Sachin Tendulkar breaks record for the highest score in one-day internationals

| Wednesday February 24, 2010 00:00

The Indian batsman, know as the 'Little Master', passed the previous highest score for a one-day innings of 194, held jointly by Saeed Anwar of Pakistan and Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe, in the 46th over as India headed for a massive score, but it took him four more overs to reach his landmark, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his captain, taking most of the strike.

Dhoni hit four sixes and seven fours in a thrilling cameo, making 68 off 35 balls, and if it had not been for a splendid diving stop on the boundary by Hashim Amla to deny a four off the second ball of the last over, Dhoni may have kept Tendulkar waiting even longer. Tendulkar, who was suffering from cramp during an innings of more than three and a half hours, took a single off the third ball to reach 200.

Dhoni then drove the final ball of the over, from Charles Langeveldt, down the ground for four to take India to 401 for four, the sixth highest total in one-day internationals and the most made in Gwalior by more than 100 runs.

South Africa may have been pleased with the way they started the game, dismissing Virender Sehwag, always a danger man, for nine in the fourth over, but Tendulkar is in the form of his life, 20 years after the start of his international career.

It is the fifth international hundred of the year for Tendulkar, to go with four hundreds in Tests against South Africa and Bangladesh. He now has 93 hundreds in international cricket. His previous best in one-day internationals was 186 against New Zealand in 1999.

India won the first match in the one-day series by one run on Sunday as South Africa came up short in their pursuit of 299 to win in Jaipur. Highest individual scores in ODIs:

200* - Sachin Tendulkar, India v South Africa, February 2010 194* - Charles Coventry, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, August 2009 194 - Saeed Anwar, Pakistan v India, May 1997 189* - Viv Richards, West Indies v England, May 1984 189* - Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka v India, October 2000 188* - Gary Kirsten, South Africa v United Arab Emirates, February 1996 186* - Sachin Tendulkar, India v New Zealand, November 1999 183* - Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India v Sri Lanka, October 2005 183 - Sourav Ganguly, India v. Sri Lanka, May 1999 181* - Matthew Hayden, Australia v New Zealand, February 2007 181 - Viv Richards, West Indies v Sri Lanka, October 1987. * - denotes not out (Timesonline)