When Sachin Tendulkar Stood Tall Against A Hostile Attack Even As Brett Lee Demolished India In Melbourne

The battle between bat and ball is what really spices up a cricket match and when it comes to Test cricket, a batter standing up to a quick bowler breathing fire is just what you want to watch. Well on December 28, 1999, the crowd in Melbourne and many around the world on TV got to see just that.

Australia already had a 1-0 lead in the series and had just posted 405 in their first innings. India took guard and bowling against them was a 23-year-old fast bowler who had earned quite a name at the domestic level. The young man was Brett Lee. Pretty soon the visitors found out why this man on Test debut was already hailed as a star.

It was a classic display of fast bowling with proper line, length and also a good amount of pace. The bouncers and yorkers were well slotted out and the Indian batsmen were exposed. They began to fall like flies in the face of an attack which also had the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. But one man stood tall in the middle of all the carnage. The then skipper of Team India, none other than Sachin Tendulkar.

Even as Lee slowly dismantled the batting, Sachin kept his head down and accumulated the runs. It was a good duel as a new star was being pitted against a man on his way to legendary status. Sachin had been around for a decade. Already accepted by many as the best batsman in the world, he was slowly carving out his legacy in the game.

But back to the matter at hand. Lee was bowling with venom and Sachin was playing with flair. By the end of the proceedings, it was honours shared as Lee got half the side out and Sachin hit yet another hundred.

India were eventually bundled out on the 4th morning for 238. Sachin was the standout with 116 in 191 balls with 9 fours and 1 six. The chief destroyer was of course Lee with 5/47 in 18 overs with 2 maidens.

India would go on to lose that game and as a result, the series which they ultimately lost 3-0. It was Sachin again who resisted for a bit in the 2nd innings with 52 and Lee took 2 wickets as well. Though none of his 7 victims in the Test was the Master Blaster.

But on that day, we witnessed a battle between the man who would break virtually every batting record over the next 10 years and the individual who would make life hell for the best batters over the same period of time. More than 2 decades later, this epic duel is a reminder of the good old days when the fight between the willow and red cherry was an equal one.