The What-If Scenario: Sachin Tendulkar's 39 Unfair Dismissals

(Steve Bucknor was the umpire who gave Sachin out wrongly the most number of times)

A career of 664 matches, 34357 runs, and 100 centuries is enough to be the greatest of all time. But what if out of the 664 matches, 39 times you were judged out wrongly? This is what happened with Sachin Tendulkar and still his determination never wavered. His journey is more than just numbers; it's a tale of resilience and love for the game. Despite setbacks, he remained dedicated, becoming an icon worldwide. Tendulkar's influence stretches far beyond the scoreboard, inspiring countless cricket fans. His story teaches us that greatness isn't just about statistics; it's about overcoming obstacles and making a lasting impact. Below, there are the 39 instances listed that will take you through the matches where he was given out wrongly.

Bowled off a No Ball

In the year 1999, the interesting New Zealand tour of India had a devastating moment, when Sachin Tendulkar was bowled off a No Ball by Cairns. Although India dominated the series, winning by 1-0, Sachin Tendulkar bowled off a no ball raising many questions by the commentators and cricket fans worldwide. Sachin Tendulkar scored 217 runs in the first inning, while also batted aggressively in the second inning, scoring 15 runs in 10 balls. India would have secured another win if Sachin was not dismissed unfairly.

Caught Out After the Ball touched the Thigh Pad

In the 1999 India tour of Australia, Sachin Tendulkar was yet again given an unfair dismissal in the Adelaide match. India's top-order batting line-up failed to settle when Sourav Ganguly joined Sachin Tendulkar. They both played well to make a 108-run partnership, where Sachin Tendulkar scored 61 runs. When Shane Warne bowled a delivery to Sachin Tendulkar, the ball touched the thigh pad and was caught by the short leg, after which Darel Harper gave him out.

Wrong LBW

In the same Test match in the India tour of Australia, where Sachin was previously given out after the ball touched the thigh pad and was caught by the short leg fielder, Sachin Tendulkar was given another unfair dismissal in the second innings. Sachin Tendulkar stepped down to bat after Dravid got dismissed at the score of 6. Tendulkar got out on the fifth ball by another unfair LBW dismissal, being out on a duck. If Tendulkar had remained not out, India could have been able to secure a win in the match against Australia.

LBW at High Length

In the Test match against Australia in Sydney in the year 2000, Sachin Tendulkar again unfairly lost his wicket, falling victim to McGrath yet again. Tendulkar was performing well, having scored 45 runs in 53 balls in the first innings. McGrath bowled a delivery to Tendulkar which was hitting him at the high length and going towards the leg stump when Umpire Ian Robinson gave him out.

Caught and Bowled

In the ODI series against West Indies during the year 1997, Sachin Tendulkar got out against Ambrose at the score of 44. Tendulkar was batting at a strike rate above 100, having smashed ten boundaries. Ambrose bowled him a delivery which hit his shoulder and was caught by Browne. The umpire gave the signal of out, while Sachin missed another half-century due to an unfair dismissal.

Wrong LBW in the Finals

When India played the final match against Australia in the Coca-Cola Cup, Tendulkar was dismissed at the score of 134 by Kasprowicz. The ball was pitching outside the leg stump and missed the stumps by a good distance, which shocked the commentators. Still, Sachin Tendulkar walked away from the crease and India won the match by 6 wickets.

Final against Sri Lanka

India and Sri Lanka clashed against each other in the final match at Colombo, where Sachin Tendulkar fell victim to another unfair dismissal, given stump out. Sachin Tendulkar scored 128 runs before being given a stump out in a 50-50 case.

Wrong LBW vs NZ

India's tour of New Zealand during the year 1998-99, took a major turn during the third Test match at Hamilton. India lost two early wickets at the score of 17, after which Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had an impressive partnership of 109 runs for the third wicket. Unfortunately, Sachin Tendulkar was given LBW against Nash, where the ball was far away from the leg side.

Wrong LBW vs Pakistan

India and Pakistan clashed against each other in a Test match being played in Delhi during the year 1999. Saqlin Mushtaq bowled a delivery to Sachin Tendulkar, who was pitching outside leg stump and the Umpire signalled out. Tendulkar got dismissed at the score of 6 in that innings.

(Sachin Tendulkar was wrongly given out)

Run Out due to Obstruction

When India and Pakistan went against each other, which was played at the Eden Gardens in the year 1999. Shoaib Malik obstructed the field which prevented Sachin Tendulkar from taking the run successfully. As a result, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed and the Umpire Bucknor did not apply the Obstacle rule at that time.

Bat-Pad Catch against Australia

In the India tour of the Australia Test series, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by another unfair decision by the umpire. During the first innings, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Shane Warne at the score of 61. The ball first contacted the bat, then the pad, which was caught out by the umpire.

LBW against McGrath

When India and Australia faced each other in the third Test match at Sydney in the year 1999, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Glenn McGrath at the score of 45 runs. Tendulkar was batting well at a strike rate of 84.91, but the umpire gave him LBW out against Glenn McGrath when the bowl was going outside the leg stump.

Shocking Caught Behind

India faced Pakistan in the year 1990, where Pakistan batted first to set a target of 262 runs. India started well, with Sachin Tendulkar smashing four boundaries. Against Waqar Younis, the ball flicked from Tendulkar's T-shirt and went to the wicketkeeper, which was given out by the umpire. India unfortunately lost the match by a devastating margin of 104 runs.

Wrong LBW against Shoaib

When India and Pakistan faced each other in an ODI match at Sharjah, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Shoaib Akhtar due to another unfair decision. Shoaib Akhtar bowled a delivery which first contacted the bat, before touching the pad. The umpire signalled out due to which Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed at the score of 11 runs.

Wrong LBW against Razzak

Sachin Tendulkar fell prey to another unfair dismissal against Pakistan when the match was being played in Dhaka during the Asia Cup 2000. Abdul Razzak bowled a delivery that touched the pads but the delivery was missing the leg stumps, and Sachin got dismissed at a score of 25.

Caught off a No Ball

India and Australia played against each other in the year 2000, and the match was being played in Chennai. Sachin Tendulkar was batting well, having scored 17 runs while Gillespie bowled a no ball to which Sachin was caught off.

West Indies Tour (1)

During the 2002 India tour of the West Indies, Sachin Tendulkar was given an unfair LBW three times. In the Test match which was being played at the Port of Spain, Sachin Tendulkar was playing well at the score of 117 when Cuffy dismissed him LBW, as the ball was missing the stumps.

West Indies Tour (2)

The second time Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed unfairly, he fell victim to Sanford during the second inning at a score of zero. This time also, Sachin Tendulkar was given out by Ashok de Silva.

West Indies Tour (3)

The third time Sachin Tendulkar got dismissed by an unfair LBW was again given by the umpire Ashok de Silva. Sachin Tendulkar was about to settle on the Bridgetown Test, where Dillon dismissed him at the score of 8, and the ball was missing the stumps.

Wellington Test

The Test match against New Zealand played in Wellington saw Sachin Tendulkar being given out in an unfair LBW decision by Ashok de Silva. This was the fourth time Ashok de Silva gave a wrong dismissal, as Sachin Tendulkar got dismissed against Oram while the bowl was going over the stumps.

Against Australia in Gabba

India and Australia went against each other in the Gabba Test during the year 2003, where Sachin Tendulkar was given another unfair LBW by the umpire Bucknor. Gillespie bowled a delivery that was going over the stumps, but Tendulkar was given out.

Against Australia in MCG

The Australia tour of India went to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, but unfortunately, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed unfairly. Brett Lee bowled a delivery which went to the leg side while Sachin attempted to play it. Unfortunately, he missed contact with the ball but the umpire gave him caught behind.

Lahore Test

India went on a Pakistan tour during the year 2004, where the match was being played in Lahore. Umar Gul bowled a delivery to Sachin Tendulkar which touched his pads but was going over the stumps. As a result, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by the umpire.

Against Pakistan at Eden Gardens

India and Pakistan went against each other in the Eden Gardens where umpire Bucknor gave another unfair dismissal to Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar was performing well, having scored 52 runs for the team. Abdul Razzak bowled a delivery that went far away from the bat, but Tendulkar was given out by Bucknor.

Against Sri Lanka

Sachin Tendulkar showcased his batting prowess in the Test match against Sri Lanka during the year 2005, which was being played in Delhi. Tendulkar was batting at 109, when Muttiah Muralitharan bowled a delivery that touched the pad but was pitching outside off, due to which Tendulkar was given out.

(Sachin Tendulkar got the wrong decision against Sri Lanka)

Delhi Test

Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by another unfair LBW dismissal in the Delhi Test against Sri Lanka in the year 2005. Sachin Tendulkar was at the score of 16, where he was dismissed by Bandara, but the ball was going over the stumps, and Sachin Tendulkar was also long stride forward.

Against Dilshan

In the Sri Lanka tour of India Test match, being played in Ahmedabad, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Tillakaratne Dilshan at the score of 16. There was a clear inside edge before contacting the pad, but Sachin Tendulkar was given out by the umpire.

Against Arshad Khan

During the India tour of Pakistan in the year 2006, Sachin Tendulkar dominated with his batting skills in the ODI being played in Peshawar. Tendulkar had completed his century before being dismissed by Arshad Khan. The ball first hit Tendulkar's gloves before contacting the pad, but Sachin was given out.

Against Panesar

During the England tour of India in the year 2006, Sachin Tendulkar had scored 16 runs before being dismissed by Monty Panesor. The ball was missing the stumps but Panesor got the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. Although the match resulted in a draw, if Sachin hadn't have been dismissed it would have gone either way.

Against Collingwood

In the 2007 Test match against England, being played at the Trent Bridge, Sachin Tendulkar was at the score of 91, closing to another century. But Collingwood bowled a delivery which went outside off stump but Tendulkar was given out by the umpire Simon Tauffel, who later apologised for the same.

Against England in 2007

During the last ODI against England, Sachin Tendulkar was caught behind by Aleem Dar. Although Dar knew it was a wrong decision, he didn't change it. Post-match, Aleem Dar gave an explanation, stating that he doesn't have to change his decision in the match now.

Against Brett Lee

In the third Test match between India and Australia, Sachin Tendulkar played an impressive innings but was dismissed at the score of 71. Brett Lee bowled a delivery to Tendulkar which touched at the top of his pad, even when Tendulkar jumped to play the ball. Lee confidently appealed to the umpire and the umpire Rauf gave him out.

(Sachin Tendulkar was disappointed with the umpire’s decision)

Against Sri Lanka in 2009

In the first ODI of the India tour of Sri Lanka, being played in Dambulla, Sachin Tendulkar got out at a low score of 5 runs off 16 balls. Thilan Thushara took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, which was another unfair LBW dismissal for Sachin. Sachin's dismissal in the first ODI match was also the first decision by Kumar Dharamsena.

Second ODI against Sri Lanka

During the second ODI, Sachin Tendulkar was yet again dismissed at a low score of 6 runs off 9 balls. The ball went off the leg stump but Kulasekara was able to take the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, due to another unfair decision by the umpire.

Third ODI against Sri Lanka

For the third consecutive time, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed in an unfair manner in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. This time, Fernando was able to take the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar at the score of 7 runs in 12 balls. India lost the match by a devastating margin, but things could have gone either way if Sachin Tendulkar was not given another unfair dismissal.

Against Australia in Mohali

During the third ODI showdown in the Australia tour of India, being played in Mohali, Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed once again in an unfair manner. Hauritz tosses the ball to the middle, and Tendulkar tries to play it. Unfortunately, the ball clipped the pads but wasn't adjacent to the stump. However, the umpire de Silva was not convinced and gave out to Tendulkar.

Missing the Century

India and Australia faced each other, as Sachin Tendulkar almost reached another century. Andrew Flintoff took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar at the score of 99, which didn't allow Sachin to secure another century. The delivery bowled by Andrew Flintoff was short of length, above Tendulkar's shoulders, while Tendulkar tried to send it away. But the ball clipped the arm guard and was caught up by the wicket-keeper, due to which the umpire gave the signal of out.

Against Lyon

Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed in the fourth Test match against Australia, by Nathan Lyon. In the fourth innings, Nathan Lyon bowled a delivery to Tendulkar, which had a sharp turn to clip Sachin's pads. Although the ball was pitched outside off, Sachin Tendulkar was given out by the umpire.

199th Test

Sachin Tendulkar fell victim to another unfair dismissal in his 199th Test match. Tendulkar got dismissed at the score of 10 runs in 24 balls, being dismissed by Shillingford. The ball straightened after the outside edge before contacting the pads, as the umpire gave out to Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar felt unlucky after watching the replays of his wicket.