NEW DELHI: India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar scored six double centuries in Test cricket throughout his illustrious career. Each of these innings demonstrated Tendulkar’s unparalleled skill, consistency, and ability to deliver in challenging conditions.
But the first double hundred took a while coming and when a batsman of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar keeps scoring centuries but fails to convert it into a double century even ten years after his Test debut, people do tend to sit up and take notice.
During New Zealand tour to India in 1999, in the 3rd Test at Ahmedabad, Tendulkar broke that hoodoo and finally got to the landmark double.
It was the then Indian captain’s 71st match (110th innings).
Winning the toss and batting first, opener Sadagoppan Ramesh reached his century in the company of Tendulkar after the dismissals of Devang Gandhi and Rahul Dravid.
Tendulkar got to his maiden double century on Day 2 of the Test amidst loud cheers at the Motera and powered by his 217 and Sourav Ganguly‘s 125, India declared their first innings at 583/7.
Anil Kumble took 5 wickets as New Zealand were bowled out for 308 runs in their first innings. India declared their second innings at 148/5 to set the Kiwis a 424-run target.
Opener Gary Stead, the current Head coach of the New Zealand side, made a patient 78, but it was the unbroken 121-run stand for the third wicket between Craig Spearman (54*) and captain Stephen Fleming (64*) that helped the Kiwis draw the Test, but India won the 3-Test series 1-0.