Sachin Tendulkar
Six, four and four! This is a sequence that Shoaib Akhtar will never forget after the hammering he received from Tendulkar in the Super Six match in the World Cup of 2003.
Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Schedule
India had never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match but that record looked all set to change as Pakistan, led by Saeed Anwar’s century, set India a daunting target of 274. But Tendulkar had decided this was going to be his day and there was none who could stop it from being so. He was off the blocks in a flash with a trademark backfoot drive of Wasim Akram in the first over. But it was the second over that was going to set the tone for the rest of the match. Shoaib Akhtar vs. Sachin Tendulkar was always going to be an eye ball grabbing contest and this one didn’t fail to deliver.
It was the fourth ball of the over and Shoaib’s first to Sachin. He banged it in short and wide and Sachin cut it with all his might. There were calls of “catch it” but all the fielder at third man could do was to watch the ball sail into the stands. Six!
Shoaib corrected his line immediately and it was pitched on middle stump. But Tendulkar moved across to off stump and flicked it to the square leg boundary. Four! Ten runs in two balls and the crowd were going wild.
The last shot was the best of them all. A block, which was no more than a defence, down the ground. The ball beat mid-on and raced away to the boundary. Tendulkar and India were off and running!
Tendulkar was finally dismissed in the 28th over, ironically by Akthar. But the damage had already been done. He had scored 98 of 75 balls and set the platform as Dravid and Yuvraj ensured that India cruised home with 26 balls to keep alive their unbeaten record in the World Cup.
Tags: Cricket, Cricket World Cup, Greatest Moments, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India, Indian Sports, Sachin Tendulkar, Shoaib Akhtar, Sports India, World Cup
