Greatest Batsman of all time? Here’s why the
India vs Australia, 1st Final (D/N), Sydney, Mar 2 2008
Match Result: India won by 6 wickets (with 25 balls remaining)
Player of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar
Match Report: In 38 previous ODI innings in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar had never scored a century; in 11 previous one-day internationals against Australia in Sydney, India had never won. Both those unwanted records were wiped out in a memorable evening at the SCG.
As Tendulkar scripted a magnificent unbeaten 117 and shared a 123-run fourth-wicket partnership with Rohit Sharma to take India to an emphatic six-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the CB Series finals.
The match was a story of sizeable contributions by two openers – Matthew Hayden scored a brisk 82 – and two century partnerships for the fourth wicket – Andrew Symonds shared a 100-run stand with Hayden. Those efforts lifted Australia to a tough 8 for 239, which, given the Australian bowling strength, might have been enough on another day. Today, though, they ran into an in-form Tendulkar.
From the outset, Tendulkar’s approach suggested he was in the mood. In the first ten overs he only found the boundary once, through a savage lofted square-cut off Nathan Bracken, but the evidence that he was in top form came in other ways.
The footwork was accurate and decisive right from the start, and the judgment of length was remarkable. With Robin Uthappa, he gave India the perfect start, as both ran hard between the wickets, placed the ball into gaps, and put together 50 an excellent rate with scarcely a risk – there were just three fours in the stand.
The innings got hit briefly thereafter, though, as Michael Hussey pulled off a magnificent catch at deep midwicket – it will surely rank among the catches of the season – to get rid of Uthappa. Two more wickets fell quickly, as Gautam Gambhir failed to respond to an obvious call for a second run, and Yuvraj Singh continued to lose his wicket against Brad Hogg’s spin.
At 3 for 87, the match was perfectly in the balance, before Tendulkar found the perfect partner in Rohit, and their stand turned out to be the match-defining one. With Rohit secure in defence and attack, it allowed Tendulkar to play normally too, and what followed was a treat.
After the early threat of Brett Lee had been well tackled, Tendulkar turned his attention to the others: Hogg was driven over extra-cover for two glorious fours while Mitchell Johnson was perfectly tipped over slip. All along, he pierced the infield, took the singles, and ensured the required rate never got beyond control.
A cramp towards the end of the innings restricted certain strokes, while a beamer from Lee – who apologised immediately – crashed into his shoulder when he was on 98, but today he was not to be denied. The century finally came with the dab to gully, and the celebrations indicated how special it was.
At the other end, Rohit showed why he is considered so special by the experts. He began with two glorious straight-drives off Bracken, and then continued in such sublime fashion that Australia scarcely had a sniff. He finally fell immediately after Tendulkar’s hundred, but by then the result was only a formality.