Tendulkar creates history, India clinches series

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: February 25, 2010

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Gwalior: It took nearly 40 years of waiting to see the 1^st double hundred in one-day cricket and it was well worth the wait! If there was one man who deserved to score the all elusive double ton in ODI cricket, it was the Master Blaster from India, Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin chose the best bowling attack in the world at the moment to not only beat the highest score in an ODI but also notch up the first ever double hundred in ODI history.

Sachin’s 200 not out off 147 balls, helped India pile on a mammoth 401 for 3 in 50 overs. The Indian bowlers then bundled out the South Africans for 248 in 42.5 overs to win the second one-dayer by 153 runs and clinch the three-match series 2-0. With this win, not only did India make sure that they can’t lose the series but also ensured that there was no threat to their status of the number 2 team in ODI cricket.

Every Indian batsman, except for Virender Sehwag, scored runs after MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. Dinesh Karthik (79 off 85 balls), MS Dhoni (68 not out off 35 balls) and Yusuf Pathan (36 off 23 balls), all contributed to the total of 401 but it was a day when even they couldn’t deny the master his moment of glory.

Sachin, 36, literally toyed around with the South African bowling. For all these years, fatigue, cramps and paucity of time has stood in the way of batsmen crossing the 200-run mark. Sachin, too, did start cramping up once he reached 150 but he decided not to go for the runner. He eventually batted through the innings, which in itself is an achievement for someone who is supposed to be getting “old”! There were no chances offered, no dropped catches, and no wrong decisions in his favour. It was just an absolutely flawless innings!

The capacity crowd at Captain Roop Singh Stadium not only witnessed the Master at his best but they also witnessed one of the best innings ever played in ODI cricket. Tendulkar’s epic 147-ball knock was studded with 25 fours and three sixes.

In the 46th over, with a flick for two past short fine-leg, Tendulkar broke the record for the highest ODI score, going past the 194 made by Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry and Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar, and to say that he acknowledged his feat modestly would be the understatement of the century! His muted celebration on going past 194, where he didn’t raise his bat, just shook hands with Mark Boucher and carried on with his innings, made his achievement all the more endearing.

Charl Langveldt then went into the history books as the bowler of whose bowling the 200^th run was scored. Tendulkar steered the pacer to the off side to get to the magical figure as the packed stadium went into a frenzy.

In reply, South Africa couldn’t replicate their 434-run chase against Australia. They seemed too shaken, mentally and physically, after the assault and with the exception of AB De Villiers, who scored a fighting 114 not out, no South African batsman showed any resistance. De Villier’s unbeaten 101-ball knock had 13 fours and two sixes in it.

S Sreesanth was the most successful bowler for India with figures of 3 for 49.

It was all, however, reduced to a footnote as Tendulkar made history.

Match Summary:

India 401 for 3 (Tendulkar 200*, Karthik 79, Dhoni 68*) beat South Africa 248 (de Villiers 114, Sreesanth 3-49, Pathan 2-37) by 153 runs

Man of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar

Tagged with: AB de Villiers, Dinesh Karthik, Gwalior, India, MS Dhoni, S Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, South Africa, Yusuf Pathan

Tendulkar creates history, India clinches series

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