There& #39;s always anxiety prior to a Cricket match, but this particular WC match had us emotionally drained with India& #39;s beloved son returning to Cricket, post the sad demise of his beloved father
#OnThisDay in Bristol & #39;99, @sachin_rt was "blessed by his father" from the heaven
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#OnThisDay in Bristol & #39;99, @sachin_rt was "blessed by his father" from the heaven
Post a narrow
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="๐" title="Broken heart" aria-label="Emoji: Broken heart"> 3 run loss to Zimbabwe 4 days ago, we were up against Kenya in a surely must win game for us to keep ourselves alive in the WC. A lot was riding on this game with Sachin returning to the squad on the insistence of his dear family, to honour his national duties
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On a cold breezy Bristol morning, Kenya decided to field first in the quest to pick some quick wickets from the Indian top order. @SGanguly99 & Ramesh gave a wonderful platform with a 50 run opening stand. Martin Suji bowled a great opening spell with India @ 92/2 in 20.5 overs.
In walked @sachin_rt for what was his most difficult walk to the centre pitch in his 24 year long international career, with tears in his eyes, mind & soul
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What followed next was batting grit from Sachin & Dravid for the remainder of the innings, with scintillating strokeplay
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What followed next was batting grit from Sachin & Dravid for the remainder of the innings, with scintillating strokeplay
The moment arrived when Sachin crossed the 3 figure mark. He immediately looked skyward, thanked GOD, searched for his father up there smiling at him & showering his blessings upon his loving son out there, who was fighting a battle within himself more than his opponent that day.
The duo added 237 runs in 29.1 overs, to take India to a more than formidable 329/2. An excellent score against any opposition, post being inserted to have a bat first. They needed this momentum to up their confidence and also their NRR too
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Kenya had a huge task on their hands.
Kenya had a huge task on their hands.
What followed was a clinical display of some good swing bowling from @iamjavagal, @imAagarkar & Mohanty sharing 6 wkts amongst them with Mohanty being the
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Kenya ended with 235/7, with India winning by a huge margin of 94 runs
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Kenya ended with 235/7, with India winning by a huge margin of 94 runs
India won the match, but the bigger battle was won that day in the hearts of billions of Indians across the globe & especially in the mind, heart & soul of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Post that day, his beloved father has kept wishing him love & happiness from up there, forever
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