Sachin 200 Run

Sachin scripts history

Becomes first to score 200 in one-day cricket

India's Sachin Tendulkar became the first man in the 2,962-match history of one-day internationals to make a double century when he scored 200 not out against South Africa here on Wednesday.

Three Indians -- Tendulkar, current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and former skipper Sourav Ganguly -- are responsible for four of the largest 11 solo one-day international scores while only Tendulkar and West Indies great Vivian Richards feature in that list twice.

Tendulkar's world record enabled India post a massive 401-3 against the Proteas in the second one-day international at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.

Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194) were the joint-record holders for the highest individual score.

Tendulkar, 36, reached the milestone in the last over when he took a single off paceman Charl Langeveldt, much to the delight of the sizeable crowd at the ground.

The veteran Indian opener smashed 25 fours and three sixes in his 147-ball knock for his 46th one-day hundred in the day-night match to boost his team's hopes of clinching the three-match series.

The hosts lead 1-0 following their one-run victory in the previous game in Jaipur on Sunday.India's Sachin Tendulkar became the first man in the 2,962-match history of one-day internationals to make a double century when he scored 200 not out against South Africa here on Wednesday.

Three Indians -- Tendulkar, current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and former skipper Sourav Ganguly -- are responsible for four of the largest 11 solo one-day international scores while only Tendulkar and West Indies great Vivian Richards feature in that list twice.

Tendulkar's world record enabled India post a massive 401-3 against the Proteas in the second one-day international at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.

Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194) were the joint-record holders for the highest individual score.


Tendulkar, 36, reached the milestone in the last over when he took a single off paceman Charl Langeveldt, much to the delight of the sizeable crowd at the ground.

The veteran Indian opener smashed 25 fours and three sixes in his 147-ball knock for his 46th one-day hundred in the day-night match to boost his team's hopes of clinching the three-match series.

The hosts lead 1-0 following their one-run victory in the previous game in Jaipur on Sunday.

Yesterday, as he was leaving the field with his head bowed, he crossed paths with the incoming batsman, captain MS Dhoni, a man who in many ways is set to inherit the mantle of the most celebrated cricketer in the land from Tendulkar. Dhoni would have seen the man that his generation idolised returning dejected, ruing another missed opportunity, and perhaps something stirred in him.

The Indian captain had not scored a single fifty in the entirety of this tournament, but yesterday he was in the 'zone' that great batsmen like Brian Lara and Tendulkar talk about. With Gautam Gambhir, and later Yuvraj Singh, he played a consummate captain's innings, one which Tendulkar himself would have been proud of, and the rest will now be consigned to the annals of history

Icc World Cup Final 2011

WE DID IT FOR YOU, BOSS! The World Cup-winning Indian team carry their hero Sachin Tendulkar on a lap of honour around the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai yesterday. It was the fairytale ending the genius has been waiting for, winning his first World Cup on his home ground.Sports Reporter
Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn't spend too much time on history, records and emotions. He is a figure who gives off a distant air to the media, a cool persona to the public and a calming influence on teammates, be it stalwarts or rookies. What is Sachin Tendulkar's birthright and what should have been Saurav Ganguly's natural conclusion is now Dhoni's.
He has certainly deserved lifting the 2011 Cricket World Cup. His unbeaten 73-ball 75 might be his first half-century in the tournament but like Steve Waugh in 1999, he left his best for the last. His innings was a true reflection of his reign as India captain.
Some call him plain lucky. He has the best batting line-up in the world, an armoury that any captain would love to have. If that is so, Ricky Ponting is perhaps luckier than Dhoni. The Indian captain has to make do with a one-and-a-half man bowling attack and a fielding setup that blows hot and cold. Add to that the pressure of a billion people and a few million TV channels and you have the world's most under-fire captain, even when he's winning.
During a press conference in Dhaka before the opening game against Bangladesh, a female reporter asked Dhoni if the team would feel pressure since they beat New Zealand and Australia in the warm-up games. "Madam, if we win there's pressure and if we lose there's pressure. What can I do?" was his reply. It drew a lot of laughs and experienced journalists can't seem to forget this phrase.
Dhoni may be sometimes ridiculed for his ultra-cool behaviour, sometimes bordering on the delusional. Incidents of Dhoni skipping press conferences and giving reporters blank looks are well-documented but nobody, not even the hoards of former Indian cricketers who regularly pick on him, can take this World Cup triumph away from him.
The man who was given the captaincy almost by default in late 2007 and then took over full time from Anil Kumble in 2008, Dhoni has balanced it well. It is sometimes forgotten that Dhoni leads a team that, in all his reign, had the likes of Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and Tendulkar. In Pakistan, these are known as trouble-spots but for India, it has been the perfect mix in terms of leadership with South African Gary Kirsten being the perfect foil for the skipper.
Former England coach Duncan Fletcher commended how Dhoni,Tendulkar and Kirsten form the perfect leadership group for India.
The World Cup trophy is won by the best leaders in the world, it is not hierarchy but that is how it has been. Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Arjuna Ranatunga, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting made themselves count in every campaign, Dhoni too has done the same and in fact, he's led India out of the 2007 World Cup quagmire and into the top of world cricket.
Last night, Dhoni's batting had nothing to do with extra responsibility. It didn't give any rounded flourish of defending the ball when Virat Kohli fell to that stunning catch. Dhoni relies on his eyes and his timing and he used that against Sri Lanka to full effect. It is no secret that Dhoni's batting or for that matter his wicketkeeping is anything to talk about but he does the job. His first boundary in the 31st over broke the shackles for India and some of his whacks to the fence were borderline funny, but it never actually shows any struggle.
Dhoni's ability to balance a team is exemplary and his balance at the crease is also something to learn from.