Back in 1998, India, Australia, and New Zealand were contesting for the Coca Cola Trophy in a tri-nation tournament. The Mohammed Azharuddin led India was competing against Steve Waugh’s team in the final of the tournament. On this day in 1998, India turned the tables on Australia to win the final relying on Sachin Tendulkar to sail across the ship.
With the stakes as high as they could be, Sachin’s managed to hit 134 against Australia and made sure the Indian team emerge victorious in the final. Sachin’s brilliant innings are still regarded as one of the most fierce innings of all time.
In the last Last League match too, Sachin Tendulkar played one of the finest ODI innings scoring 143 that helped India enter the finals of the Coca Cola Trophy in a losing cause. Thanks to the brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar India won the title backing on the little master’s back to back hundreds.
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Winning the toss, Azharuddin decided to put Australia’s batting line up to test. Azharuddin’s decision worked like a charm as the Australian batting line-up faltered barring a few. Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, and Tom Moddy were all dismissed with single-digit scores.
Australia was struggling at 121 for five at one stage and India looked to be in the commanding seat. However, Aussie captain Steve Waugh played a captain’s innings to notch up 70 runs at all run-a-ball strike rate. Darren Lehmann joined his skipper to spoil the Indian bowlers’ parade as he also racked up 70 runs. The Aussie du0 helped Australia reach a respectable 272/9 at the end of their 50 overs.
The Sharjah Stadium roared in delight as the Indian openers walked out to bat. The fans were happy as the majority of the crowd cheered for India. However, the early loss of Saurav Ganguly came as a setback. Tendulkar ‘s survival was imperative for India to successfully chase the target of 273.
Tendulkar established his authority very early in the match and was the hero that night. He destroyed Australia’s bowling attack with controlled aggression. Tendulkar understood the need of the hour and made sure the scoreboard kept ticking rather than scoring runs at a faster striker rate.
Being the best in the world, Sachin did what was expected of him in the final. He slammed his 15th one-day century with ease and propelled Indian to a major trophy win against one of the greatest cricketing teams of the generation. Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin played a significant role as a pinch hitter building on Tendulkar’s performance.
Both Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Azharuddin were dismissed poor umpiring decisions. However, that damage was minimized as India went on to complete the chase with ease.
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” It is difficult to control Sachin when he is on song. What sort of field can one set for a batsman who has so many shots to play,” Steve Waugh said after the match.
The little master got quite a few gifts on his birthday as the Indian swept away all the awards. Winning, ‘Man of the Match’; ‘Man of the Series’; ‘Player of the Series’…It was a fitting end to a wonderful victory for the Indian cricket team. on the night of the Sachin’s birthday
