Simple put, this is one of the best test match innings that Sachin Tendulkar has ever played and one of the best and prime examples of letting your ego go away and seeing the results in all its glory. Sachin Tendulkar was not having that good of a series until that point and this was the last test match that was left and he was determined to do well and make a statement.
What followed in Sydney in 2004 was simply one of the grittiest displays of determination and class and this innings is still remembered to this day as one of the all time classics.
So let’s get into the story and the greatness of the actual innings:
The story behind the Innings
The 3 Test Matches that were played before this last test match Sachin Tendulkar was getting out in the covers region and he was not being able to score big runs and just before this test match he had a talk with his brother who told him that if he wanted then no one could get out and he challenged Sachin to not get out in this test match and that’s where Sachin Tendulkar decided that he will not play the cover drive no matter how much the Australians try it and the result was 241*.
Also check here some of the brilliant innings by Sachin Tendulkar:
The Genius at Display
When Sachin Tendulkar came to bat the bowlers were continuously bowling outside the off stump and Sachin Tendulkar was more than happy to let all of them go to the keeper. The Aussie bowlers tried everything to get Sachin to play in the off side but he would not budge and that resulted in them bowling all over and Sachin Tendulkar toom full advantage of those balls. He showed so much patience and he batted for 436 balls and he made an incredible 241* runs hitting 33 fours and not one of them was the cover drive and he made a total of 132 runs in boundaries. This innings earned the respect of all the fans in Australia as well as the current and former players.
Learnings for the young players from this innings
There are very few innings where the young players can learn as much as they could watching this one that Sachin Tendulkar played. When one is in bad form then the only one who can make them come out of that form is the player himself. And one more important lesson is patience as if the player is patient then the loose balls will start coming and then the batter can take full advantage of the balls and score lots of runs. Perhaps the most important lesson from this incredible knock is that sometimes one has to let their ego out the back door and just play and not get carried away and the results will be for everyone to see.
Full Match Scorecard here: 4th Test, 2004 - India vs Australia - Sydney
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Sachin Tendulkar Profile, Stats and Records
