Sachin Tendulkar created history by firing the first double century in one-day internationals as India put South Africa to the sword in Gwalior.
The 36-year-old was in indomitable form as he bludgeoned 25 fours and three sixes in a stunning 200 off 147 balls.
It passed the previous best of 194, set by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in 1997 and Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry last year.
And it led India, aided by a fabulous cameo of 68 off 35 balls from Mahendra Dhoni, to a superb 401-3 from 50 overs.
Tendulkar, whose previous best one-day knock was the 186 not out he scored against New Zealand in 1999, is already the leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket.
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL ODI SCORES
200* Sachin Tendulkar, India v South Africa 2010
194* Charles Coventry, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh 2009
194 Saeed Anwar, Pakistan v India 1997
189* Viv Richards, W Indies v England 1984
189 Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka v India 2000
But to have reached such a landmark, with a single in the final over, only serves to underline his class and add to the legacy that already surrounds arguably the finest batsman to have played the game.
His innings was typified by wristy strokes, trademark boundary shots and, above all, stamina as he batted through the entire innings.
He passed the previous best score in ODIs off 140 deliveries before taking his time over the final six runs, completing his double century with a single off Charl Langeveldt four balls from the end of the innings.
Despite clearly suffering with cramp towards the end, Tendulkar was not to be denied and the packed Gwalior crowd were in raptures as he brought up the record.
Around him, Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni provided able support.
Karthik, who came to the crease in just the fourth over after sending a high catch down to Dale Steyn at third man off Wayne Parnell, struck four fours and three sixes on his way to an 85-ball knock of 79.
He departed when he mistimed a pull shot to Herschelle Gibbs at mid-wicket but Yusuf Pathan upped the pace with 36 off 23 balls, including two huge sixes.
However, not even he could match Dhoni's remarkable strokeplay, the India captain providing a staggering display of power hitting with four sixes and seven fours that allowed Tendulkar to calmly build his record-breaking innings at the other end.
I think people who were talking all s**t about Sachin got a good reply..Don't ever compare him wid anyone. He is not comparable at all. Just the maestro of cricket. Does anyone still want to compare him wid Lara or other bull shits??????
haha gabbar sing le hasayo. Tendulkar is good in ODI but in test i still prefer Lara.
And whats the point in comparing with Lara when he has already retried. Compare them when they are playing. By the way how many ODI has tendulkar played. 500 lol.
Great achievement 200 though.
But. For me best ODI Batsman is Ricky ponting.
Record of ponting is a la Pele in Football. He has been part of 3 world cup wins, and one world cup final.
Ponting 3 World cups 1 world cup final 2 mini world cups
I know tendulkar has won many coca cola cups, pan parag cups, hero honda cups lol
but on one to one fight he has lost. Just look at the 2003 world cup final. When it mattered the most he got out for just 4 runs. Ponting scored 140.
Unless he wins a wold cup he will always go down second
THis is what I was waiting for. Now, I can die with piece. Little Master was my all time fav batsman, and I used to try to play like him (now don't laugh guys.I used to play good criceket, that doesn't mean I am comparing with him. It's that I used to copy his stroke and shots, specially the straight drive and on the leg for sixes....I even played for selection game for U-19 @ kritipur ground....then after coming to US life was different).
jack Kallis was my all time fav All-rounder.
As Gabber said, there is no comparison with Sachin. and I don't think anyone would be close to him in coming few hundred years.
hahaha..no quiero le hasayo....pan parag cup ani honda cup re? what about pani puri cup and chicken tandoori cup? anyway....with due respect to tendulkar....I think lara is still best in tests...if you talk about 200 in ODI how can you forget 400 in tests and 500 in first class? And another thing....if some of those promising young cricketers play the same amount of cricket tendulkar has played, I am pretty sure one of those would at least come close to tendulkar's achievements!
Oh well! when the crowd is on the same train of thought as you are, can you just walk away without any involvement? I guess not!
A good showman with passion never dies, but shine again and again. Congratulations to the little master for his another world-record achievement! He might have played more games than any other players, but I am sure it requires both passion and stamina to be in the team for so long. Has anyone taken these into account and why would someone even compare players?
Oh yes, the probability of bringing the World Cup home would have been more if he was in a competitive team! Mind you, cricket is not a one player game, it's a team game and the effort of the team counts more!
Also, can people not just show some gratitude for someone's good work? Was there even a need of giving a shout-out on preferences as no one had asked about it.
Having said all that, Wohoooo to all the fans!
P.S: It's good to be back and hello to all the old friends!
Tendulkar is a great batsman no doubt but he is slightly overrated as well. Born in the nation where cricket is revered as a religion, the country which plays more cricket than any other nation in the world, the country which has sixth of the population of the entire world, Tendulkar is lucky to be an Indian than a talented cricketer. Imagine him being a champion of a lot less popular game in the same country - say Kabaddi. Would he be still the same Tendulkar that he is? Certainly not.
In a country where cricket is a religion and followers too passionate and maudlin, any performance in cricket is bound to be scrutinized, criticized and praised a lot more than normal. When Indian cricket team was a one-man-dependent bunch of pussies back in the nineties, it was obvious that a rare talent like Tendulkar would get all adulations that brought forth all media hype and hoopla regarding him. He was already a big star before delivering stellar performances under his belt. I remember his two great innings in Sarjah in the nineties by which he single-handedly brought India to the final and won the final against their rival and much more accomplished team Australia. Tendulakar played probably the best in his entire career back then...but then after that there is not even anything close to that show for the rest of his career. Till now.
His much criticized dip in the career post 2000 AD largely due to injuries could have easily cost him his place in the team if he was in a more professional team - say Australia. But India being India, he survived the tumultuous phase in his career and is still playing.
I admire the passion and aspiration of the man. A twenty year long career and still going. Gotta admire his persistence. But the gargantuan of a nation that India is and the insatiable passion of its people towards the game are also largely contributing towards his rise to the fame and stardom.
MAGA and all how do you feel about Trumps cabinet pick?
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