For more than two decades a man had carried the burden of expectations of his nation on the cricketing field who needed no introduction by the time he stepped onto the field in his 442nd ODI match at the Gwalior International Cricket Stadium on this day in 2010. Having written various chapters in his illustrious career, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar added another feather to his impressive cap as he wrote yet another piece of history in the ODI format playing against South Africa.
Feather in the Cap for Sachin
Sachin, now a World Cup winner and a legend of the game, became the first male player in the world to score a double hundred in the ODI format. Having glittered his career with several accolades during the course of the last two decades, the Master Blaster was at it again when he brought his double ton against the Proteas on 24th February 2010, a year before Tendulkar started another marathon campaign that also saw him clinch the ODI World Cup.
The feat was achieved when Sachin took a single on Charl Langeveldt’s ball in the final over and brought an end to a tense atmosphere of fans who were waiting in excitement for the first double ton in the ODI format.
Sachin’s marathon innings in Gwalior
Partnered by another legend of the game that day, Sachin started his innings alongside Virender Sehwag. However, it was not a great start for India as Sehwag departed early and brought a young Dinesh Karthik to the pitch in the hot conditions of Gwalior. Sachin would then turn the screws for India as he and Karthik would put in an astonishing 194 runs for the second wicket before the wicketkeeper batter departed on 79.
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Sachin would then be helped by Yusuf Pathan and skipper MS Dhoni as it took until the final over of the innings to register the accolade. Sachin’s innings that day consisted of 25 fours and 3 sixes, and it took 147 deliveries for him to reach the historical milestone. India also recorded 410/3 in their innings and would go on to win the match and therefore the series.
A true master of the game, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will forever go down in the history books of world cricket as one of the greatest if not ‘The Greatest’ player of all time.
