24th April 1998: Sachin Tendulkar becomes 2nd Indian to score a hundred on birthday

25th birthday is when quarter-life crisis takes its full shape. For many, it comes with existential questions that are only momentarily shoved behind the curtains as the party takes the centre stage. And, once the dust settles, the storm of crisis returns with questions and puzzles.

But there are a few who are not very fond of the settling of dust and hence celebrate it with a storm. One such man is Sachin Tendulkar. He turns 47 today and while he has decided to not celebrate his birthday because of an ongoing pandemic, it’s a good time to recollect the party he hosted for thousands in the final of Sharjah Cup in 1998 on his 25^th birthday.

The pre-birthday bash just a couple of days back was a hit. The rehearsal dinner had left everyone stunned and although the team lost, there were reasons to believe that he was going to throw a surprise at the main event. And boy he did.

Australia, the opponents in the final of the Sharjah Cup, were not expecting an encore though. If nothing else, at least the physical fatigue of playing in not-so-pleasant conditions would prevent him from recreating the scenes from the other day, they would have thought. But it was the birthday of the man who is today touted as one of the greatest of the game. And like a man short on the budget, he decided to show his own magic tricks for the guests at the party, but at the cost of a dumbfounded opposition. 

272/9 in 50 overs was a winning score in the 90s, more so when the bowling attack had the names like Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne – did we just mention the term magician? Sourav Ganguly’s laborious 42-ball 23 was ended by Damien Fleming in the 9th over. Nayan Mongia took 41 balls for 28 before departing in the 25^th over. As these two wickets fell at the other end after, of course, after decent contributions, the birthday boy kept serving the ball to different corners of the ground. Sachin appeared like a ballerina in a boxing ring with the touch of a painter. He could do everything that night - from the artistic drives with perfect footwork to dances down the ground that thundered the spinners over straight boundaries.

After 12 fours and three sixes, some of which are a part of many cricket showreels even today, the performance came to an end in the 45^th over. 134 runs at a strike rate of 102.29 against one of the best bowling attacks of the era, the effort was good enough to better the result obtained at the rehearsal dinner. The final was sealed with nine deliveries to spare. Sachin had just tasted the cake of greatness by not just sealing the final but also becoming only the second Indian, after his childhood friend Vinod Kambli, to score a hundred on his birthday.