in the first innings, in 60 overs, Gavaskar showed no intention in helping his team to chase down the total.
In fact, he batted so slowly that his teammates also couldn’t have a go at the total themselves.
The Bombay (now Mumbai) batsman, who was regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world, batted the entire 60 overs during which he faced 174 balls and struck only one boundary.
We were big fans of Sunil Gavaskar. We didn’t know how to react.Harsha Bhogle
Gavaskar was actually out in the second ball but was given not out by the umpire. Had he been given out, he wouldn’t have to face the brunt of his doings.
3. Trevor Chappell ‘Rolls’ the Ball
This is one of the most disgraceful incidents ever to have taken place in cricketing history. As much as the Australians talk about playing hard and tough cricket, on this day they showed their true colours.
When New Zealand needed seven runs to win of the last ball, with two wickets in hand, the then, Australian captain Greg Chappell panicked and asked his brother and fast bowler, Trevor Chappell, to roll the ball underarm so that the Kiwi batsman Brian McKechnie would have no chance to hit a six to tie the match.
The umpires allowed Trevor Chappell to bowl an underarm ball when he and Greg Chappel asked for their permission since it was not mentioned that it was compulsory to bowl overarm in the Australian World Series Benson and Hedges Cup rule book.
One of the worst things I have ever seen in Cricket.Richie Benaud, Former Australian Captain
4. Sachin’s Most Difficult Hundred
Sachin Tendulkar notched up 99 hundreds fairly fluently throughout his international career, but when he began his bid to get his 100th hundred he found the going very tough.
He scored his 99th hundred against South Africa in Nagpur during the 2011 World Cup and thereafter every innings he went out to bat, everyone was talking about Sachin’s 100th hundred.
He got close a couple of times but could never get there, and the days went by.
After exactly a year, when the Little Master was under tremendous pressure to get the 100th hundred, he had only one way to get there, that is by playing a slow and very watchful innings against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2012.
He scored his 100th hundred in 138 balls at a strike rate of 72.46. Tendulkar in the pursuit of his elusive hundred, forgot about the team’s cause.
Due to his slow innings, India managed a below par total of 289/5 at the end of the 50 overs and eventually, India lost the match by 5 wickets.
5. Jacques Kallis Bats Slowly While Chasing 337
After Australia put up a huge total of 337 against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup, the South African openers came out all guns blazing and gave a big start of 160 runs in 20 overs.
But the number three batsman, Jacques Kallis had other ideas. Kallis, who is always known to play for the team and never for himself, brought out a different kind of attitude that day.
When he came in, the Proteas needed over seven runs per over and instead of carrying on the momentum created by the openers, Kallis played it slow and scored 48 of 63 balls.
Eventually, South Africa lost by 83 runs.
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