Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar added another feather to his cap when he became the first batsman to cross the 200-run mark in an one-day international at Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior on Wednesday. The double ton also helped India go past the 400 mark setting a target of 402 for the tourists. India bowled out South Africa for 248 and winning the three match series 2-0
Tendulkar achieved the unique landmark when he run a single off Langeveldt against South Africa in the second one-dayer of the ongoing three-match series. Sachin’s 200 came off 147 balls, which include 25 fours and 3 sixes. The master surpassed the previous highest individual score made by Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar (194 against India in 1997) and Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe (194 not out against Bangladesh in 1999).
Later after the match, Tendulkar said he sensed he could be the first batsman to hit an ODI double century only after he had reached 175 . Tendulkar, whose unbeaten 200 earned him a slice of one day history, said he was merely striking the ball well early in his innings. It was only in the final eight overs that he realised he stood a chance to re-write history.
“In the first half an hour, I was striking the ball well and timing well. The ball was coming nicely onto the bat,” Tendulkar said after the match.
“I was not thinking about it all along. It was only when I crossed 175 and realised that it was still the 42nd over, I felt I have an opportunity. So I decided to take singles and give strike to (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni who was hitting so well,” said the batting great.
On his epic knock, Tendulkar said, “I don’t know how to react. I’d like to dedicate this double-hundred to the people of India for standing behind me for the last 20 years, come what may.”
The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association on Wednesday gifted Tendulkar a silver bat apart from Rs 10 lakh and announced that a pavilion in the Captain Roop Singh Stadium would be named after the Mumbaikar.
Tendulkar said he expected India to score somewhere in the vicinity of 340-350 but it was the big-hitting spree of Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan which guided the team to 401 for three.
“I felt a good target was around 340-350. We had some fantastic batting by Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf and MS. If you look at the partnerships, every over there was a big shots played.Tendulkar started his innings aggressively and made a quick-fire 37-ball fifty before finally completing his century in 90 balls. Sachin extended his lead for the record of most number of centuries to 17 as Ricky Ponting lies in the second place with 29 centuries.
Tendulkar continued his record breaking form as he had slammed his 46th Test ton in the final match of the longer version of the game against the Proteas earlier.
After losing Virender Sehwag (9) early in the innings, Tendulkar put on 194-run partnership with Dinesh Karthik (79 off 85 balls), who slammed his fourth ODI fifty, against South Africa.
In the first match of the ODI series, India about to gift away the match overcame South Africa’s rear guard action by one run in a thrilling One-Day International on Sunday and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Wayne Parnell was run out off the final delivery, attempting a second run that would have tied the match, to leave the Proteas on 297 all out in reply to India’s 298/9.
The tourists were tottering at 225/8 in the 43rd over when the ninth-wicket pair of Parnell and Dale Steyn swung the day-night match around by adding 65 off 38 balls.
South Africa, needing 26 off the final 12 deliveries, smashed 16 runs in the penultimate over of Ashish Nehra that included a six each by Parnell and Steyn.
With nine runs required from five deliveries, seamer Praveen Kumar bowled Steyn and conceded just seven more off the next four to hand India a thrilling win.
Parnell hit a defiant 49 off 47 balls and Steyn plundered an 18-ball 35, but the pair failed to take the tourists across the line at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.
Earlier, Suresh Raina top-scored with 58 off 63 balls and Virender Sehwag hammered a typically aggressive 46 off 37 balls as the hosts piled up 298/9 after being sent in to bat.
South Africa’s stand-in captain Jacques Kallis starred for the tourists with both bat and ball, claiming 3-29 from seven overs with his medium-pace bowling before making a fluent 89.
The veteran all-rounder hit six fours and a six before being eighth out, bowled by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, 11 runs short of his 17th One-day century.
India took the field in the series opener without bowling spearheads Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and frontline batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.
Harbhajan was given permission to miss the first two matches due to his sister’s wedding, while the other three were injured.
Kallis led South Africa in the absence of Graeme Smith, who opted out of the One-dayers with a finger injury sustained during the Test series, which ended 1-1 last week.
When India batted, Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik (44) put on 79 for the second wicket in 75 balls after veteran Sachin Tendulkar was run out for four in the second over of the match.
Sehwag, who hit two audacious sixes over the third man and cover region, was unlucky to be run out when a Karthik drive was deflected to the non-striker’s wicket by bowler Charl Langeveldt.
South Africa made a flying start as Herschelle Gibbs (27) and Loots Bosman (29) put on 58 for the first wicket off just 8.4 overs.
South Africa, who were 134/3 at one stage, lost three middle-order wickets for 27 runs to slip to 161/6 by the 35th over.
The second match will be played in Gwalior on Wednesday and the third in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
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