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| Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 200 at Gwalior, the first double century in the history of one-day internationals. (Reuters) |
Gwalior, Feb. 24: One down, one to go.
Till this afternoon, two records still eluded Sachin Tendulkar — he wasn’t credited with the highest individual score either in Tests or in ODIs.
Odd, but true.
By evening, one had become his and this seeped-in-history city actually entered the record books for a non-martial achievement.
Sachin didn’t surprise by becoming the first to smash the 200-run barrier in ODIs. The surprise, if any, is that it took him so long (442 matches).
Now, a thing of the past is Zimbabwean Charles Coventry’s 194 not out, at home against Bangladesh last August, and Pakistani Saeed Anwar’s 194, versus India at a humid Chepauk, in the summer of 1997.
The record which has to be rewritten is Brian Lara’s 400 not out in Tests, set six years ago. Sachin may not talk about it, but deep within, it would definitely be a target.
One bar, then, remains to be raised.
For now, we can raise a toast to Sachin’s classic 200 not out (off only 147 balls, 25x4, 3x6) at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, crafted in the presence of around 25,000 extremely passionate fans.
“I’ve been privileged to witness one of cricket’s great moments.... Frankly, I can’t think of how best to describe Sachin’s innings.... It was awesome.... His hunger for runs is quite unbelievable,” Darryl Cullinan, among South Africa’s finest batsmen, told The Telegraph.
Cullinan perfectly capsuled a sentiment which went well beyond the Gwalior fort.
Former India captain Ravi Shastri saluted Sachin in one word — “brilliant”.
Was there a shot Sachin didn’t play? Even if there was, nobody missed it in the midst of mind-blowing domination.
The man of the moment (and the match), Sachin, dedicated his record to “every Indian” and hoped that a compatriot would do better.
Exactly two months away from his 37th birthday, Sachin paced his innings so remarkably that it would attract the envy of 17-year-olds with big dreams.
The second hundred, in fact, was reached in 57 balls as opposed to the 90 required for the first.
Clearly, Sachin’s energy levels, too, are phenomenal. He ran 56 singles and 13 twos and, had the quota of overs not finished, would have continued shuttling between the 22 yards.
He did go off the field, after the fall of the third wicket, but that was understandable.
As has become customary after every achievement, Sachin looked at the heavens, remembered his father and thanked God. After the 200th run, the gaze upwards was longer than usual.
Well, a special allowance for a special moment.
By then, India was thanking Sachin and South Africa’s regular captain, Graeme Smith, must have thanked the Almighty for sparing him the Sachin-stick.
With Smith back home, deputy Jacques Kallis had to face the music. He didn’t enjoy it, but one Sachin Dev Burman, the inspiration behind Little Master II’s name, surely would have.
In a gesture which wasn’t missed, just about every South African congratulated Sachin as he walked off (in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s company), having helped India set an almost impossible to achieve target of 402.
Confidence in tatters, the visitors fell far short (the hosts won by 153 runs) and lost the series, reducing the third and final ODI, in Motera, to largely academic interest.
Getting back to Sachin, after 20 years in the business, international cricket’s senior-most pro doesn’t have to demand respect, he gets it. By way of a handsome bonus come the naming of roads and pavilions after him.
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