Sachin reaches 200...world cup 2011 beckons

The first question when Sachin broke 194 was how many of my friends are watching. It was answered in two minutes when my best friend called up to inform me about the feat. Well if he was watching I was sure that entire India was. (He is far from a cricket fan to say the least). The next thing that came to my mind was how privileged we have been to have witnessed the best innings ever by the 'Master' who might just become the first batsman ever to score a 200 in limited over internationals in a very short time. Sachin's innings was laced with 25 fours and 3 sixes and though he cramped up in the end he refused to stay down. Now however a ice bath and a one or two hours of nap seems warranted.

I remember watching a talk show yesterday where when Ajay Jadeja was asked to pick his player for the match he picked up Sachin but little did he know how Sachin will repay his faith. However from the initial stages of the innings only Sachin was in dominant mood even outscoring Sehwag in the brief partnership they had. Then comes the most confusing part. Why make Kartik bat at Number 3? Why not give someone like Raina the chance? However after the early hiccup Sachin continued in a dominant mood and had a 194 run partnership with Kartik. Finally when the entire nation started wondering how long will Kartik continue slowing the run rate down he got out. Goodness gracious!!! Then Pathan came to the crease and the power play was taken. The power play featured some deft strokes by Sachin and huge blows by Pathan and by the time the power play was over South Africa were staring down the barrel. The final nail in the coffin was a quickfire 68 by Dhoni.