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"Most Meaningful Hundred" Tendulkar Reveals The Century Closest To His Heart

Jatin

Sachin Tendulkar scored 103* vs England in Chennai [Source: @OmgSachin/x.com]Sachin Tendulkar scored 103* vs England in Chennai [Source: @OmgSachin/x.com]

Sachin Tendulkar has slammed 100 international centuries, but if you ask him which one he holds closest to his heart, it is not the Sharjah special or the World Cup ton. It is the one he scored at Chepauk in December 2008, a fourth-innings gem against England, just weeks after the devastating Mumbai terror attacks.

Tendulkar Opens Up On Emotional Chennai Ton After 26/11 Attacks

In a chat with Sky Cricket while unveiling the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy alongside James Anderson and Mike Atherton, the Master Blaster opened up about that innings and why it still gives him goosebumps.

“I still remember post that match, when we were sitting in the dressing room, we could not believe that we had won the game from that position we were in for 3 days, and considering how the mental state was… not just the cricket team but the entire nation. I mean it was very, very fragile, we were not in the right frame of mind to play test cricket. When the match got over, I felt it was the most meaningful hundred of my life. I don’t think there has been any hundred that has meant more to me,” he said.

From Being Behind To Securing A Win For The Ages

The odds were stacked against India. England had piled on 316 in the first innings, courtesy of Andrew Strauss’ 123. India’s top-order collapsed, and they were staring down the barrel at 37/3. Some resistance from MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh gave them a fighting 241.

Strauss and Collingwood then stitched up a marathon partnership to put England in the driver’s seat. Chasing 387 on a Day 5 Chepauk pitch? Only madmen or legends would even dare.

But the turning point came late on Day 4.

“For the first three and a half days thought we were playing a catching-up game and then suddenly we started picking wickets. Zaheer got three. Then just towards the end of the day’s play, in about 90 minutes or so, Sehwag went berserk, he played some incredible shots,” Tendulkar recalled.

Virender Sehwag’s explosive 83 off just 68 balls blew the doors open. Gautam Gambhir dropped anchor with 66, and then it was left to the Mumbai Maestro and Yuvraj Singh to see it through. The two stitched together an unbeaten stand of 163 runs to pull off a heist.

“On that track, I felt England had possibly the best bowling attack. It was Jimmy, Harmison, Flintoff, Panesar, and Swann. So, they had everything covered and the ball turned on the last day, so to chase wasn’t an easy task, especially against a world-class attack. But we got into some good partnerships and then we finished really strong with Yuvi and I scoring the runs.”

A Century That Healed And Mattered The Most

Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 103. The knock wasn’t just about stats. It was a healing balm for a nation in these difficult times.

That Chennai hundred was about emotion, about timing, about courage when the country needed something to smile about. It wasn’t his flashiest knock. But for Sachin, and for a billion Indians, it was his most meaningful.

And now, as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy era begins, there couldn’t have been a more fitting memory to revisit.