India Vs Australia, Second test, Bangalore

Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaloru

The stadium was given test status in 1974-75, India vs West Indies. That match was also the debut of two west indian greats, Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge.

Going in to this match fans are waiting for

Sachin to score 27 to reach 14000, 

Sachin to score 45 to be the highest run getter in Bangalore,

Last 9 test Sachin has scored more than 50 everytime, two more test matches to take him on par with Vivian Richards

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first.

They put 478 on the board with the help of M North, Ricky Ponting and Shane watson.

India opened with Shewag and Murali Vijay in absence of Gautam Ghambir, started well but Shewag and Dravid fell in quick succession, then came Sachin Tendulkar. Then what happened is as if script was written by Sachin himself. He looked so confident and was never in trouble. He treated Hauritz with ease and the scoreboard kept ticking. Sachin got good company from Murali Vijay. Then the moment of the match came, when master was on 27 he reached the 14000 mark which no one ever attained, another feather on his cap. Its a privilage to watch him bat like this. I wonder weather he is 37 or 21. His hunger for runs always amazed me and continues to do so.
End of days play India were 128/2, Sachin on 44 and Murali 42
He reached 50 by hitting 2 fours, doing so he made in to another club of record of scoring 50 or more 10 consecutive test matches. He went on and on to make his 49th test hundred with two sixes. 5th times he scored a hundred by hitting a six. This innings started as if he is ready for a big one.
He also reached another record by scoring 6 hundreds this year. He became the only indian to do so.
When he reached 107 he completed 3000 runs against Aussie, 2nd highest to Jack Hobbs
When he reached 150 he went past Lara's record for most number of 150's in test cricket, another world record(20 times). Couple of wickets fell quickly before the days play. Sachin was on 191* when play stopped on 3rd day.
As expected he reached his 6th double hundred and 2nd against the Aussie very quickly. By doing so he joined Shewag for most number of double hundreds by an Indian. Sachin fell to the debutant George,  When he was on 214. What an Innings!!!
After Sachin's wicket another four wickets fell for just 9 runs!, as always.
India All out for 495

Australia started their second innings confidently. Watson and Katich were middling the balls until spinner came in to the attack. Ojha was the pick of the bowlers. Three wickets fell in quick succession Watson, Katich and Clark. Ponting and Hussey steady the innings with a half centuary partnership. Then again Indian bowler came back strongly with tqo quick wickets. After Ponting went for 72 rest was just a formality. Australia finished their innings for 223.

Australia need a good start to win this match, they got Shewag out cheaply. But Murali Vijay and Pujara steady the Indian innings with a quick fire 72 run stand. After Murali Vijay went Sachin joined Pujara for another crucial stand. Sachin played another gem of an innings. It was important that he stays there till the end.  And he has done exactly that. After Pujara departed Sachin and Dravid stayed till the end.

India 207/3 (45 Overs)

Sachin Tendulker Won the Man of the Match and Man of the Series award

Rahul Dravid about Sachin Tendulker

'Adaptability is his greatest talent no other batsman in world cricket can do it quite like him'' - Dravid 
I first saw Sachin Tendulkar when I was 14, in an U-15 game between West Zone and South Zone at Cuttack in 1986. I was a substitute; Sachin was playing, and got 60-odd. I saw him again the next year in an U-17 game at Nagpur. A number of things struck me about Sachin: that he was obviously a special talent, that he used a very heavy bat for one so young, and also that his bat was a fine imported Slazenger, the envy of many of us! Within a couple of years, he was playing for India, and taking on Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in Pakistan.

In the early nineties satellite television had just come in, and we all watched Sachin's progress with a great deal of interest and took inspiration from him. Here you were, struggling to score runs in a Ranji Trophy game, and there he was, taking on the best attacks in the world, a teenager with the maturity and understanding of a veteran.

I believe his success was also beneficial to us in another way. After him a lot more young cricketers started getting fast-tracked into Ranji sides. Previously you would have to wait till you were 19 or 20 at least before you were considered. I got into my state side at 17; Sourav Ganguly did so at much the same age; Vinod Kambli got an early opportunity to play Test cricket ... more opportunities were available to young players than before.

Sachin has been a great influence on my career. I made my debut for India in 1996 and after a while settled into the No. 3 slot in both forms of the game, and since he opened in one-day cricket and batted at four in Tests, we've spent a lot of time batting together, during which I've always regarded myself fortunate to have the best seat in the house.
In Test cricket, three and four are key positions in the batting order, and it is important that the two men there have games that complement each other. Just his entry would create a stir in the opposition, who would then focus almost entirely on getting him out. This allowed me to go about quietly doing my job at the other end.

Like most other great batsmen, Sachin possesses the ability to control where the bowlers bowl to him: sometimes by taking chances and going on the attack against them, like he did against Shane Warne at Chennai in 1998, or even with a more defensive strategy, like leaving balls outside off stump alone and forcing bowlers to bowl straighter at him.

Sachin's greatest attribute is his ability to adapt to different situations. It doesn't matter if the wicket is low and slow, or fast and bouncy - he just works out what shots he has to play and goes about it. I remember how once in the West Indies in 1997 we played a one-dayer at Trinidad in which we had to bat first against Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Ian Bishop and Franklyn Rose on a pitch on which the ball was doing all sorts of things. Sachin sized up the situation quickly and unleashed a flurry of strokes to disconcert the bowlers. He was out for 44, by which time he had already hit 10 fours.The hallmark of a great player is how you perform in different situations, and also how you perform when you're not playing at your best - like Sachin's double-hundred in Australia when he was going through a lean trot. He just decided to eschew certain shots and piled up a big score. That is why I have little patience with those who say that Sachin these days doesn't often bat with the dash and flair of old. I've never seen any batsman play in one way right through his career - your responsibilities change, your body changes, the way you think changes.
Finally the most important measure of an innings is its value to the side. Many of Sachin's knocks, like that double-hundred at Sydney, even if more restrained and not as pleasing to spectators as some of the blazing innings of old, have been contributions as crucial and significant as any he has made before.

In fact, it is interesting to watch the way Sachin still scores at a very high rate in the one-day game, but in a slightly different way from before - without hitting over the top as much as he used to - because he has learned how to work the ball around at will: he achieves the same results with a different method. In particular, the emergence of Virender Sehwag as his opening partner in the one-day game has led to Sachin adjusting his game slightly. I think he sees a young Tendulkar in Sehwag, and wants him to have the license to play freely; besides, he knows that you don't have to go bang-bang at both ends to keep the scoreboard rattling along.
 Even now, his technique and in particular his balance are impeccable. That flick he plays behind square leg to the fast bowlers, often taking the ball right off his stumps, is all about perfection of balance. No other batsman in world cricket can do it quite like him.

Individual Honours

• Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, 2008.
• ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2007
• Rajiv Gandhi Awards – Sports: 2005
• Player of the tournament in 2003 Cricket World Cup
• Maharashtra Bhushan Award, Maharashtra State's highest Civilian Award in 2001
• Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, 1999
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest honour given for achievement in sports, 1997–98.
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 1997
• Arjuna Award, by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievement in Cricket, 1994

In January 2008, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested that Sachin should be conferred with an honorary knighthood for his contribution to international cricket.He was mentioned in the TIME magazine as "The greatest living exponent of his craft."

Career Achivements

Sachin Tendulkar is the most prolific run scorer in one-day internationals with 17,598 runs. With a current aggregate of 13447 Test runs, he surpassed Brian Lara's previous record tally of 11,953 runs as the highest run scorer in test matches in the second Test of Australia's 2008 tour of India in Mohali. Sachin described "It is definitely the biggest achievement in 19 years of my career" on the day he achieved the record. He also holds the record of highest number of centuries in both Test (47) and ODI cricket (46). Throughout his career, he has made a strong impact on Indian cricket and was, at one time, the foundation of most of the team's victories. In recognition with his impact on sport in a cricket-loving country like India, Tendulkar has been granted the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. He was also chosen as one of hte five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1997 and is ranked by the Wisden 100 as the second best test batsman and best ODI batsman of all time.
Tendulkar has also consistently done well in Cricket World Cups. Tendulkar was the highest run scorer of the 2003 Cricket World Cup and 1996 Cricket World Cup. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 runs in a calendar year in ODIs 7 times, and in 1998 he scored 1894 runs, easily the record for the highest number of runs scored by any player in a single calendar year for one day internationals. Tendulkar is also one of the very few players who are still playing in international cricket from the 1980s. On February 24, 2010, Sachin broke the previous world record for highest individual run scorer in an ODI and became the first cricketer to score double century in ODI. He scored 200 runs and broke the previous record of 194 runs jointly held by Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar and Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry.
He has been Man of the Match 13 times in Test matches and Man of the Series four times, out of them twice in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The performances earned him respect from Australian cricket fans and players. Similarly he has been Man of the Match 60 times in One day International matches and Man of the Series 14 times.

Fan Following

Sachin Tendulkar's entry into world cricket was very much hyped up by former Indian stars and those who had seen him play. By scoring his first half-century in his second match and his first century aged 17, Tendulkar's consistent performances earned him a fan following across the globe, including amongst Australian crowds, where Tendulkar has consistently scored centuries. One of the most popular sayings by Sachin's fans is "Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my God". Cricinfo mentions in his profile that "... Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world."
At home in Mumbai, Tendulkar's fan following is so great that he is unable to lead a normal life. Ian Chappell has said that he would be unable to cope with the lifestyle Tendulkar was forced to lead, having to "wear a wig and go out and watch a movie only at night".In an interview with Tim Sheridan, Tendulkar admitted that he sometimes went for quiet drives in the streets of Mumbai late at night when he would be able to enjoy some peace and silence.

Flawless Tendulker 200 gives india series

It took nearly 40 years of waiting and it was well worth it. Sachin Tendulkar chose one of the better bowling attacks doing the rounds, to eclipse the record for the highest score, before bringing up the first double-hundred in ODI history. The spectators at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium became the envy of cricket fans as they witnessed one of the country's favourite sporting heroes play a breathtaking innings which not only set up a 153-run annihilation but also the series victory. He may have been run-out cheaply in the previous match, but nothing could deny him today - be it bowlers, fielders, mix-ups or cramps. Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni stood by and admired as the master unfurled all the shots in his repertoire.

At 36, Tendulkar hasn't shown signs of ageing, and his sparkling touch in both forms of the game has ruled out all possibilities of him checking out anytime soon. Fatigue, cramps and paucity of time have stood in the way of batsmen going that extra mile to get to the 200-mark. Tendulkar did cramp up after crossing 150, but he didn't opt for a runner. His experience of 20 years at the international level came into play in this historic innings, staying at the crease from the first ball to the last, never once losing focus. There were no chances offered, no dropped catches, making his innings absolutely flawless.

A swirl of emotions must have run through his mind as he approached one record after another but he ensured he was never lost in the moment. His running between the wickets remained just as swift as it had been at the start of the innings. The humidity in Gwalior was bound to test him but he stood above it all and played like he owned the game, toying with the bowling with a mix of nonchalance and brute power.

In the 46th over, with a flick for two past short fine-leg, Tendulkar broke the record for the highest ODI score, going past the 194 made by Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar, and to say that he acknowledged his feat modestly would be an understatement. His muted celebration on going past 194, true to style, made his innings all the more endearing. He didn't raise his bat, merely shook hands with Mark Boucher and simply carried on batting amid the din. Coming from a man who is not known to showing too much emotion with the bat in hand, it wasn't surprising. He reserved his celebrations for the magic figure of 200, which he reached in the final over with a squirt off Charl Langeveldt past backward point. He raised his bat, took off his helmet and looked up at the skies and it was only fitting that one-day cricket's highest run-getter reached the landmark.

Tendulkar's innings featured strokes of the highest quality, but his true genius was exemplified by one particular shot which rendered even the best bowler in the world helpless. In the first over of the batting Powerplay - taken in the 35th over - Dale Steyn fired it in the block-hole for three deliveries outside off to keep him quiet. Tendulkar, feeling the need to improvise, walked right across his stumps and nonchalantly flicked him across the line, hopping in his crease on one leg to bisect the gap at midwicket. A helpless Steyn watched the ball speed away and merely shrugged his shoulders. There was no use searching for excuses or venting frustrations at the temerity of that shot. It was just that kind of afternoon for the bowlers.

It wasn't all just about the cheekiness of his shots. His timing and placement were the hallmarks at the start of his innings. On a road of a pitch which offered no margin of error for the bowlers, he squeezed out full deliveries past the covers and off his pads. With no seam movement on offer, Jacques Kallis took the slips off and placed them in catching positions within the 15-yard circle, hoping to induce a mistake. But Tendulkar outplayed all of them, making room to manoeuver it past a number of green shirts. There were a minimum of two runs on offer each time the ball was placed wide of them and the quick outfield did the rest.

Once he got his eye in, the short boundaries and the flat pitch were too inviting. Virender Sehwag's dismissal for 11, caught at third man, was just an aberration as Karthik, Pathan and Dhoni traded cricket bats for golf clubs. Driving and lofting through the line had never been this easy. Tendulkar could have driven them inside out in his sleep.

The two century stands, with Karthik and then with Dhoni, may well get lost in the scorecard but they were vital building blocks. Karthik rotated the strike well in their stand of 194, struck three clean sixes and helped himself to his career-best performance. That partnership sent out ominous signs to the South Africans that they were in for something massive. Add Dhoni's bludgeoning hits and scoops and you had a score in excess of 400.

Tendulkar reached his fifty off 37 balls and his century off 90. Ironically, he struck his first six - over long-on - when on 111. Pathan bashed it around at the other end, clubbing full tosses and short deliveries in his 23-ball 36, as India amassed 63 runs in the batting Powerplay. The South African seamers made the mistake of trying to bowl too fast and as a result, sent down too many full tosses and full deliveries. The unplayable yorkers remained elusive and Tendulkar, who was seeing it like a beach ball, picked the gaps, made room and improvised.

He reached his 150 by making room to Parnell and chipping him over midwicket with a simple bat twirl at the point of contact. The heartbreak of Hyderabad, when his scintillating 175 all but won India the match against Australia last year, must have lingered in his mind as he approached that score again. A towering six over long-on later, he not only eclipsed Kapil Dev's 175 but also looked set to wipe out his own record. He started clutching his thighs, indicating that cramps had set in, but even that could not stop him today.

He equalled his highest score of 186 by pulling a lollipop of a full toss off Kallis and broke his own and India's record with a single to square leg. Fortunately, he didn't have to do much running and played the spectator's role for a change as Dhoni bulldozed his way to a 35-ball 68, muscling four sixes. The Dhoni bottom-hand is the strongest in the business these days and the exhausted spectators had enough energy left in their vocal chords to cheer him on as well.

The record of 200, however, was yet to be attained and the crowd were desperate for Tendulkar to get the strike. Dhoni tore into Steyn for 17 off the 49th over and retained the strike for the 50th. After hammering the first ball of the 50th for six, he shoveled a full toss to deep midwicket where Hashim Amla made a brilliant save. Tendulkar settled for a single and the crowd were on their feet as they watched him make history. It was all the more fitting for another reason because it was on this very day, back in 1988, that he and Vinod Kambli added a mammoth 664 - then a world record - in a school match.

There was to be no repeat of the 434-chase at the Wanderers, when South Africa took guard, perhaps mentally and physically shaken after the assault, and with a partisan crowd to contend with. AB de Villiers' attacking ton got completely lost in the chase as South Africa merely went through the motions. It was all a question of how quickly India could wrap it up.


Tendulkar's knock drew parallels with Brendon McCullum's frenetic 158 in the IPL opener in Bangalore two years ago. The match was all about individual brilliance but not a contest. While such games are good in small doses, for one-day cricket to survive on the whole, it needs more contests between bat and ball.

Record breaking double!!!!!

By a coincidence, Virender Sehwagwas playing his 221st match, exactly half of SR Tendulkar's 442 matches. Their combined total is 663 matches. SR Tendulkar was playing his 431st innings in this game.
The three figure partnership of 194 runs between SR Tendulkar and KRDKarthikin this game represent the 292nd occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership in one day games. It also represents the 62nd occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership for the second wicket in one day games. The three figure partnership of 194 runs between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represents the 93rd occasion of SR Tendulkar being a partner in a three figure partnership in One-day games.
SR Tendulkar registered his 46th One-day hundred in this game. This was his fourth hundred againstSouth Africa. The other three hundreds are - 122 atVadodaraon17.03.00, 114 at Mumbai on 14.12.96 and 101 at Jo'burg on 05.10.01. SR Tendulkar's 200 not out in this game represent his highest score against South Africa.
194 runs partnership between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represents the ground record for the highest three figure partnership at Gwalior. The previous best was 190 runs partnership between SR Tendulkar andVVS Laxmanagainst Australia on 26.10.03 194 runs partnership between SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik in this game represents the 12th three figure partnership at Gwalior
With 25 boundary fours in this innings of 200 not out, SR Tendulkar has now the record of most boundary fours in an innings. He wrested the record of 24 boundary fours of ST Jayasuriya in his knock of 157 against Netherlands at Amstelveen on 04.07.06 which was the previous record of most boundary fours in an innings
SR Tendulkar with his score on 195 not out in this innings became the highest scorer in One-day games when he went past the scores of 194 not out by CK Coventry of Zimbabwe againstBangladeshat Bulawayo on 16.08.09 and 194 bySaeed Anwarof Pakistan vs India atChennaion 21.05.97, SR Tendulkar's score of 200 not out in this innings became the highest scorer on Indian soil going past 194 by Saeed Anwar of Pakistan against India at Chennai on 21.05.97. SR Tendulkar became the first batsman in the history of One-day games to score 200 runs when he scored 200 not out in this game. It was an improvement over his 186 not out against New Zealand at Hyderabad.
SR Tendulkar now owns the record for most 150 plus scores in One-day games. His 200 not out in this game was his fifth score of 150 plus runs. He wrested the record from ST Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka who has scored four scores of 150 plus runs. Tendulkar's five scores of 150 plus runs are - 200 not out vs South Africa atGwalioron 24.02.10, 186 not out vs 175 vs Australia at Hyderabad on 05.11.09, 163 retd hurt vs New Zealand at Christchurch on 08.03.09 and 152 vs Namibia at Pietermaritzburg on 23.02.03.
This game witnessed two three figure partnerships in India's innings. SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik added 194 runs for the second wicket and SR Tendulkar andMS Dhoniadded 101 runs in an unfinished stand for the fourth wicket - providing the 106th occasion of a team posting two or more three figure partnerships in its innings.
This game witnessed two three figure partnerships in India's innings. SR Tendulkar and KRD Karthik added 194 runs for the second wicket and SR Tendulkar and MS Dhoni added 101 runs in an unfinished stand for the fourth wicket - providing the 23rd occasion of India posting two three figure partnerships in its innings.