Sachin Tendulkar turns 51: The Little Master's greatest innings in images
Sachin Tendulkar turns 51 on Wednesday which makes it the perfect excuse to look at some memorable innings by the most prolific international batter of all time
1/10
Sachin Tendulkar was born on April 24, 1973 and just 16 years later, he ended up making his Test debut for India against Pakistan in Karachi. He went on to play in international for 24 years, establishing himself as the most prolific batter in the history of international cricket and pretty much becoming the face of the rise of Indian cricket as a force to be reckoned with. As the great man turns 51, we take a look at some of his most memorable innings and we start with his last one. Tendulkar walked out of his beloved Wankhede Stadium one last time with the bat in hand, having scored 73 off 118 balls against the West Indies. His dismissal led to a hushed silence around the stadium before the crowd rose up and applauded as he walked off the field. India won the match by an innings and 126 runs. (BCCI)
2/10
136 (273) vs Pakistan 1st Test Chennai January 1999 - It was pretty much a one-man show from Tendulkar as he almost single-handedly pushed India close to victory. Apart from him, only two other batters managed double digit scores - Nayan Mongia who scored 52 and Rahul Dravid who made 10 runs. Pakistan looked worried throughout the time that Tendulkar held fort and when he fell, with the score being 254/7 with India chasing 271, they celebrated like they had won the match. Sure enough, India's last three wickets were blown away and Pakistan won by 12 runs. (Getty Images)
3/10
143 (131) vs Australia 6th ODI Coca Cola Cup Sharjah, April 22, 1998 - Another innings in a losing cause for India and like the one in Chennai, this has gone down in cricketing folklore. Better known as the 'Desert Storm', Tendulkar smashed an incredible 141 off 131 balls. It is perhaps a testament to just how dependent India were on him that despite his innings, the team failed to chase down the revised target of 276 off 46 overs and lost by 26 runs. However, Tendulkar's innings helped them qualify for the final where he played yet another blinded - 134 in 131 balls, and led India to a six-wicket win over Australia. (Reuters)
4/10
175 (141) vs Australia 5th ODI Hyderabad November 5, 2009 - The third of Tendulkar's great innings in a losing cause. Australia had set an improbable target of 351 for India to chase and yet, Tendulkar made it look like the hosts could do it after all. He hit 19 fours and four sixes as he opened the batting with Virender Sehwag and played all the way till the 48th over. Australia won the thriller by three runs. (AFP)
5/10