Tundulkar 200 downs Proteas in 2nd ODI
Today was I a lucky man, for I saw Sachin Tendulkar become the first man ever to score a double hundred in a One Day International. And boy did I enjoy it just as much as everyone else in the packed Captain Roop Singh stadium here in Gwalior.
Sachin is approaching 37 years old. He has played international cricket for over twenty years. He can’t have many years left in him. He is the world’s best batsman and has been for as long as most of us can remember. How fitting that today was his day.
I have often wondered why it is that in the nearly 3000 ODI’s that have been played over the past forty or so years, no-one has managed the feat before. The obvious answer is that it’s pretty tricky to score so many runs when you are only likely to face 150 or so balls in the innings, if you bat right through. And of course if you do bat right through then it would be selfish not to take some major risks near the end of the innings, which partly explains why five batsmen have previously been dismissed after they had reached 180.
But the other big reason is that batsmen get tired. A big score equals a lot of physical and mental effort over three and a half hours. And scoring at over twice the rate at which most Test double centuries are knocked up! That is a lot of concentrating, a lot of running and a lot of smashing the ball. That is what made today’s innings all the more remarkable, for the Little Master is an old man.
He could have scored more runs in fact. In the last over Dhoni hit the ball to a fielder on the boundary but they didn’t take a run, Sachin had reached 200 and didn’t have it in him to try and make any more. The job had been done. In his 441st ODI, he smashed 200 runs. It probably will, but I like to think that it may never happen again.
Tendulkar’s knock of 200 not out came from 147 balls and boasted 25 fours and three sixes on a good deck and in a smallish ground against South Africa. It took 226 minutes and brought the entire crowd to its feet when he reached 100, when he reached 150, when he bettered his previous personal best of 186*, when he passed Charles Coventry and Saeed Anwar’s equalled previous bests of 194*, when he reached the double hundred and once more at the end of the innings for good measure.
He paced himself beautifully, as if the Master Blaster knew all along that he would end with exactly 200 not out. It was a virtually chanceless innings where he punched and pulled and cut and drove and showed all the world that he wasn’t just the world’s best batsman, but he was actually improving with age. That his reaction time hadn’t slowed by one nanosecond and that he was as fit as anyone else.
Of course India’s posting 401 for three meant that they won the match with ease. South Africa were forced to attack from ball one of the reply and it was asking too much to expect a close game from there. But the crowd got their money’s worth alright – even when SA needed 18 runs an over off the last ten, with only two wickets in hand, the stands were chock-a-block with worshipers. How could they leave early, when they’d had so much fun?
South Africa fell short by 151 runs and AB de Viliers knocked up a fine hundred (114, 101b) in vain but it was too little too late, Tendulkar had long since won India the match and the series.
After the match, Sachin said, “I don’t play for records, I play with passion for fun and enjoyment. Records have happened a lot along the way, but my dream was only to play for India.”
“I don’t like to compare my innings, each outing where you score at will is a special one. It feels great but I respect all my important innings.” he added
The master batsman then heaped praise on the team coach: “The credit also goes to Gary (Kirsten) – he has held the team together beautifully. We are playing for each other and Gary has worked himself as hard as anyone else. I’d like to thank him here.”
Gopalkrishnan Ramaswamy of Bangalore kindly furnished Spin with the following stats:
India vs South Africa Second one day game at Gwalior on 24.02.10 :
MS Dhoni won the toss in this game providing the 32nd occasion of India winning the toss in India-South Africa one day series
By a coincidence, V Sehwag was playing his 221st match, exactly half of SR Tendulkar’s 442 matches. Their combined total is 663 matches.
SR Tendulkar was playing his 431st innings in this game. The record for most innings played in one day games is 432 and is credited to ST Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka.
V Sehwag’s dismissal for 9 in this game represents his 42nd dismissal for single digits which includes ten zeroes.
The three figure partnership of 194 runs between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represent the 292nd occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership in one day games. It also represents the 62nd occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership for the second wicket in one day games.
The three figure partnership of 194 runs between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represents the 93rd occasion of SR Tendulkar being a partner in a three figure partnership in one day games.
SR Tendulkar registered his 46th one day hundred in this game. This was his fourth hundred against South Africa. The other three hundreds are – 122 at Vadodara on 17.03.00, 114 at Mumbai on 14.12.96 and 101 at Jo’burg on 05.10.01. SR Tendulkar’s 200 not out in this game represents his highest score against South Africa
Break up of SR Tendulkar’s 46 hundreds team wise read thus : vs Australia – 09, vs England – 01, vs Kenya – 04, vs Namibia – 01, vs New Zealand – 05, vs Pakistan -05, vs South Africa – 04, vs Sri Lanka – 08, vs West Indies – 04 and vs Zimbabwe – 05.
KRD Karthik registered his fourth one day half century when he made 79 in this game. The other three are – 67 vs West Indies at Kingston on 28.06.09, 63 vs West Indies at Cuttack on 24.06.07 and 58* vs Bangladesh at Dhaka on 10.05.07. Thus his knock of 79 in this game represents his highest one day score.
194 runs partnership between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represents the ground record for the highest three figure partnership at Gwalior. The previous best was 190 runs partnership between SR Tendulkar and VVS Laxman against Australia on 26.10.03
194 runs partnership between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represents the 12th three figure partnership at Gwalior.
With 25 boundary fours in this innings 200 not out, SR Tendulkar has now the record of most boundary fours in an innings. He wrested the record of 24 boundary fours of ST Jayasuriya in his knock of 157 against Netherlands at Amstelveen on 04.07.06 which was the previous record of most boundary fours in an innings.
SR Tendulkar with his score on 195 not out in this innings became the highest scorer in One day games when he went past the scores of 194 not out by CK Coventry of Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh at Bulawayo on 16.08.09 and 194 by Saeed Anwar of Pakistan vs India at Chennai on 21.05.97, SR Tendulkar’s score of 200 not out in this innings became the highest scorer on Indian soil going past 194 by Saeed Anwar of Pakistan vs India at Chennai on 21.05.97
SR Tendulkar became the first batsman in the history of one day games to score 200 runs when he scored 200 not out in this game. It was an improvement over his 186 not out against New Zealand at Hyderabad-LBS on 05.11.96
SR Tendulkar now owns the record for most 150 plus scores in one day games. His 200 not out in this game was his fifth score of 150 plus runs. He wrested the record from ST Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka who has scored four scores of 150 plus runs. Tendulkar’s five scores of 150 plus runs are – 200 not out vs South Africa at Gwalior on 24.02.10, 186 not out vs 175 vs Australia at Hyd-RGS on 05.11.09, 163 retd hurt vs New Zealand at Christchurch on 08.03.09 and 152 vs Namibia at Pietermaritzburg on 23.02.03
WD Parnell conceded 95 runs in this game providing the 16th occasion of a bowler conceding 90 plus runs in one day games. His figures represent the most expensive bowling figures by a South Africal bowler in one day games.
WD Parnell became the third bowler to concede 90 plus runs against India in one day games. The other two bowlers are – RDM Leverock of Bermuda – 10.0-0-96-1 at Port of Spain on 19.03.07 and TG Southee of New Zealand – 10.0-0-105-0 at Christchurch on 08.03.09
India’s 401 for 3 in this game represent the ninth occasion of a team posting a total of 400 plus runs in one day games. India holds the record of scoring 400 plus runs on most occasions in one day games – three occasions – 413 for 5 vs Bermuda at Port of Spain on 19.03.07, 414 for 7 vs Sri Lanka at Rajkot on 15.12.09 and 401 for 3 vs South Africa at Gwalior on 24,02.10
This game witnessed two three figure partnerships in India’s innings. SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik added 194 runs for the second wicket and SR Tendulkar and MS Dhoni added 101 runs in an unfinished stand for the fourth wicket – providing the 106thoccasion of a team posting two or more three figure partnerships in its innings.
This game witnessed two three figure partnerships in India’s innings. SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik added 194 runs for the second wicket and SR Tendulkar and MS Dhoni added 101 runs in an unfinished stand for the fourth wicket – providing the 23rdoccasion of India posting two three figure partnerships in its innings.
India’s 401 for 3 in this game represent its highest team total against South Africa. The previous best was 310 at Nagpur on 19.03.00
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Aye!
Tendulkar had a bust up 2003 (except for the WC the whole of which he played with a broken hand)…and 05/06 when due to seemingly endless injuries he almost retired.
It is literally just these 3 yrs when he stumbled and fell and when all and sundry filled their boots- that make a superficial look at “overall” stats “appear” that lara,ponting,dravid and the like are even remotely his equals.
They are not- never have been,never will be.
When SR Tendulkar sores a century and non of my friends says he hasn’t played a good inings because they expect something more. Atlast Sachin also proves their thinking has a certain value.
Thanks for the comments, guys