Ton-talising

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">119 v England at Old Trafford, 1990 </span><br /><br />England looked poised to wrap up the Test well within the fifth day till they ran into a grimly determined young man who was unfazed by pace, spin or pressure. Sound in defence, bold in attack and almost always in control of the situation, he gave clear indication of his genius.This was Tendulkar’s first Test hundred. He was only 17. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">114 v Australia at Perth, 1991-92 </span><br /><br />On a wicket that had considerable pace and bounce, he played one of the great counter-attacking innings of the modern era, smashing the Australian bowlers to all parts of the WACA with only nine, ten and jack for company. Old-timers in the commentary box reckoned that they had not seen a better innings in decades. He was anointed ‘master’. At the time, Tendulkar was only 19. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">155 v Australia at Chennai, 1998 </span><br /><br />At his swashbuckling best, Tendulkar took apart the Australian bowlers to set up an upset victory for India. The strategy to attack danger was devised before the tour and a rousing double hundred in a tour match at Mumbai served as a dress rehearsal. When he failed in the first innings at Chennai, the wisdom of this strategy was being questioned. But by the end of the Test, there were only accolades. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">136 v Pakistan at Chennai, 1998-99 </span><br /><br />A needle contest in which the heroic Tendulkar stood resolute and intrepid as wickets fell around him, battling not only the strong Pakistan attack, but also an extremely painful back. He brought India to the brink of victory before being dismissed, triggering off a collapse. A sad end to a great innings. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">241 v Australia at Sydney, 2004 </span><br /><br />His highest Test score came when his cricketing career seemed to be at its lowest ebb. A string of low scores had sparked off universal speculation about his waning prowess. Tendulkar responded to the growing criticism with an innings of great discipline and technical virtuosity suggesting the birth of a new, mature batsman. </div> </div>