Sachin Tendulkar Hails His 43-ball 44 Against West Indies In 1997 As One Of The Most Cherished Knock Of His ODI Career

Sachin Tendulkar, during his 24-year-old celebrated career, played a plethora of tough knocks that proceeded to impinge his status among the folklore as the best of all times.

Tendulkar was also one of those players, who was at the receiving end of umpiring howlers throughout his career. One such instance of it came during the opening One-day International of the 4-match series during the 1997 West Indies.

Sachin was batting on a completely different level throughout that 1997 tour of the Caribbean and his knock on a seaming, moisture-laden track at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad once again testified that to the hilt.

Batting first on a spiteful track against a formidable pace-attack of Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop, and Franklin Rose, Tendulkar launched a brutal counter-attack on the Windies bowlers to smash a whirlwind 44 off 43 deliveries- a knock which included 10 cracking boundaries.

Tendulkar, in a recent interview with cricket.com, hailed his 43-ball 44 at the Port of Spain in 1997 as one of the most cherished knocks of his 24-year-old career.

“Another innings I cherish is the first one-day international between West Indies and India at Trinidad in 1997. We batted first, and the weather was overcast, with the wicket damp in the morning. Not only was the wicket challenging to bat on, their bowling attack was extremely good as well. Their pace battery consisted of Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop, and Franklin Rose,” Sachin Tendulkar told cricket.com.

Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar Was A Lone Warrior For His Team During The 1990s: Sanjay Manjrekar

Umpiring error brought an end to the innings: Sachin Tendulkar

One of the most memorable moments from that knock by Sachin was the manner in which he counterattacked the West Indian bowlers. But just as it looked that Sachin was heading towards a substantial score, an umpiring error brought an end to his brilliant knock. Tendulkar was adjudged caught behind off the bowling of Curtly Ambrose when it was pretty clear that the ball had touched his right-arm and not his bat.

“I was able to counterattack and score quick 44 runs, before getting out to Ambrose caught behind on what was an umpiring error. It was a rain-curtailed match and we lost the match, but purely for the tough conditions in which one had to bat on, I rank that innings as one of my favorites,” added Sachin.

Of course, none of the Indian batsmen could match Sachin’s exploits as the Men in Blue were eventually bowled out for 179 in a rain-curtailed fixture. West Indies went on to win the game by eight wickets.

Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar Would Have Scored More Than 1.30 Lakh Runs In The Current Era: Shoaib Akhtar

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