India beat Pakistan 4-1 in Hockey World Cup

NEW DELHI: Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh rose to the occasion and converted two penalty corners as hosts India outplayed Pakistan 4-1 in a thrilling Pool B match of the Hero Honda FIH World Cup at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Sunday.

Points Table | Schedule | In Pics

With this victory India had avenged their 3-6 Champions Challenge defeat at the hands of the sub-continental rivals in Salta, Argentina last December.

The victory not only gave India a 3-2 head-to-head record against Pakistan in the quadrennial event but also one lakh purse each to the players and support staff of the team.

Sandeep (35th minute, 57th), Shivendra Singh (27th) and Prabhjot Singh (37th) were the scorers for India, while Sohail Abbas (59th) scored Pakistan's lone goal.

Both India and Pakistan earned five penalty corners each, out of which the home team converted two while their opponent found the net once.

The match was also of huge significance for India and Pakistan on diplomatic front as both the countries are meeting in the sporting arena in India for the first time after 26/11 Mumbai carnage.

Sensing the pressure and stake associated with the high-profile encounter, India applied pressure on their next door neighbours from the onset and used both the flanks effectively.

If not for Salman Akbar, Pakistan would have been down by a bigger margin in the half time. The Pakistani goalkeeper came to his side's rescue on more than one occasion.

First Akbar denied Tushar Khandekar a chance to register his name in the scoreboard by stopping the Indian forwards' powerful strike as early as in the seventh minute of the match and then gloved away Diwakar Ram's flick from the hosts' first penalty corner in the 16th minute.

India's domination can be gauged from the fact that they thoroughly outrolled the mid-field with Pakistan hardly making inroads into their rival's goal in the first half.

India's constant pressure eventually resulted in the first goal of the match through hardworking Shivendra, who scored from a rebound after Sandeep's grounded flick was saved by Akbar off the hosts' second penalty corner in the 25th minute.

If that was not enough for Pakistan, India doubled their lead just five second from the interval from a set-piece.

India earned their third penalty corner after the home team appealed for a foot foul and the video umpire upheld their appeal. Sandeep made no mistake this time and sounded the board to the much delight of the capacity crowd to go into the breather with a 2-0 lead.

Playing before their home crowd, the motivated Indians started from where they left in the first half and made it 3-0 two minutes into the second half when veteran forward Prabhjot Singh scored from a goal-mouth melee.

Modi denies Bopara not coming for IPL

NEW DELHI: Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi has said that English cricketer Ravi Bopara not coming to India for IPL due to security apprehensions is a fictional story.

Modi said on Twitter account, "Another fictional story on Bopara by the media. I guess they have run out of stories. They should concentrate on world cup hockey instead.

Modi added, "Just spoke to Ravi Bopara - he is looking forward to coming to India. All the news about him not coming and comments are completely false."

Earlier, there were reports that Bopara has indefinitely postponed his trip to India for IPL due to security apprehensions, saying cricket meant everything to him but "it is not worth dying for".

Bopara, who was snapped at $450,000 by the Kings XI Punjab, was supposed to leave on Sunday to join the Mohali-based outfit for the Twenty20 tournament but the Essex cricketer backed out at the last moment, saying he was not sure if the risk was worth taking.

"Cricket is my living and in many way my life. But it is not worth dying for," Bopara was quoted as saying by the Mail on Sunday.

Bopara was worried with Reg Dickason's report in which the security expert raised some serious concerns.

"This is a very tricky call. I have been in touch with the franchise and they are pretty positive that things will be OK. But Reg Dickason's report says something different.

"At the moment I'm nowhere with this decision. I've had some contact with other players. No one has said they are definitely not going, but no one has said they definitely are either. I have pushed back my flight so I can give myself a bit more time to see what happens and whether the security measures are implemented," he said.

"The franchise will want an answer in the next few days, but I will not come to a hasty decision just because I have to. I need to weigh everything up and if I could buy myself even more time I would," added Bopara.

Rooney helps Manchester United retain League Cup

LONDON: Wayne Rooney came off the bench to ensure Manchester United retained the League Cup by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on a painfully bittersweet afternoon for his team-mate Michael Owen.

With England coach Fabio Capello watching from the stands, Owen had evoked memories of his glory days with a wonderful, instinctive finish to cancel out James Milner's early penalty for Villa.

But just as he might have been starting to entertain hopes of an international recall, a hamstring injury ended both his afternoon and any lingering hopes he may have had of making Capello's squad for the World Cup.

Gabriel Agbonlahor had scored the winner when Villa won 1-0 at Old Trafford earlier in the season and it was immediately apparent that his pace, unleashed from the left-side of his team's attacking trident, would again trouble a United defence missing Rio Ferdinand.

Within four minutes, Ashley Young's first-time pass had sent him clear of Nemanja Vidic, who resorted first to shirt-pulling and then to a desperate lunge to prevent his opponent from getting a shot away.

Vidic, remarkably, escaped sanction but Milner ensured Villa took the lead by sending Thomas Kuszczak the wrong way from the resulting penalty.

With both sides displaying a refreshing commitment to attack, the tone had been set for an entertaining, open encounter and United were quickly back on level terms courtesy of a vintage piece of finishing from Owen.

The striker had already served notice that he was in the mood to catch Capello's eye when, having robbed Carlos Cuellar, he went past James Collins only to have his progression towards goal arrested by the Villa centreback's crude lunge.

There was however nothing anyone could do about his equaliser, which came after Berbatov dispossessed Richard Dunne 30 yards out.

The Villa defender recovered the uncharacteristic lapse with a superb tackle on the edge of the area but succeeded only in diverting the ball from Berbatov's toes into the path of Owen, who didn't break his stride as he steered a controlled low shot beyond Brad Friedel's right hand.

Milner tested Kuszczak with a drive three minutes later and Agbonlahor should have, at least, found the target when the loose ball broke to him on the left of the goalmouth.

But as the opening period wore on it was United who looked the more likely to add to their score, with much of their drive coming from the energetic forward thrusts of Park Ji-Sung.

The South Korean midfielder sliced one good chance wide after being teed up by Berbatov's back heeel and, having broken from deep inside his own half and combined deftly with Antonio Valencia, saw another effort blocked by Stiliyan Petrov before being denied by the woodwork in first-half stoppage time.

Valencia was again involved, skipping past Villa's would-be England left-back Stephen Warnock with an ease that will have been noted by Capello before delivering a cross that was deflected to Park 12 yards out. His first-time shot struck the inside of the post and then Carlos Cuellar before finally being scrambled to safety.

By that stage Rooney had replaced the desperately unlucky Owen but it was Berbatov who continued to look the most likely to open up Villa, and another deft backheel from the Bulgarian gave Michael Carrick the chance to force Friedel into a fine save four minutes into the second period.

Villa's best chance of the second half fell to Young, who was unmarked as Berbatov's clearing header fell to him just inside the box but shanked his volley into the turf and wide of the target.

Three minutes later, Rooney applied the decisive blow with his 28th goal of the season, beating Friedel with a looping header from Patrice Evra's cross after the France left-back had combined neatly with Berbatov.

Rooney beat Friedel with another header five minutes later with another header which came back off the bottom of the post. United had to survive some late scares but, ultimately, did not need the added insurance of a third goal.

India settle for fourth place in Uber Cup Asia Zone qualifier

NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal and Trupti Murgunde won their respective singles matches but India still could not get past formidable Japan and settled for the fourth place in the Uber Cup Asia Zone qualifiers in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand on Sunday.

With this 2-3 defeat, the Indian women's team fate now depends on rankings of European qualifiers' fourth-place finishers Holland and some myriad calculations.

World number seven Saina got rid off 24th ranked Ai Goto 21-17 21-16 in 30 minutes to give India a headstart.

But the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa lost to World number seven Fujii Mizuki and Kakiiwa Reika 16-21 15-21 in 32 minutes.

Sayali Gokhale was handed the task of beating world number 18 Hirose Eriko but despite putting up a gallant fight, she lost 20-22 13-21 in 33 minutes.

National champion Trupti Murgunde then again raised some hope of an upset as she defeated Hirayama Yu 21-8 21-16 in the fourth match.

In the decider, Saina teamed up with Aparna Balan but failed to surpass Maeda Miyuki and Suetsuna Satoko and lost 16-21 10-21 in 32 minutes as India settled for the fourth spot.

Hamilton sets pace at final test session

BARCELONA: McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Sunday's final Formula One pre-season testing session when the likely rivalries for the coming year finally fell into place.

The true pace of cars has been difficult to judge during February's four tests because of bad weather and different fuel loads, but on Sunday the teams went flat out to prove their readiness for the first race in Bahrain on March 14.

Ferrari and Red Bull had looked to be ahead after previous tests but 2008 world champion Hamilton showed McLaren were fully competitive by setting the fastest lap of one minute 20.472, the quickest time in Barcelona this week.

His team mate and fellow Briton Jenson Button, last year's champion, finished his testing on Saturday and declared himself happy with the McLaren before Hamilton pushed the car even more.

Red Bull pair Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were second and fifth on Sunday's timesheets with Ferrari's Felipe Massa third quickest. The Red Bull has been very pacy but has suffered more reliability problems than the Italian team or McLaren.

Mercedes, who took over world champions Brawn, are generally considered by the paddock to be the fourth fastest at this stage and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher backed up the assertion by setting a quickest lap just short of Vettel's best.

Adrian Sutil impressed to go fourth fastest in the Force India with Williams in seventh ahead of Sauber, Toro Rosso and Renault.

New teams Lotus and Virgin have consistently been at the bottom of the timesheets during the testing in Spain, as expected, but at least they have made it to the practice sessions.

Fellow newcomers Campos and U.S. F1 have not tested although the former believe they can be ready to race in Bahrain.

Struggling U.S.F1 are waiting to see if the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) allows them to skip the first four races, with Serbian outfit Stefan GP saying they are able to step in and take their place in Bahrain despite also not testing and not having a 2010 entry.

Sachin Tendulkar should get Bharat Ratna: Kapil, Wadekar

NEW DELHI: Describing Sachin Tendukar as 'Kohinoor' of cricket, former captains Kapil Dev and Ajit Wadekar on Friday said the milestone man should be conferred Bharat Ratna - India's highest civilian award.

The record of highest International runs (31,041) and centuries (93) already by his name, Tendulkar on Wednesday became the first cricketer in the history of One-day cricket to score a double hundred in Gwalior.

"Sachin is the Kohinoor diamond of the game of cricket. This cricketer has unmatched talent and you can't find another Tendulkar ever. I think, he should have got the Bharat Ratna," Wadekar said.

India's only World Cup winning captain Kapil also supported Wadekar's view and said Tendulkar very much deserves the honour.

"Sachin has touched several milestones during his 20-year career in the international cricket. He certainly deserves the Bharat Ratna. We will be very happy if he gets the highest honour of the country," Kail said.

Kapil, though, said his views would be the same even if Tendulkar had not achieved the rare feat of scoring an ODI double hundred.

"Even if Sachin would have got a duck in this innings, still I would say that he deserves the honour. No decision should be taken on the basis of performance in one match, but I am keeping in mind his overall contribution," he added.

Another former captain and former selection committee chairman Dilip Vengsarkar echoed the same sentiment.

"If any player deserves the Bharat Ratna, it must be Tendulkar. He must get the award," he said.

Wadekar also hoped that Tendulkar would continue to play even after the 2011 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"Sachin has proved with his fielding how fit still he is. I think, he can play for at least two more years after the World Cup next year."

Wadekar, who has also worked with Tendulkar as coach of the national team, supported the view of former England captain Nasser Hussain that Tendulkar was better than even Don Bradman, the iconic Australian batsman.

"I don't think any batsman can be better than Tendulkar, not even Bradman. Sachin has succeeded in all the three forms of cricket - Test, one-dayer and Twenty20," Wadekar said.

Tendulkar, Sehwag rested for Ahmedabad ODI

CHENNAI: Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar and explosive opener Virender Sehwag were rested while Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay and Karnataka speedster Abhimanyu Mithun were on Thursday included in the Indian squad for Saturday's third and final one-dayer against South Africa in Ahmedabad.

With India having clinched the three-match series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, the national selectors opted to rest the seasoned duo for the inconsequential match.

The selectors left out Uttar Pradesh pacer Praveen Kumar and Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar from the 14-member squad, with Mithun and Rohit Sharma replacing them.

Harbhajan Singh, who had opted out of the first two matches because of his sister's wedding, has also been rested, meaning that leg-spinner Amit Mishra is the only specialist spinner in the squad announced after a selection committee meeting.

Mithun, who was named in the squad for the first Test against South Africa in Nagpur, was left out from the second match in Kolkata without having played the match.

But the selectors opted to give him another chance at the expense of Praveen Kumar.

With Tendulkar, who created history by becoming the first cricketer to score a double century in one-day internationals, and Sehwag being rested, Vijay and Dinesh Karthik are expected to open the innings.

Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin, who is also a decent batsman, has been retained in the team along with Uttar Pradesh paceman Sudeep Tyagi. The two youngsters have not yet played a single match in the series and one of them could get a chance in Ahmedabad.

India will again miss the services of in-form opener Gautam Gambhir, hard-hitting middle order batsman Yuvraj Singh and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, all of whom are recovering from injury.

India won the first one-dayer in Jaipur by just one run and then clinched the series with an emphatic 153-run victory in the second one-dayer in Gwalior which will be remembered for Tendulkar's stupendous unbeaten knock of 200.

Squad:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sudeep Tyagi, S Sreesanth, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun and Ashish Nehra.

Tendulkar zooms to ICC ODI third spot after historic innings

DUBAI: Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday jumped three places to third in the ICC ODI batsmen rankings after his record-breaking double-century against South Africa while India are almost assured of $75,000 for ending the calendar year at number two position in the championship table.

Tendulkar (766 points), who returned undefeated on 200 in his 442nd appearance at Gwalior on Wednesday, now trails second-placed Mike Hussey (809) of Australia by 43 points with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (827) strengthening his position at the top of the rankings after hitting a 35-ball 68 not out against South Africa in the second ODI.

It is Tendulkar's highest ranking in two years after he had reached second position following an unbeaten 117 against Australia in Sydney.

While Tendulkar has vaulted into third position, fellow opener Virender Sehwag has dropped one place to 10th position.

After missing a few matches, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir also slipped one and two places respectively to be at 13th and 21st. A player loses one per cent of his ratings points for every match missed.

In the bowlers list headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, Harbhajan Singh is the only Indian at top 20 and the off-spinner retained his place at fifth.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship, India has all but cemented second position after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against South Africa. It is now on 123 ratings points while South Africa has slipped to 115 ratings points.

The only way India can finish third at the annual cut-off date of 1 April is if it loses Saturday's match and New Zealand makes a clean sweep of the five-ODI series against Australia starting in Napier on March 3, which is highly unlikely.

In that scenario, New Zealand will jump to 123 ratings points while India will finish on 122 ratings points.

On the other side of the coin, if India wins on Saturday then irrespective of how New Zealand and Australia series pans out, India will finish second on 124 ratings points.

Australia has already sealed the number-one position with 134 ratings points and can only drop to as low as 128 ratings points if it loses all the five ODI against New Zealand.

ACA claims positive progress on IPL security demands

MELBOURNE: Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi has ridiculed the safety concerns raised by it but the Australian Cricketers Association claims to have made "some positive progress" in getting its players' security demands met by the IPL organisers.

"Our security adviser Reg Dickason has been working with the IPL's security adviser, Nicholls-Steyn. They've been working for a few days now on what we've identified as the issues that have come out of various player meetings," Marsh said.

"Nicholls-Steyn is aware of those and they are working through the issues and we're making some positive progress. It's probably looked more positive over the last few days than what it has (before). There's still 15 days to go before the event starts and things can happen very quickly in India, we've seen that over the years," he added.

Modi had earlier dismissed the ACA's concerns in his twitter feeds, saying the IPL would not "be dictated by players associations on where to play".

Meanwhile, Marsh played down reports of a bust-up between current and former Australian cricketers with regards to IPL participation.

"Like just about every meeting, when you're dealing with a difficult issue, there are different points of view and there were definitely different points of view in this particular meeting. The players were completely unified on the position that they wanted to go," Marsh said.

"However, there was one school thinking they would only go if our security adviser, Reg Dickason who we trust, believes it's safe to go. There was another school that said it's a risk-and-reward type situation, would we go regardless. We got to a position at the end of it where we all said okay, let's put back to the IPL the things that we need so that all the players can go.

"If we can resolve those issues with them, and that is our hope, then we would expect to get to a point where our security adviser recommends that it's safe for the players to go. If we can't overcome these issues then the opposite is the most likely scenario. This is a decision to be made by each individual player," he added.

Paes-Dlouhy reaches Dubai Tennis Championships semi-finals

DUBAI: Indian ace Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy advanced to the doubles semi-finals while it was curtains for compatriots Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna in the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday.

The second seeded pair of Paes and Dlouhy beat Arnaud Clement of France and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden 7-6(3), 6-1 in the quarter-finals to set up a clash with Christopher Kas of Germany and Belgian Dick Norman.

Christopher and Dick stunned fourth seeds Frantisek Cerman of Czech Republic and Slovak Michal Mertinak 6-4, 6-2 in another quarter-finals.

However, it was end of roads for Bhupathi as he and his Belarus partner Max Mirnyi were defeated 4-6, 4-6 by Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Australian Paul Hanley in the last eight match on Wednesday.

Wildcards Rohan Bopanna of India and his Pakistani partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi became a first round casualty after going down 7-5, 6-7(5), 8-10 in the first round against Clement and Lindstedt on Wednesday.

Another Indian in the fray, Somdev Devvarman also lost his second round singles match against Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 3-6, 6-3, 1-6 on Wednesday.

Skeet gold for India in Commonwealth Shooting

NEW DELHI: Arozepal Singh and Mairaj Ahmed Khan fetched India's lone gold medal on Thursday as they grabbed the top honours in the team skeet event for men taking the host's medal tally to 37, including 18 gold, at the end of day eight in the Commonwealth Shooting Championships here.

Arozepal and Mairaj combined for a score 185 (93+92) to clinch the gold ahead of England's Rory Warlow and Craig Lakey, who were just a point behind the Indians.

The bronze medal in this event went to Bangladesh's Iqbal Islam and Nooruddin Salin, who totalled 175 in the shotgun event.

In the women's competition, Arti Rao and Rashmee Rathore missed the gold by just a point and settled for the silver with a combined score of 83. The gold was clinched by England's Nicki Brocklesby and Pinky Le Grelle.

Welshwomen Elena Allen and Cerys Evan had to be content with the bronze after shooting a score of 79.

However, there was disappointment for India in the 50m Rifle Prone Team event for women as Tejaswini Sawant and Lajja Gauswami finished fifth despite equalling the previous meet record of 1171.

Scotland's Jennifer McIntosh and Sheena Sharp shattered the five-year-old meet record to grab the gold medal in this event by scoring 1178. The silver in this event went to England's Michele Smith and Sharon Lee, who finished a point behind the gold medallists.

Wales' Johanne Brekke, who was part of the team that set the previous meet record in 2005, and Helen Warnes settled for silver after shooting 1174.

India continues to lead the medal tally and besides the 18 gold medals, the home shooters have also clinched 13 silver and six bronze medals. After adding the consolation badges given to the third member of a team, the hosts' tally swells to 57.

England is a distant second on the list with 27 medals and badges, while Scotland is third on the list with eight medals and badges.

Sensed a double century only after 175: Tendulkar

Day in Pics: February 23

GWALIOR: Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar said he sensed he could be the first batsman to hit an ODI double century only after he had reached 175 in the second one-dayer against South Africa.

Tendulkar, whose unbeaten 200 earned him a slice of one day history, said he was merely striking the ball well early in his innings. It was only in the final eight overs that he realised he stood a chance to re-write history.

"In the first half an hour, I was striking the ball well and timing well. The ball was coming nicely onto the bat," Tendulkar said after the match.

"I was not thinking about it all along. It was only when I crossed 175 and realised that it was still the 42nd over, I felt I have an opportunity. So I decided to take singles and give strike to (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni who was hitting so well," said the batting great.

On his epic knock, Tendulkar said, "I don't know how to react. I'd like to dedicate this double-hundred to the people of India for standing behind me for the last 20 years, come what may."

The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association on Wednesday gifted Tendulkar a silver bat apart from Rs 10 lakh and announced that a pavilion in the Captain Roop Singh Stadium would be named after the Mumbaikar.

Tendulkar said he expected India to score somewhere in the vicinity of 340-350 but it was the big-hitting spree of Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan which guided the team to 401 for three.

"I felt a good target was around 340-350. We had some fantastic batting by Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf and MS. If you look at the partnerships, every over there was a big shots played. Yusuf changed the momentum and MS finished well," Tendulkar said.

His captain Dhoni lavished praise on Tendulkar and felt promoting Yusuf Pathan had paid off for the team.

"Once Viru got out it was important to get some runs. Dinesh and Sachin batted really well, they went on with the innings. We were eyeing 350 when they were going strong. But Sachin batted through the innings and he played really well, using the pace of the ball when he got tired," he said.

"Yusuf was sent up the order and with the talent he's got, he can be a great asset to the side. He needs to be given confidence," Dhoni explained.

His counterpart Jacques Kallis had no qualms in admitting that the South Africans just could not make a match of it Wednesday night.

"The toss was quite vital. Our basics were just weren't good enough today. We were outplayed. We lost wickets at crucial stages, or basics let us down. A fantastic innings by Sachin. He took advantage of some good conditions and he played superbly. We let us down in some areas," Kallis said.

Top knocks in ODIs

Runs	Balls	Batsman	For	Vs.	Venue	Date
200*	147	Sachin Tendulkar	India	South Africa	Gwalior	24.2.2010
194*	156	Charles Coventry	Zimbabwe	Bangladesh	Bulawayo	16.8.2009
194	146	Saeed Anwar	Pakistan	India	Chennai	21.5.1997
189*	170	Vivian Richards	West Indies	England	Manchester	31.5.1984
189	161	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	India	Sharjah	29.10.2000
188*	159	Gary Kirsten	South Africa	U.A.E.	Rawalpindi	16.2.1996
186*	150	Sachin Tendulkar	India	New Zealand	Hyderabad	8.11.1999
183*	145	M S Dhoni	India	Sri Lanka	Jaipur	31.10.2005
183	158	Sourav Ganguly	India	Sri Lanka	Taunton	26.5.1999
181*	166	Matthew Hayden	Australia	New Zealand	Hamilton	20.2.2007
181	125	Vivian Richards	West Indies	Sri Lanka	Karachi	13.10.1987

Sachin Tendulkar immortal at 200

Even before he took guard at Gwalior, Sachin Tendulkar's place in the pantheon of cricketing gods was assured. He had already amassed both the highest number of runs and the maximum tons in Tests and one-dayers alike.

Scorecard | Match in Pics | In Pics: Sachin's double ton

If devout worshippers had any reason to quibble, it was that there was no one record-shattering innings - Brian Lara has the highest Test score of 400 and Saeed Anwar and the little-known Charles Coventry shared the ODI record of 194.

Just 147 balls later, Tendulkar set the record straight in emphatic fashion. A staggering 2,961 matches and almost 39 years after the first ODI was played - and remember, many ODIs in the early years featured innings of 60 overs each, which gave batsmen more scoring opportunities - the Little Legend finally became the first cricketer to score 200 in a one-dayer, propelled by a record 25 fours in one knock.

The landmark 200 came in the final over of the innings, though Sachin crossed the previous record of 194 in the 46th over; in the interim, several lustily-hit fours and sixes by M S Dhoni were accompanied by groans from millions of spectators desperate to see Sachin on strike.

The big moment, though, finally arrived, crowning what is fast turning into one of Sachin's most productive periods with the bat. The last 12 months have seen him score 10 international hundreds: six in Tests - including four centuries in his last four Tests - and four in ODIs.

Three of those 4 ODI tons - Wednesday's 200, the unforgettable 175 against Australia last November and the brilliant 163 in New Zealand last March - are among his four highest ODI scores. Only his previous highest score of 186, against the Kiwis, falls outside this golden patch.

Some years ago, as Sachin struggled with injury and a dip in form, some commentators had the temerity to suggest that Ricky Ponting would eventually overhaul his records.

Over the past 12 months, though, Sachin has once again opened up a yawning gap between himself and all his contemporaries, and ensured that if at all any comparisons have to be made, they should be with another Australian - Don Bradman, who was famously reminded of himself when watching Sachin bat.

True, no one comes close to the Don's amazing average of 99.94, or his phenomenal 29 centuries from just 52 Tests. But the fact that Sachin is breaking records barely two months shy of his 37th birthday testifies both to remarkable longevity and an insatiable appetite.

Indeed, there are no speed limits on Sachin Tendulkar's road to excellence. After two decades of basking in the glory of his sporting pre-eminence on the world stage, India is now privileged to witness the second coming of the most complete and prolific batsman of this age. Even the back-breaking expectations of a billion unrealistic fans, it seems, are a pittance compared to the soaring aspirations of the man himself.

Over the last year, Sachin has taken his skills to a whole new level of consistency. The body, close to breakdown in the mid-2000s, has been chiselled to accessorize this new-found garb of perfection. Back in 1998, he had scored 12 international tons, 9 in ODIs and 3 in Tests. This purple patch has turned back the clock.

In the last 12 months, he has been the only player to score six hundreds in 10 Tests, at an average of 78.3. In 20 ODIs, a format in which his records are set in stone, he has notched up 1158 runs at 72.37, with 4 hundreds.

How about a Test triple, Sachin?

In Gwalior, Tendulkar strutted on his stage like a man possessed, ran between the wickets like a 20-year-old and reaffirmed his relevance in modern cricket's rapidly-changing dynamics.

When it finally came to pass, the unbeaten double ton almost seemed a scary inevitability. There were no cramps, no nerves, just steely intent to go on with a ruthlessly dominating display. Where have all the years gone?

Commentator Ravi Shastri repeatedly referred to him as a run machine, but that's only a half-Sach. Tendulkar isn't a mundane machine. Instead, he scripts his achievements with soul. This is a man for whom excellence is a habit, who is so devoted to his craft, so enthusiastic still, that with experience he has mastered the art of seamlessly binding talent, discipline and perspicacity, all without compromising on style, for maximum gain in a team cause. The end result is machine-like consistency.

Treasure this new, improved Tendulkar. He is, by far, still India's most valuable player, and will remain so till he decides to call it quits. But that's for later: after Gwalior, and given the form he is in, it's time to ask what's next. Maybe a 100 international hundreds, given that 93 are already in the bag?

* Highest run-getter in ODIs, with 17,598 runs from 442 matches. Jayasuriya (13,428) and Ponting (12,731) follow

* Most centuries in ODIs (46), followed by Ricky Ponting (29) and Sanath Jayasuriya (28)

* Since Feb 24, 2009 has scored 1,158 runs in 20 ODIs, with 4 tons, averaging 72.37. In the preceding 12 months, had scored 352 runs from 9 ODIs at an average of 44

* His double century is the first in 39 years of ODIs, including 60-overs-a-side matches

* Highest scorer in Tests, with 13,447 runs from 166 matches. Next best Lara (retired with 11,953) and Ponting (playing with 11,859)

* Most Test centuries (47), well ahead of Ponting (39) and Kallis (34) among active players, and retd Lara and Gavaskar (34 each)

* In 2010, has already scored 477 runs averaging 95.40. Only Hashim Amla (674) has scored more Test runs this year

* In his last 10 Tests, has scored 1,018 runs at an average of 78.3 and is the only one with 6 tons in the last 12 months. In the previous 10 Tests, he had 647 runs and averaged just 38.08