Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl against Pakistan in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
It is the first time India is chasing against Pakistan in the World Cup since the league-stage clash at the Centurion at the 2003 World Cup.
Batting first, Saeed Anwar got to a well-deserved century, helping his side post a daunting total of 273.
In what turned out to be an awe-inspiring counter-attack, Tendulkar toyed with the Pakistan’s vaunted pace trio. His timing was exquisite, and his choice of strokes exemplary. He did require some medical attention during this oft-recalled onslaught, but he resumed with a pleasing, straight-driven four.
When on 98, Tendulkar needed a runner. Sehwag returned to the middle, but the master departed on resumption — failing to keep Shoaib Akhtar’s rising delivery away from a diving Younus Khan. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh then raised 99 runs to take India past the finish line. But what stays in memory is Tendulkar’s strokeplay off Akhtar’s first over. The prelude came in the 10th ball of the innings, when Tendulkar deposited the wide, rising delivery into the stands behind third man.
What followed was a stroke to recall and relive — a wristy flick to the mid-wicket fence. Using the extra pace, Tendulkar stroked the ball just right to find the gap. No power, only pure timing. In fact, Tendulkar ended the over with another well-timed on-driven four. But the image of that flick off the earlier delivery is meant to live on.
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