Tendulkar lists his five best hundreds in ODIs
Staff Reporter - 7 July 2001

He has now scored 29 centuries in one day internationals but Sachin Tendulkar still feels that his best one day hundreds were those made against Australia at Sharjah three years ago. In a telephonic interview to a vernacular daily in Kolkata, Tendulkar has also stated that he would like to score as many runs as possible as it is his primary job.

Asked to choose the five best hundreds that he has scored in his 272 one day matches, Tendulkar said, "The two best are the one against Australia at Sharjah. The first one was a knock of 143 and the second was 134. The first enabled India to qualify for the final while the second helped us to win the trophy. Of the two however, the 143 that I scored in the group league match is my best innings till date in a one day match."

Third in the list figures the 104 he scored against Zimbabwe at Benoni in the 1996-97 Triangular series. "The innings is memorable as the wicket was not conducive for batting and we had to win the match to stay in the tournament," said Tendulkar. His fourth best knock was the 186 against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999. Explaining his choice Tendulkar said, "It never seemed that I would get out on that particular day. Whatever I tried came off. For that reason, it is the fourth best hundred that I have scored."

When asked to choose the fifth, Tendulkar said, "There are quite a few innings that can rank as the fifth best hundred. Amongst them are the 141 against Australia at the Mini World Cup at Dhaka, the hundred at Indore against the same side this season and the 140 against Kenya in the last World Cup. However, I would like to choose the century against Kenya as the fifth best hundred. The innings at Bristol was for my father who had just passed away. The emotions attached with the knock cannot be described by words. That is why it will figure in my list of five best centuries," said Tendulkar.

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