Sachin becomes first batsman to score 200 in an ODI

GWALIOR: Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books on Wednesday, hammering the first double century in the history of one-day cricket to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.


The capacity crowd at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium witnessed history on Wednesday as Tendulkar, statistically the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, pushed a Charl Langeveldt delivery through the off-side and ran a single to achieve a feat which no other cricketer has achieved.

One-day international cricket, since its 1971 inception, had to wait nearly four decades to see a batsman score 200. The previous best mark was shared by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out against Bangladesh in 2009) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194 against India in 1997).

As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer.

His captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down from the striker's end to shake hands and hug him.

And as Tendulkar set on his way back to the pavilion after the completion of the Indian innings, a tumultuous celebration greeted him.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation as the entire stadium erupted in euphoria while his teammates were simply ecstatic as they clapped and hugged each other, basking in the glory of their senior teammates.

Tendulkar batted like a man with a mission on Wednesday and the South African bowlers simply had no clue where to bowl.

Once he crossed the 150-mark, the crowd anticipated something special and Tendulkar did not let them down.

A six off Roelof van der Merwe took him past Kapil Dev's 175 not out and in the next over, he hit Jacques Kallis for a four to equal his previous best of 186 not out that had come against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999.

The crowd got restless as Tendulkar approached the 194-run mark and a couple off Wayne Parnell saw him eclipse it.

His teammates and spectators were on the edge of their seat with a double century round the corner but with Dhoni going berserk at the striker's end and facing most of the deliveries, it was an agonising wait for all.

Dhoni took singles off the final deliveries of the 47th-49th overs and Tendulkar finally took strike with four balls left in the innings.

The first ball he received from Langeveldt was steered past point and Tendulkar ran for a single to remain unbeaten after an unforgettable unbeaten 200 that came off just 147 balls with 25 fours and three sixes in it.

It was yet another milestone for the man, who has some 30,000 international runs under his belt, including 93 centuries (47 in Tests and 46 in ODIs).

Highest score in ODIs
Player	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Against	Ground	Date
Sachin Tendulkar	200*	147	25	3	South Africa	Gwalior	Feb 24, 2010
CK Coventry	194*	156	16	7	Bangladesh	Bulawayo	Aug 16, 2009
Saeed Anwar	194	146	22	5	India	Chennai	May 21, 1997
Sir Viv Richards	189*	170	21	5	England	Manchester	May 31, 1984
Sanath Jayasuriya	189	161	21	4	India	Sharjah	Oct 29, 2000
Gary Kirsten	188*	159	13	4	UAE	Rawalpindi	Feb 16, 1996
Sachin Tendulkar	186*	150	20	3	New Zealand	Hyderabad	Nov 8, 1999
MS Dhoni	183*	145	15	10	Sri Lanka	Jaipur	Oct 31, 2005
Sourav Ganguly	183	158	17	7	Sri Lanka	Tounton	May 26, 1999
Mathew Hayden	181*	166	11	10	New Zealand	Hamilton	Feb 20, 2007