Tendulkar shatters yet another ODI record
Roar Guru By Vas Venkatramani, 25 Feb 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Cricket, Indian cricket, International Cricket, ODI, Sachin Tendulkar, South African cricket
It’s amazing that in an era where runs have flowed with reckless abandon, batting landmarks still stood. Or at least, one did until the other night.
Sachin Tendulkar’s thrilling unbeaten 200 in Gwalior is the first time any batsman has reached a double hundred in the one-day international format. The first time after 2962 one-day internationals after 37 years.
Making the milestone even more special is that it came against a classy South African attack.
However, with the celebrations comes a slight tinge of regret. Nothing is no longer a dream with willow in hand. The status of cricket is that anything is possible.
At least with willow in hand.
Should we be hailing a landmark achievement, or bemoaning the possible death of the game? Aren’t records there to be broken, and isn’t the presence of the elusive cause to drive ambition?
That all said, if anyone deserved to take the landmark for his own, it was the Little Master.
After a career spanning 20 years and more than 30,000 runs, Tendulkar has achieved everything. It’s a worthy notion that this proven champion has passed a career-long hurdle.
But what’s next? The second man to pass 200 will become the Buzz Aldrin of the ODI format. But is the next target a bridge too far?
And if not, is this particular goal in the game’s best interests to chase?
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February 25th 2010 @ 8:59am
Robbo said | February 25th 2010 @ 8:59am | Report comment
What a freak.
The thing to remember is this wasn’t agains’t a weak team like Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. It wasn’t even against a New Zealand or England. Instead it was against one of the best attacks in World cricket.
In all honesty I reckon this mark will never be broken. Many are saying ODI’s will be gone in 5-10 years. If that is the case this mark will go down in history.
Then again someone could score 210 against Scotland – but it sure won’t be the same.
February 25th 2010 @ 9:14am
Dogz R Barkn said | February 25th 2010 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Spot on Robbo.
February 25th 2010 @ 10:47am
Brett McKay said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Robbo, funnily enough, the previous record holder was a Zimbabwean, against Bangladesh….
Charles Coventry made 194* v Bangladesh at Bulawayo last August
February 25th 2010 @ 9:28am
whiteline said | February 25th 2010 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Vas, I’m hearing you mate but it’s been that way for years. How many times did Hayden and now Sehwag get beaten outside off stump by a seaming or swinging ball? You just need to accept that the game has changed.
Robbo, the record is bound to go. If you look at the top scores in the ODI game it is littered with similar performances to Tendulkar’s at strike rates around 150. It takes patience as a batsman not to fall asleep during the middle overs when you have to push ones and twos all day. We all knew it would come and as everyone has said, it’s not such a bad thing that Tendulkar got it.
February 25th 2010 @ 10:24am
Tom said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:24am | Report comment
It is undoubtedly a fantastic achievement by Tendulkar, and I am actually a little surprised it didn’t happen earlier, but it does go to illustrate how the bowler has been increasingly marginalised. Smaller, roped fields, more fielding restrictions, roads for pitches…
February 25th 2010 @ 10:54am
whiteline said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Mr sports
I seem to recall Mark Waugh’s 173 was with boundaries that were roped and a LONG WAY IN – I can’t remember where it was (someone will tell us) but they were very very short. That’s one of the beautiful things about cricket I guess, is that it doesn’t involve closed skills with the same conditions everytime.
February 25th 2010 @ 11:03am
Michael C said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:03am | Report comment
and on that,
the additional element of whether the pitch being used is dead centre of left most or right most (thus creating a short and a long boundary),
and the wind,
get those working hand in hand for the right batsman at the right time and even mis-hits might carry the rope.
February 25th 2010 @ 11:30am
Mr Sports said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Mark Waugh’s 173 was at the MCG and it was in 2001 which as far as i can recall was before the significant roping off we see these days began. the ground probably was roped but in those days i’m pretty sure it was rarely more than a metre or two.
February 25th 2010 @ 11:31am
Brett McKay said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:31am | Report comment
Whiteline, M.Waugh’s 173 was in Melbourne, 2001 v WI. I had it in my ind it was in Sydney, for some reason…
[edit: sorry Mr Sports, that should have been addressed to Whiteline. I see you've found it too now..]
MC, your points about pitch placement, etc, are just another reason why we should look at Tendulkar’s knock as nothing other than what it is – a fantastic achievement, a milestone that we all thought would eventuate, and the time it’s taken to eventuate just accentuates how big an achievement it is…
February 25th 2010 @ 4:49pm
Hansie said | February 25th 2010 @ 4:49pm | Report comment
Tendulkar’s achievement has to be celebrated. The fact that nearly 3,000 one day internationals have been played highlights that this is a magnificent achievement. Tendulkar now has 93 international 100s (combining tests and ODIs) and the magic 100 international 100s cannot be far away.