Sachin Tendulkar smashes Shoaib Akhtar for iconic six over point on March 1, 2003: WATCH

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has played several memorable knocks in his illustrious cricketing career. While the player had countered prominent bowlers of world cricket with his exemplary batsmanship, his battles with Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar were always highly anticipated by cricket enthusiasts. It was always deemed as a marquee event when the two stalwarts faced off, and their ICC 2003 Cricket World Cup clash is still etched in the memories of the fans. It was on March 1, 2003, that Sachin Tendulkar smashed the fastest bowler in the world for a glorious six over point.

Sachin Tendulkar wins the battle against Shoaib Akhtar with a stunning six 

The contest was of utmost importance for both nations. While India had an advantage over their arch-rivals in World Cups, Pakistan were keen to score a victory after ending up on the losing side in four World Cup encounters against India. Pakistan boasted of a strong line-up and were successful in posting a challenging total of 273 in the crucial game.\

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India had an imposing task of going past their opposition's score. Pakistan's formidable bowling attack included the likes of captain Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar. Fans were thrilled to see Tendulkar go up against the fierce Shoaib Akhtar. It was during the second over of the Indian run-chase that the Indian opening batsman made it clear that he would be the one to dictate the terms. 

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The aggressive speedster cloaked a speed of over 150 KMPH regularly in the over. But Sachin Tendulkar was unperturbed with the sheer pace and smashed a glorious six over the point fielder in the over. The particular shot became the major talking point of the game. It is worth mentioning that Tendulkar also followed the stroke with two successive boundaries. India eventually managed to clinch the fixture, and the 'Master Blaster' was adjudged as the Player of the Match for his 98. 

Sachin Tendulkar World Cup 2011

After their 2003 clash, the two rivals' next 50-over World Cup game came in 2011. The two sides locked horns in the all-important Semi-Final of the competition. It was Tendulkar, who once again took the game away from Shahid Afridi and co. with his magnificent batting. The batting maestro scored 85 in the contest, and team India headed into the Final after beating Pakistan by 29 runs at Mohali. 

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Sachin Tendulkar stats in international cricket 

The Sachin Tendulkar stats include his 100 international centuries out of which he scored 51 in Tests. The Sachin Tendulkar centuries count also includes his 49 tons in ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar called it quits from international cricket in 2013 after scoring 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches at an average of 54.04 and 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs at an average of 44.83.

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Image source: ICC Twitter