Master Blaster Makes History

29 Responses to "Master Blaster Makes History"

  1. gk   February 24, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    Incredible ! Now the only thing remaining is Highest score in test !

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. Great day for cricket.

    2. You write above: Now the only thing remaining is Highest score in test !

    And a Test average of 100 (although that’s one dream unlikely to be realized at this stage of his career).

    Bradman’s test average was 99.94! Sachin’s test average is 55.57.

    • Mud Haliar   February 24, 2010 at 2:30 pm

      100 unlikely?? more like impossible.. having been out 246 times already..

      He has to score 11000 more runs to get an average of 100.. without getting out

    • sganeshkumar1989   February 26, 2010 at 8:52 pm

      We don’t need a 400+ from Sachin in the Tests,because a middle order batsman’s 250-300 above knock rarely helps for the team cause,will only end up in a draw. (As Sehwag/Gambhir or Dravid might’ve already consumed many overs.)
      Wish,he’ll win the World Cup 2011,that would be enough and also to finally silence his critics. (The man deserves it,he took us so close to a win in 2003;if only the Indian bowlers tried to restrict the Australians to atleast 300;probably,that wouldn’t have brought much pressure on the batsmen.)

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      1. You write: We don’t need a 400+ from Sachin in the Tests,because a middle order batsman’s 250-300 above knock rarely helps for the team cause,will only end up in a draw.

      True.

      2. You write: Wish,he’ll win the World Cup 2011,that would be enough

      From your lips to Balaji’s ears.

      • sganeshkumar1989   April 14, 2011 at 6:52 am

        Looks like Balaji has heard it and answered our prayers. πŸ˜›

        SearchIndia.com Responds:

        Howdy sweetie! Long time, no hearing and all. πŸ˜‰

        • sganeshkumar1989   April 17, 2011 at 12:25 pm

          I’m doing well.

          So,planning to watch any classics?

          SearchIndia.com Responds:

          Later today, we’ll be watching Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory.

          • sganeshkumar1989   April 17, 2011 at 12:35 pm

            I’ve Watched it already,fine movie.

            The only other Kubrick film I liked was ‘The Killing’.

            That’s a must-see.

            SearchIndia.com Responds:

            Just checked…Netflix has The Killing in Instant Play. We’ll watch that tomorrow.

            Hopefully, in the next couple of days we’ll have the reviews of both the Kubrick films up on the SI blog.

          • vjcool   April 18, 2011 at 12:02 am

            Kubrick … cool..

            watch ‘Clockwork orange’ just loved it and was surprised by the emotions/reactions it got from me.

            AI, for the vision… I’m not sure how much Spielberg modified the script.

            I would recommend ‘Clockwork orange’

          • kd36939   April 18, 2011 at 1:03 am

            +1 for Clockwork Orange. Amazing movie. It is available in Netflix instant.

            SearchIndia.com Responds:

            Voila, You still alive?

            We had given up on our favorite AR reader after all those tornadoes.

          • boopalanj   April 18, 2011 at 3:51 am

            “V for vendetta” is not in the offing πŸ™ I guess you removed it from your list too ;-(

            SearchIndia.com Responds:

            No, not forgotten.

            Soon.

            Just that we’re bogged down for the moment with some other stuff.

  2. ajayrocks   February 24, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    one of the happiest day of my life!!!

    THE GOD now clearly stands above all comparisons!!

    a remarkable innings!!! sachin is life!!!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    A very hard act to follow for others.

    So, are you changing your user name to sachinrocks? πŸ˜‰

  3. StrYngLad74   February 24, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    @SI and everyone

    “Bradman’s test average was 99.94”

    Yeah, once you play against ONE SINGLE OPPONENT in the same conditions (England or Australia), 37 out of 52 times and the remaining 15 tests are against opponents who were the minnows of their era (India, South Africa, and West Indies), then a 99.94 average is no surprise. Bradman was good in the sense that he was the one-eyed in an era of the blind, but he ain’t THE BEST EVER. I bet good ole’ fashioned reverse-swing of today, that Sachin has had to face many a times, would reduce that average of Bradman’s to a not-so-special status.

    It cracks me up to see people who NEVER SAW HIM BAT (in real time, that is) wax eloquence over “his greatness” as if they were sitting in the front seats at the SCG during the Bodyline series. His “greatness” is nothing more than a “myth” kept alive by idiots who are nostalgic about the colonial era.

    Sachin is, by far, the BEST BATSMAN EVER!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    True, Sachin is the finest batsman of our times.

    But to attribute fascination with Don Bradman to nostalgia about the colonial era is plain cockamamie nonsense and unworthy of a more elaborate rebuttal.

    The enduring attraction with Bradman is primarily for his batting prowess and the 99.94 batting average, so close to the magical 100.

    If anything, the playing and travel conditions for Bradman were likely more rigorous and the rewards far less enriching.

    Every generation thinks what it faces/endures/achieves/suffers has no parallel. That’s one constant.

  4. guruprasad.s   February 24, 2010 at 3:17 pm

    The thing about this knock is that it has come against a good quality bowling attack, and a good fielding side. And also, he wasnt dropped, or given any lives, or favoured by umpires.

    You should check out Sachin’s Desert Storm innings of 143 at Sharjah in April 1998.

    While his 200 is for the records, his 143 is like “We will always have 143” (along the lines of “We will always have Paris”).

    Don Bradman needed only FOUR runs in his last innings for an average of 100, but alas, he
    was bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: You should check out Sachin’s Desert Storm innings of 143 at Sharjah in April 1998. While his 200 is for the records, his 143 is like “We will always have 143” (along the lines of “We will always have Paris”).

    Nice one. πŸ™‚

    Not sure where to get hold of DVDs featuring those old matches.

    Another great innings that was unfortunately lost to history is Kapil Dev’s brilliant 175 not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup when India was struggling at 17 for 5. Apparently, there was some kind of strike and no videos of the unforgettable knock exist.

    Update:

    Link to the “We’ll always have 143” knock.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXRkHervQJc

    (Thanks to SI blog reader Logu)

  5. logu   February 24, 2010 at 10:31 pm

    There’s no stopping the man be it age or fitness he overcomes every hurdle and sets high standards every often. I’m not very surprised because if there’s one person who had it in him to break Anwar’s record it had to be Sachin. But the surprising thing is the man’s hunger for success, even after 20 years of international cricket and at the age of 36 ,(it’s the ripe age of cricketers in the field where ur body wouldn’t yield to ur mind ) if he could come up with this special innings, he truly deserved to be called the god of cricket
    shane warne his once time nemesis twiterred “(I’m) nervous for my good friend Sachin,” Warne posted as Tendulkar approached 200. “Come on Sachin my friend get your 200. World record to please! you deserve it,” he said. As soon as Sachin reached the milestone Warne Tweeted “Yes, yes, yes! Well done Sachin my friend. Congrats and well done! (It’s) awesome.”

    here’s a fitting tribute to him
    http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/21653
    and the woman in his life was equally supportive
    http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/21620/i-dont-eat-drink-or-move-anjali-tendulkar

    regarding the videos youtube is the best source to watch all the videos of little master
    you can also try out http://cricketsbestvideos.blogspot.com/

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Great sentence from your first link:

    Batman puts on a cape, Spiderman wears a costume, Superman sheds his normal clothes to reveal his true self – Sachin Tendulkar needs only to pick up a bat in hand to be a superhero.

    Thanks.

  6. logu   February 24, 2010 at 10:37 pm

    Here’s the link of sachin’s 143 in the desert storm
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXRkHervQJc it was great with Tony Greoig’s commentary
    “wat a player” “wat a wonderful player”

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Thanks. Watching it now. πŸ™‚

    Update:

    Watched it in full. A Class Act.

  7. kd36939   February 24, 2010 at 11:56 pm

    he is one of the few celebrities in India who knows how to handle success. he is calm, composed and very down to earth despite his celebrity status. never heard a single rumor/controversy about him. he is ar rahman of cricket.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: he is one of the few celebrities in India who knows how to handle success.

    Very Good. Few can handle even moderate success in Incredible India.

  8. guruprasad.s   February 25, 2010 at 12:15 am

    StrYngLad74 has raised some valid points, such as Bradman playing only with England in End and Aus, and then with minnows.
    However, remember that pitches those days were uncovered, and that there were no helmets or protective gear. Also, Don lost some of his most productive years to war,
    when there was no cricket.

    Regardless of all these points, what has always surprised me is that there has never even been a discussion/debate on whether Don is the best. It has always been like “There is Don and then there is the rest of the crowd of batsman”.
    This either means that (a) Don must have been very very good in his lifetime so that people who watched him felt that he was the greatest ever, or (b) there has been systematic propaganda over the years to elevate Don’s status to numero uno.
    I personally go by (a).

    There is this issue of the English having a fixation with those who perform against them.
    That is perhaps why Bradman, Viv Richards and Shane warne are rated very high by the English folks and their media.
    Now, there is no doubt about the natural genius of the above three, but followers of cricket in India would always point out that Shane Warne never had the kind of success against India and Sri Lanka, two teams that are renowned for playing spin, that he had against the spin-illiterate countries like Eng, SA and WI.

    The biggest example of this English phenomenon is the so called ‘ball of the century’, where a clueless and stuffed-up Mike Gatting was bowled behind his legs by a big-turning leg break from Warne. Frankly, it was Gatting’s ineptitude, but the British media did a clever job of pumping up Warne, to avoid scrutiny of Gatting’s technique. Also, by playing up Warne as great, the British media perhaps created an excuse for a decade+ of Ashes failure.
    When Warne tried similar big turning leg breaks in India on Indian pitches, he was promptly driven inside-out (and then insane) by Sidhu, VVS Laxman and Sachin.

    Just in case anyone thought that the colour of the skin is involved here, then remember that Gary Sobers is regarded as the greatest all-rounder ever, well above great all-rounders like Botham, Imran, Kapil and Hadlee. So, no amount of propaganda can deny true greats.

    @logu: Tony Grieg’s commentary those days was music to ears. We were literally eating out of his hands (or mouth rather).
    He was always the man in the commentary box when a match entered the climactic stages.

    @SI: “Every generation thinks what it faces/endures/achieves/suffers has no parallel. That’s one constant.”

    I remember a quote on this (dont know who said it):
    Every generation thinks that it is more intelligent than the previous generation and smarter than the next one.

    On Kapil’s 175, the BBC were on strike on that day. What a waste.
    The Brits rarely do strikes and bandhs, but when they do, they choose a rotten time for that πŸ˜‰

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Nice comment.

    We’d also go by your reason ‘a’ for the Don’s enduring mystique among cricket lovers.

  9. logu   February 25, 2010 at 12:17 am

    Hope you enjoy this knock, this was the finals of that tournament and he played a gem again(134)
    Guess what, it was after that epic 143 which took india to the finals
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAKhaJg3Rf0
    enjoy!!!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Thanks.

  10. Aswin_Kini   February 25, 2010 at 1:52 am

    Nice to see a positive post after a long time. With this innings, I think Sachin’s critics (I Included) will shut up and finally agree that Sachin is the greatest ODI batsmen of all time, till date.

    But honestly speaking, I would rate Sachin’s twin knocks of 143 and 134 against Australia at Sharjah during the Coca Cola Trophy in 1998. YOu should watch those knocks in Youtube. Sachin, in his prime, plundering the Aussies haplessly. He made Shane Warne believe that his bowling was useless and made the IRON MAN Steve Waugh almost cry. Never ever had any of us seen the “invincible” Aussies seem so clueless and fearful.

    Check that match in Youtube. This 200 will pale in comparison.

    The MAster Blaster has played innumerable innings, this 200 is just one of them. I will always say that his DESERT knock of 143 against the Aussies was his greatest.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Some of the earlier commenters have provided links to the two matches you mention. Watched them.

  11. Mud Haliar   February 25, 2010 at 9:35 am

    I had missed both the Sharjah games πŸ™

    But I watched this gem..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSowqKwZL7E
    Unfortunately he didn’t get a 100, but it was stupendous.

    Not sure why people rank the 143 so high.. he gave atleast 2 chances as per the youtube video, while the 200 was chanceless and came at a much better strike rate.. and India won this game.

    200 was made by a 36 year old, (Tendulkar is bigger than God..)

    143 was made by a 24 year old.. arguably the best age for a batsman.. or atleast a better age than 36.
    that 143 seems to be like the Bradman of Tendulkar’s gems.. over-hyped would be a harsh word.. but I guess I got my point across.

    7 more international centuries to go before 100 international centuries!! –
    for schmucks: Sachin has 46 test tons and 47 ODI tons. 50 in both would be nice touch..

    Tendulkar is bigger than God.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. Watched the video in your link.

    2. You write above: Tendulkar is bigger than God.

    Bigger than Allah too? πŸ˜‰

  12. amitshetty   February 25, 2010 at 9:36 am

    Yeah
    I agree that those two matches he played in sharjah were his world-class knocks.
    But it was in 1998 and he was just 25.
    This 200 came at a time when most of cricketers are seen either in coaching or commentary box and that too against likes of South Africa who has quality bowling attack.
    All and said I think after Sachin India will find hard to find a star class player as dravid explained that younger players in India are not much interested in playing tests and instead prefer money-lucrative IPL.
    Also Sachin is truly professional – he is legend in his field unlike our movie stars who have been in movies for 20 years and still dont know how to act.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: This 200 came at a time when most of cricketers are seen either in coaching or commentary box and that too against likes of South Africa who has quality bowling attack.

    Good point.

    2. You write: Also Sachin is truly professional – he is legend in his field unlike our movie stars who have been in movies for 20 years and still dont know how to act.

    πŸ˜‰

  13. guruprasad.s   February 25, 2010 at 10:37 am

    @amitshetty:
    Good point about Bollywood stars spending more than 20 years doing films and still being clueless about acting. Thankfully, you get found out very quickly in the game of cricket (or any competitive sport for that matter). Unfortunately, Bollywood runs on a clan-based system, and does not necessarily reward merit.

    @Mud Haliar:
    On your point about being 143 rated highly than 200 (or say, overrated), I offer some reasons.
    1. The audacity of that 143 was such that even the Aussies were taken by force.
    The 200 has some signature Sachin strokes, but 143 had a lot more audacious intent.

    2. Sachin didnt get much support from the other end, and remember India was chasing
    270+. Here, during his 200, he got good support form Karthik, Pathan and Dhoni.

    3. The Aussies were at their bullying best around those times, under the ruthless nose of Steve Waugh. Their bowlers, esply Damien Fleming and Micheal Kasprowicz, were petulant, ill-behaved and abusive.

    Someone needed to stand up, and Sachin did.

    The context of 143 was significant.

    In fact, Sachin’s 175 against Aus in 2009 in a losing causing, 98 against Pak in 2003 World Cup, and his 90 against Aus in 1996 WC in Mumbai (in a losing cause) are also gems.

    • Mud Haliar   February 25, 2010 at 12:57 pm

      yeah, guruprasad, it is rather pointless arguing which one is best..

      there are so many under-rated ones strewn all across this link
      http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/35320.html?class=2;template=results;type=batting;view=innings

      I distinctly rememer when he, as a teenager, took on Akram, Youniz, Javed, and Imran in Sharjah ’91.. arguably the best Pak ever (An Aaqib Javed hattrick & 7/37 sank India in the final).. That audacity of those innings was unmatched in those days.. when a strike rate of 80 was considered fabulous. What a boy!

  14. iamsumu   February 25, 2010 at 10:50 am

    There is a lot of unnecessary adulation on Sachin’s knock.

    First to 200. Great. But say someone else say Gambhir or Dhoni or Kallis were the first to 200 would they be praised as much? Gwalior is definitely one of the smaller grounds and the SA attack barring Steyn wouldn’t remind anyone of the feared Australian or West Indian attacks of the past.

    Case in point look at Yusuf Pathan and Dinesh Karthik hammering the bowlers in the same game.

    Congrats to Sachin, but no need to hand him Bharat Ratna just yet.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Yes, there’s a lot of going overboard on the 200-knock.

    The roots for the Sachin hysteria lie ‘deep’ in the Indian psyche.

    For most Indians, nirvana comes only when they are deep-throating someone successful be it MGR, SRK, Sachin, NTR, Ajith or whoever.

    Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
    Like a Colossus, and we petty men
    Walk under his huge legs and peep about
    To find ourselves dishonorable graves.
    Men at some time are masters of their fates:
    The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
    But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
    Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene II

    Here’s another example of Indians reaching for nirvana; That little twit Abhishek Bachchan has 90,000 followers on his Twitter account!

    • Mud Haliar   February 25, 2010 at 12:43 pm

      HEY! #@%^ you both πŸ™‚ He deserves a Nobel prize.

      SI, your youtube link at the top has been made unavailable by BCCI.

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      1. Thanks. Fixed.

      2. You write: HEY! #@%^ you both πŸ™‚ He deserves a Nobel prize.

      Sure and while we are at it, let’s hand out one to Ajith too.

  15. Aswin_Kini   February 25, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    @Mud Haliar: The innings of 143 against Australia at Sharjah, Overrated??? Buddy, you gone bonkers or what?

    Accepted the fact that this knock of 200 came from a 36 year old man, but this man had about 200+ ODIs and 30+ centuries compared to his old self in 1998. In cricket, the more experience you get, the more better you become as a batsman, provided you work hard and convert opportunities into runs.

    I rate his innings of 143 as one of the best because:
    It came in a very important match. India were reeling at that stage. They had lost two matches heavily to Australia, and won one narrowly to New Zealand. They had to qualify to the finals on a superior Net Run Rate. When the sand storm came, it reduced the number of overs. As a result, India had to score 130+ runs in just 15 overs to win and 105 to qualify.

    Just have a look at Aussies Bowling attack then, Damien Flaming and Shane Warne, two of the then-finest bowlers, add Paul Reiffel and Kasprowiz to that attack. Sachin not only helped India qualify, he nearly won the match single-handedly. I still remember seeing this match till 2am in the night. Sachin hit a huge six off Kasprowiz. The ball fell on the roof of the stadium (100 metres away from the crease, at a height of 90 feet above the ground).

    Shane Warne was literally in tears, Fleming had no clue, Steve Waugh was sweating till Sachin was batting. Now, say which innings is the best?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Mud Haliar, Man Up now and respond to Aswin, i.e. if you are a Man. πŸ˜‰

  16. elnino.aurora   February 25, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    @ Aswin-kini :

    I still remember.. watched it when I was holidaying in good old Chidambaram.. the innings of 143, and the 134 that followed.. Unbelievable batting. Smashed the living daylights out of the Aussies.(this was when India was way, way below the consistent team that it is today. If Sachin was out back then, the game would all be over for India.)

    Those two knocks have to go down as one of his very very best – still more can be listed – the CB series 1st final against Australia in Australia – (he followed that up with a 90+ in the second final to seal the series- great stuff).. the recent 175 at Hyderabad- that was masterclass too.

    I watched his 100 against Pakistan in the first test of 1999 at Chepauk, Live. We lost by 12 runs- but batting with what would eventually go down in his career as his first major injury (the worst was the tennis elbow)- he batted like a Gladiator with back spasms even when Pakistan kept chipping away at the wickets on the other end. (Ganguly’s atrocious caught behind decision- still cant forget it!). That test inning – should go down as his very, very best.

    When it comes down to Tendulkar, any praise is less praise. People of my generation lived their childhoods dreaming to play like him. Overall, I am happy that he was the one who got to 200 first – but this may not certainly be his best effort considering the belter of a pitch at Gwalior that the “B” centres of Indian cricket normally churn out.

    In a little while, I shall post a cricinfo link which would make for very interesting reading. Do check it out, SI.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Read the above comment.

    Look forward to your cricinfo link.

  17. elnino.aurora   February 25, 2010 at 11:46 pm

    http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/376791.html

    This was very, very long back(as far as public memory goes). But I keep it bookmarked. I would keep reading it again and again everytime one of the big five retires.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Thanks.

    Will read and update this comment.

    Update:

    Read it just now (8:04PM, Fri). Decent, nostalgic piece.

  18. si101   March 15, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    (with my best Walter Sobchak voice)Dude/Dudette: If you want to watch IPL, check this out.. http://www.youtube.com/user/IPL .. only noticed it today. It says “Live”..

    I have never watched anything Live on youtube. Will try in 14 hours.

    CSK lost today πŸ™

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Will try to watch it

    Busy researching wireless media players. Another one that looks promising: Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KKFP9Y/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

    Needs a separate AirLink wireless access device too.

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