Indian Media's frenzy mood for Sachin's half century of Test Centuries still continues after a week also. Its a celebrated journey of a legend, who started as a child prodigy and now a genius who is considered to be best of the best. As a sachin fan, I have not only watched each and every Innings of Sachin, but viewed , reviewed, discussed, marveled and remembered each of one of them. Here is my list of five top centuries where Sachin just expressed himself as a batsman. For a moment forget what happened to final result of the game and other blah blah of experts. Just on pure stroke plays these are the five Innings that I rate at the highest level.
5. 177 vs Australia 3rd Test Bangalore 1998
1998 was a time when Sachin was in his prime. The series was highly marketize as Sachin vs Warne, due to sheer brilliance of the two. But there was one run-away winner. With the series already in pocket, it was dominance time of Indian batting. Impetus and substance came from Sidhu, who hit eight fours and three sixes, and then Tendulkar, who scored 177 out of 281 added while he was in, with 29 fours and three sixes with an strike rate of almost 90. Tendulkar was impossible to contain, especially on the second morning, when he scored 60 in 64 balls. He fell to his own excesses, when he tried to hoist a straight ball from Dale to mid-wicket and was bowled. This was an Innings to savour for the batsmanship of the genius. Mark Waugh played an equally claass inning and a inspired performance by Michael Kasprowicz and Mark Taylor ensured a face saving win by aussies. Sachin was at his batting best in 1998, unfortunately India played only three tests that year, 2 out of 5 in this list from that 3 tests. The one test innings left out he scored 79 in 76 balls but that can not be in the list.
4. 155 vs South Africa Bloemfontein 2000-01
On the first day on an overseas series, India's plight is a familiar one - four down for 68, with all the wickets going just the way the South Africans expected - to rising balls. Tendulkar has a debutant for company, with another to follow. He takes 17 balls to score his first run, but 101 come off the next 97 deliveries. It isn't the prettiest of Tendulkar's Test tons, but it is one of the most savage, characterised by pulls and vicious upper-cuts. The South Africans have a plan for India, and Tendulkar makes a mockery of it. By the time Tendulkar's innings ends, India are reasonably well placed, though they go on to lose the Test. At one point, just before lunch, he hit eight fours in 18 balls. Unfortunately India could not seize the initiative and lost the test.
3. 169 Vs South Africa, Newlands, Cape Town 1997
This was only second time India was visiting rainbow nation with a very weak bowling attack, batting with virtually no body opening the innings. In the 1st test both the innings folded in 100 and 66. 2nd Test, Batting first, South Africa make a matchwinning 529. Playing only for honour, India find themselves groveling before Donald, Pollock, McMillan and Klusener. Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin get together at 58 for 5, and start spanking the bowling as if they were playing a club game in the park. They add 222 for the sixth wicket in less than two sessions, and Tendulkar has 26 boundaries in his score of 169. Even Donald says that he felt like clapping. This was the day when all shots were on display and it was an incredible catch by Adam Bacher can end this epic. Again India lost but this batting masterclass can not be forgotten any day.
2. 114 Vs Australia, Perth 1992
This innings has been widely written and talked about. It was for the first time wonder boy became poster boy of Indian cricket. The fastest pitch in Australia has been reserved for the last Test. India have been beaten already, only humiliation awaits. Batting first, Australia score 346. Tendulkar enters at a relatively comfortable 69 for 2, but watches the next six wickets go down for 90. Tendulkar is the next man out... at 240. He has scored 114 of the 171 runs added while he is at the crease, and has made them in such an awe-inspiring manner that commentators are asking themselves when they last saw an innings as good.
1. 155* Vs Australia, Chennai 1998
Sachin Tendulkar was facing Shane Warne with India and Australia both battling for supremacy.
Seventy-one runs in arrears, India start the second innings and despite Navjot Singh Sidhu's 64 find themselves only 44 in front when Tendulkar joins Rahul Dravid. The duo has to contend with Shane Warne bowling from round the wicket and into the rough. Tendulkar, who has practised against Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and a few other bowlers on artificially created rough patch before this series, decides to take apart Warne. In a breathtaking assault, with the match hanging in balance, he deploys his unique slog sweeps against the spin to steer India past Australia and snatch a matchwinning 347-run lead. It was the inning that established his supremacy
