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Tendulkar’s ‘Desert Storm’ voted his top ODI innings on birthday
NEW DELHI, April 24, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A blistering 143 scored against
Australia in 1998 was voted Sachin Tendulkar’s greatest one-day innings in an
International Cricket Council poll released for his 47th birthday.
The 131-ball knock, with nine fours and five sixes, became known as the
‘Desert Storm’ after a sand storm in Sharjah interrupted India’s chase.
Tendulkar took on the likes of Shane Warne, Damien Fleming and Michael
Kasprowicz but his side lost.
Tendulkar’s blitz narrowly edged out his match-winning 98 against arch-
rivals Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup group match.
“It was neck and neck” until the end, the ICC said in releasing the
results of its poll.
Tendulkar, who played 200 Test matches and is now India’s biggest cricket
legend in retirement, used his birthday to urge fans to stay indoors during
the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
“They encouraged me and they prayed for me. What did they pray for? That
Sachin shouldn’t get out and I should be at the crease,” he told Indian
broadcaster Star Sports.
“My wish for them is that they should also not get out. They should also
stay inside the crease which means that they should stay at home, safe and
healthy.”
Meanwhile the Board of Control for Cricket in India relived the master
blaster’s unbeaten century against England in the Chennai Test in 2008 in
excerpts released on its Twitter feed.
Tendulkar smashed 103 in the second innings to guide India to a six-wicket
win.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, a former India teammate, and other past and
present cricketers paid tribute to Tendulkar.
Current India skipper Virat Kohli said: “Happy birthday to the man whose
passion for the game of cricket has inspired many.”
The right-handed Tendulkar made his debut for India aged just 16 in 1989
and broke almost every batting record before retiring in 2013.
The former India captain is the only cricketer to have scored 100
international centuries and is the highest run scorer with 34,357 runs across
formats.
BSS/AFP/MRU/1920hrs