Today marks the 51st birthday of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Throughout his illustrious career, Tendulkar achieved numerous records and milestones, including becoming the highest run-scorer in both ODIs and Tests and being the first player to score 100 international centuries. His contributions to cricket have earned him prestigious accolades such as the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, and the Khel Ratna, India’s highest sports award.
Tendulkar’s former teammate and current RCB star, Dinesh Karthik, took this opportunity to share some memorable moments of his association with the Master Blaster. Karthik recounted his first encounter with Tendulkar, describing it as a “good memory.”
“Good memory being the fact that the first time I met him, it was on top of a flyover. We were going in a bus en route to the airport and he joined in his car and just got into the bus midway. That’s the first time I ever seen the man in my life. So that is a good memory,” reminisced Karthik.
However, Karthik also shared a “bad memory” involving Tendulkar: “Bad memory was 97, not out. We needed four runs to win and I hit a six. So, I ended up making sure that he didn’t get the hundred, Till today, I get a lot of grief for it and rightly so. Understandable,” he added.
This incident occurred during the 3rd ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Cuttack in 2009. Chasing 239 to win, the duo steered India to victory with seven wickets in hand and 45 deliveries remaining. Tendulkar, just four runs away from his potential 46th ODI century, was left stranded on 96 not out, a moment etched in cricketing history.
During the crucial moments of the chase, Karthik, then a young player in the team, played a pivotal role. In a significant turn of events, Karthik struck a crucial six off spinner Suraj Randiv, reducing the required runs to just seven for victory. At this juncture, Tendulkar needed nine runs to reach his century.
The following over saw Tendulkar scoring a boundary off Lasith Malinga and then taking a single, inching closer to his milestone. However, fate had a different plan for Tendulkar’s century quest. In a twist of events, Malinga bowled a delivery down the leg side to Karthik, which raced away for five wides, sealing India’s win. This unfortunate turn of events denied Tendulkar the opportunity to reach his century, leaving him stranded on 96 not out.
The match not only highlighted the talent and composure of Tendulkar and Karthik but also showcased the unpredictable nature of cricket. Despite the slight discrepancy in Karthik’s recollection of the final moments, the match remains a significant chapter in the annals of cricket.
