Flashback: Sachin Tendulkar looks back at Sydney feat on 25th anniversary

Sachin Tendulkar bats his way to glory en route his 148 against Allan Borderrsquos Australians at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 5 1992 PicKamal JulkaIts 25 years for one of crickets finest innings today The protagonist cant believe how time has elapsed but remembers every moment of it On January 5 1992 Sachin Tendulkar lit up the Sydney Cricket Ground SCG with his first hundred in Australia which convinced Australia and the rest of the world that he would emerge as the special oneHaving lost in Brisbane and Melbourne India under Mohammed Azharuddin lapped up the conditions in Sydney after putting Australia in They bowled Allan Borders Australia out for 313 with Kapil Dev Javagal Srinath and Subroto Banerjee claiming three apieceThis match will be known for three reasons Ravi Shastris double century Tendulkars 148 and Shane Warnes Test debut in which he ended up with 1 for 150 It was the only Test India managed to draw during that fiveTest summer and pundits reckoned they would have won it had there been another spinner in the side to bowl alongside ShastriTendulkar couldnt sleep on the night of January 4 Instead of tossing and turning he decided to prepare for his next day battle against Craig McDermott Bruce Reid and Merv Hughes While he practised his strokes in the hotel room he woke up his stunned room partner Sourav Ganguly who had no option but to be awake and watch the young hero go through his drillsHow can one sleep with the lights on so I had to wait for him to finish his shadow practice Ganguly remarked at the book release of Tendulkars autobiography two years agoEven after the batting session sleep was elusive When Tendulkar arrived at the fabled Sydney Cricket Ground dressing room on the morning of January 5 he was dozing With my pads on I decided to take a power nap and told Dada Ganguly to wake me up if Azhar gets out he told midday yesterday He walked out with his Power bat felt good and returned to the dressing room with 120 to his name and kicked off an era in which bowlers too endured sleepless nightsThe field was starstudded with some of Australias finest cricketers who had brought about the revival of Australian cricket The commentary box was filled with luminaries mdash Richie Benaud Ian and Greg Chappell Bill Lawry and the Tonys mdash Greig and CozierWell played Sachin Tendulkar Lawry exclaimed on air as the young gun reached his crease after his second run after flicking Craig McDermott to Merv Hughes in the deepBenaud rated Tendulkars 148 as one of the finest innings he saw in all the years of watching cricket To him the Sydney effort was even better than the Perth hundred in the final Test of the series on the fastest pitch in the world It Sydney hundred was just something else and I have marvelled at it ever since Benaud had saidIn the press box there was former Somerset captain Peter Roebuck To see Tendulkar beside Shastri was to see a diamond beside a rock he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald Most outstanding batsmen could play three shots especially well mdash the square cut the drive straight of midon and the tuck past square leg Tendulkar produced all of these shots and lots of others besides mdash shots played with his head down and still in a dazzling array which included several backfoot glides through areas patrolled by point The power and timing of his straight driving was impressive the batted leather skimming across the outfield as smoothly as a puck across iceTendulkar didnt become the youngest player to score a hundred in Australia 18 years 256 days without preparation There was intent determination and resolve too Holing out to Border at midon off Peter Taylor for 40 in the previous Test at Melbourne cut him deep That dismissal made me more determined for Sydney I was boiling inside I wanted to get a big one in Sydney I was fully focused he recalledShastris achievement was not a lightweight one No Indian batsman had scored a Test double century on Australian turf before No one has ever since I first saw greatness from 22 yards Shastri said yesterdayTendulkar reckoned he was fortunate to have Shastri at the other end I knew Ravi very well I saw the other side to him when he was having those verbal battles with the Australians I too wanted to give it back once I settled in but he advised me to focus on my game said TendulkarRahul Mankad the former Mumbai batsman who was based in Australia then watched Tendulkars classic innings from the lefthand corner of the players enclosure at the SCG Sachins driving and cutting stood out and it was blatantly obvious that he was destined for greatness A couple of drives off McDermott and an ondrive off Hughes are etched in my mind Hughes was very hostile in that series but Sachin had his measure and counter attacked brilliantly It was apparent that Sachin was way ahead of his peers and had the X Factor that only a few blessed players have Mankad told midday yesterdayTendulkar found McDermott most challenging throughout the series But there were also Bruce Reid Mike Whitney and Merv Hughes to tackle Hughes who was to tell his captain Border later in the series This little pcks going to get more runs than you AB ran across to Tendulkar and gave him a hug in appreciation Tendulkar has not forgotten that gesture