The tournament that made Sachin, Lara, Inzi household names

The 1992 World Cup, or the Benson and Hughes World Cup saw three batting legends play their first major ICC tournament. Sachin Tendulkar (India), Brian Lara (West Indies) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) all went on to make an impact in the WC, which propelled them to great heights and became household names in the near future. Let us see how each of these legends fared in the 1992 quadrennial showpiece, which was won by Imran Khan's Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar  - 333 Runs from 7 innings, Avg. - 47.16, SR - 84.73, 50s - 3

The little master came to the World Cup on the back of a five match test series against Australia Down under, which India lost 5-0. Sachin, however, showed indifferent form in the series and except two brilliant knocks (148* at Sydney and 114 at Perth) had nothing much to show. The maestro, a teenager then, showed maturity in his debut WC and accumulated 283 runs at an average of 47. He was the only man of the match in India's two victories against Pakistan and Zimbabwe. But what is noteworthy is that Sachin scored three fifties.

Brian Lara - 333 Runs from 8 innings, Avg. - 47.57, SR - 81.61, 50s - 4

Brian Charles Lara also made a name for himself in the tournament and throughout the years has gone on to become Sachin's adversary, When on song, there was no stopping this left-handed Carribean player. Through the tournament Lara established himself as the main batting mainstay of the West Indies. Though West Indies faltered in the 1992 World Cup, Lara was the lone bright spot in their disastrous campaign, where they ranked 6th. Used as a opener, Lara scored at brisk pace during the tournament and scored 333 runs at an average of  47.57. More than half his runs were accumulated in boundaries as he rattled on at a striking-rate of 81.61 per 100 balls. This shows the enormous stroke playing prowess which he possessed.

Inzamam-ul-Haq - 225 Runs from 10 innings, Avg. - 22.50, SR - 93.75, 50s - 1

Some call him the 'gentle giant', but Pakistan's big man Inzamam-ul-Haq showed his other big side during the tournament with his big temperament and as a big-hitter who could finish off games for Pakistan. Despite faring poorly in the round robin stage of the tournament, Imran Khan persisted with him. And he repaid his captain's faith with two blistering knocks in the semi-final and final against New Zealand and England respectively. With Pakistan in a precarious position needing 123 runs from 15 overs, Inzamam launched into the Kiwi bowling along with Javed Miandad and smashed a match-winning 60 from 37 balls, which stunned the Kiwis and spectators alike. His vital contribution of 42 in 35 balls in the finals helped Pakistan reach a comfortable 249/6 after a sluggish start.

Abhishek