Sachin Tendulkar was not always the centurion we needed, but the gladiator we deserved

It is not only reductive, but deeply unfair, because any cricket match can turn on a single run or a wicket, and a stat sheet will not be able to tell you that.

My colleague Hormaz Fatakia wonderfully captures the lightning in a bottle that was the famous 1998 Desert Storm, I'm going to attempt the same with a couple of memorable innings that didn't cross the three-figure mark, but had tremendous impact.

One doesn't always have to score a century to effect a victory and nobody knows that better than Sachin, who was dismissed a whopping 16 times in the Nervous Nineties. Here are a couple of innings in winning causes in which Sachin didn't score a century, but, given the context, one could argue that they were better, sweeter even, than reaching the coveted three-figure mark for the Little Master — the God of Cricket — and the legion of of his adoring fans, myself included.

This was one for the ages — the battle of two Asian giants, two arch-rivals, in which Sachin Tendulkar versus Shoaib Akhtar got the top billing. Pakistan had never defeated India in a World Cup game before and, batting first, put 273/7 on the board courtesy a Saeed Anwar century.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag walked out to deafening cheers as India sought to chase down 274 and keep that record intact. And Sachin Tendulkar made his intentions clear from the get-go. Cutting, driving, pulling, and flicking with élan and disdain, Tendulkar made short work of Akhtar — then dubbed the fastest bowler in the world.

One particular delivery comes to mind — Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express, takes his long run up and, huffing and puffing, slams a short delivery at nearly 151 kmph to Sachin, who contemptuously flicks the ball over third man for a six! The crowd erupts and the tone for the game was set.

It wasn't just Akhtar that Tendulkar tormented that day. He was relentless in his aggression against Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis — arguably two of the finest bowlers the cricketing world has seen. He brought up his 50 in just 36 balls.

It was Akhtar finally who got the better of Sachin with a sudden short-pitched ball that took the Little Master by surprise — the ball kissed the gloves and landed in Younis Khan's safe hands. Sachin fell short of his ton by two runs, but captured a billion hearts with his aggressive 98 off just 75 balls — back in the days before the IPL, this was a rapidfire knock, comprising 12 incandescent boundaries and an indelible six.

India went on to win the game and Sachin was judged Player of the Match for this eviscerating knock.

In the first final against Australia in Sydney, India had emerged victorious with Sachin's unbeaten 117. In the next match at Brisbane, India chose to bat first in the scorching heat and a good start was crucial. Robin Uthappa and Tendulkar cautiously faced the Australian pacers, managing to score 94 in 20 overs before Robin was out.

Sachin played sensible cricket by rotating the strike and hitting the occasional boundary. He built valuable partnerships with Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, and MS Dhoni. Sachin played second fiddle to Yuvraj Singh, who aggressively hit sixes, setting up a thrilling finish before getting dismissed.

The Australians tried their best to break Sachin's concentration. Michael Clarke even jumped on Sachin during his follow-through to prevent a quick single. However, when Sachin was inching closer to a century, he stepped up to Clarke and popped a catch at short mid-on. Sachin had done his part, and a few powerful hits from Dhoni helped India reach a respectable 258.

Australia fell short of the target and India won the CB series, with Sachin being awarded the Man of the Match.

I return to my original question — how does one reduce the significance of such knocks, the cultural impact of such fine willow craftsmanship, to mere words? One can't, but I tried.

Happy birthday, Sachin.