Tendulkar makes history in Gwalior

The spectators at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium became the envy of world cricket as they witnessed one of the country's favourite sporting heroes, Sachin Tendulkar, play a breathtaking innings of 200, the first ever double-hundred in ODIs. Nothing could deny him today - be it bowlers, fielders or mix-ups. At 36, Tendulkar hasn't shown signs of ageing and his recent 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. There were no chances offered, no dropped catches, making his innings absolutely flawless.

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. 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 to wipe out his own record. He started clutching his thighs, indicating that cramps had set in, but carried on from where he left off.

He equalled his highest score of 186 by pulling a lollipop of a full toss off Kallis and broke his own and Indian record with a single to square leg. He reached the 200 mark in the final over and walked off to a big ovation.