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Sachin Tendulkar hit 124* and Sourav Ganguly scored 63*, as India chased down the target of 196 runs to win the 2000 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy by 10 wickets.
Sachin Tendulkar struck a quickfire century, which was his 21st in the ODI format. (Image for representation: sachintendulkar/Instagram)
Sachin Tendulkar single handedly won many matches for India during his decorated international career spanning over two decades. One of such match-defining performances came in the final of the 1998 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy– a tri-series featuring India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The competition was hosted in the United Arab Emirates.
The three teams first played two matches against each other in a round-robin format. India and Zimbabwe secured three victories each and met in the final, which took place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium 26 years back on this day (November 13).
ALSO READ: On This Day in 1998: India Defeated Zimbabwe to Win the Champions Trophy
The two finalists were able to beat each other once in the league stage. Zimbabwe won the first clash by seven wickets while India turned the tables in the next meeting to secure a 13-run victory.
Both teams were keen to settle their rivalry in the final and wrap up the UAE tour on a triumphant note.
Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss at Sharjah and asked Zimbabwe to bat first. The Indian pace unit put up a commanding show with the new ball. With Javagal Srinath fetching three wickets, Zimbabwe were six down in their first 20 overs. Paul Strang then revived the innings with a composed 46-run knock.
Among the other Zimbabwean batters, Neil Johnson and Eddo Brandes contributed 34 and 33 runs respectively.
For India, Anil Kumble also enjoyed a good outing and picked two wickets while giving away just 29 runs in 10 overs. Zimbabwe managed to produce 196 runs in 50 overs, losing nine wickets along the way.
Tendulkar, who bowled four overs and took the crucial of Brandes, opened India’s innings with Sourav Ganguly. The legendary duo pulled off a commendable start to the chase.
While Ganguly had held the wicket at one end, Tendulkar kept the scoreboard ticking with occasional boundaries.
The Master Blaster struck a quickfire century, which was his 21st in the ODI format. He remained unbeaten at 124, with his 92-ball knock comprising as many as 12 boundaries and six maximums. Ganguly also survived till the end and scored 63 off 90 balls. India chased down the target in 30 overs without losing any wickets to clinch the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy.
Tendulkar was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning performance. He was also the best player of the tri-series with 274 runs and two wickets.
