Sachin Tendulkar, who became the first cricketer to score 17,000 runs in ODIs on Thursday, amply demonstrated and reiterated his prowess and artistry of the game. Forty-five ODI centuries and a whopping 17,000 runs speak volumes about the cricketing legend.
Flamboyant and almost faultless, Sachin redefined his game, and raised tonnes of hopes of a vast nation amid a middle-order fault and a lower-order collapse in the fifth ODI against Australia in Hyderabad. The Aussies might have won the battle of nerves; but the master stole the show with his thunderous and flawless batting under constant pressure.
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What an extraordinary match! I never thought India would come to the brink of a perfect win over the Aussies. After all, the target set by Australia with its top order at its best was huge. Sachin exploited almost all parts of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
He was such a pleasure to watch. His blistering innings of 175 boosted the morale of Indian supporters. Once again, he showed his class and left many of his critics startled. It was a sad end to his efforts when India lost to Australia by three runs.
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Salman Shahid Alvi,
Jeddah