Failure in the finals of the ICC World Cup the only blemish of Sachin’s illustrious career

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New Delhi | In his illustrious career spanning 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar achieved almost everything that is possible on the cricket field but his failure to score big in the finals of the ICC World Cup proves that he is only human after all.

Tendulkar won the World Cup, won innumerable man of the match and series awards, scored the first ODI double century, scored the most centuries, scored the most runs…he did it all but his critics, who were few in number, gave his fans the respect he deserves. Keep reminding of failures.

Of course, Sachin carried the burden of pressure and expectations from Indian cricket fans throughout his career, but there were days when he failed when the country wanted him to lead from the front and lead Team India to victory. One such day was March 23, 2003, when India stunned Australia in the ICC World Cup final in Johannesburg. The Sourav Ganguly-led Indian cricket team had a stellar run in that World Cup in South Africa, reaching the final with just one loss in the tournament.

With over 600 runs to his name with the bat, Sachin looked really hungry to win his fourth ICC World Cup title. Captain Ganguly took the surprising decision of bowling first on a batting friendly pitch in the final match. The Aussies thrashed the Indian bowlers in all parts of the ground and posted a mammoth total of 359 runs on the board.

Chasing a total of 360 for victory, the entire nation was counting on Sachin to score big, but he failed miserably in the final, scoring just 4 runs in five balls, being dismissed by Glenn McGrath. Virender Sehwag tried his best scoring 82 but India lost the final by a huge margin of 125 runs.

Another big day when Sachin failed to score big was the 2011 World Cup final against neighboring Sri Lanka. It was Sachin’s home ground Wankhede and also his sixth and final World Cup so naturally the expectations were high. Chasing a total of 275, Tendulkar again failed to bat brilliantly and was dismissed for 18 by Lasith Malinga. However, Gambhir’s 97 and skipper MS Dhoni’s 91 saw India win their second World Cup title after 28 years, as well as fulfill Sachin’s dream of winning an ICC trophy.

Although India won the T20 World Cup in 2007 under the leadership of Dhoni, but before that Indian cricket saw one of its worst phase in the same year. In 2007, India’s horror performance in the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies and their group stage exit sent the country into a tizzy.

Almost everyone expected 2003 World Cup finalist India, which was packed with superstars, to beat Bangladesh, but the much-hyped batting lineup fell like a pack of cards. Batting first, India lost wickets at regular intervals and Tendulkar made just 7 runs from 26 balls, reducing the team to 191 runs. In response, the Bangladesh team won the match by five wickets, causing a major upset in the cricketing world.

Tendulkar, who will turn 50 on Monday, is fondly called the God of cricket but his failures on these rare days prove that he too is a human being and not every day is a sunny day. And it is not that Sachin always failed in big matches. His many Test innings, his historic 91 in the final of the Commonwealth Bank Series against mighty Australia in 2008 and many more show that he also had a fair amount of success in crucial games for India. And who can forget the brilliant ‘Desert Storm’ knock against Australia in the tri-series in Sharjah that made Tendulkar ‘immortal’.

–IANS

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