Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sachin becomes first batsman to score 200 in an ODI

Sachin Tendulkar


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

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