IPL 2021: Of Sharjah and Sachin Tendulkar’s Desert Storm!

Bengaluru, September 23: As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 caravan moves to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, pundits and aficionados invariably turn their clock back to Sachin Tendulkar's famed Desert Storm knocks of 1998.

The IPL 2021 which resumed in the UAE on Sunday (September 19) will have its first match in Sharjah on Friday (September 24) when the Virat Kolhli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-captained Chennai Super Kings in what is literally the Southern Derby .

Unlike the Abu Dhabi and Dubai wickets, Sharjah is traditionally meant to be a batsman's paradise, ever since Tendulkar's onslaught on a famed Australian pace attack in a tri-series also featuring New Zealand 23 years ago.

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The Mumbai maestro's back-to-back hundreds which pummeled Australia into submission at Sharjah is very much part of the cricket lore.

It is precisely because of those twin tons that crowd started flocking to the Sharjah stadium in large numbers.

Desert Storm: When Tendulkar's knock vanquished mighty Australians in Sharjah

First, in the do-or-die last round-robin tie against Australia, Tendulkar made a breathtaking 143 which took India to the finals.

That innings by Tendulkar is still considered as one of best knocks in One-day International history.

Batting first, Australia had scored 284 for seven, thanks largely to Michael Bevan's 101.

The target was adjusted to 276 for India from 46 overs due to a sandstorm. In reply, India lost Sourav Ganguly (17) in the ninth over.

Tendulkar then found some support in Nayan Mongia (35) and Mohammad Azharuddin (14), before carrying the entire Indian chase on his young shoulders. The Master Blaster went on to make 143 and after his dismissal, though India was not able to chase down the target, it was enough to make it to the finals.

Two days later, at the same venue, India played Australia in the finals and it was yet another memorable knock from Tendulkar that helped the Men in Blue clinch the title.

Chasing 273 this time, Tendulkar made 134 runs to help India win by six wickets.

Since those two memorable hundreds, everytime a match happens at Sharjah, Tendulkar's desert storm comes to the mind of cricket lovers.

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The little master, who is now the mentor of Mumbai Indians, will be back in Sharjah on October 2 when the Rohit Sharma-led franchise takes on Rishabh Pant-captained Delhi Capitals in Match 46 of IPL 2021.

Twenty three years down the line, the chants of Sachin.. Sachin may still reverberate all over the Sharjah Cricket stadium then!