Sachin Tendulkar considered the ‘God of Cricket’, started a new culture by making a record in ODI history 13 years ago. Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman in the world to score a double century in ODIs. The Master Blaster made this record by blasting the South African bowlers at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.
The beginning of a new culture is being said because, before Sachin Tendulkar, no male cricketer had scored a double century in ODI cricket. However, talking about the match, India won the toss and decided to bat first. Sachin Tendulkar took a single on the third ball of the 50th over of the innings by playing a shot in the direction of the point and wrote a new chapter in the cricket world. As soon as Master Blaster completed his double century, the words spoken by Ravi Shastri in the commentary got stuck in the hearts and minds of the people.
Ravi Shastri said, ‘The first man to reach 200 and he is the superman of India. Sachin Tendulkar scored 200 runs in 147 balls. Please accept my salutations, Master.’ Before Sachin Tendulkar, no male cricketer in the world could score a double century in ODIs. However, in the 1997 Women’s World Cup, Australia’s Belinda Clark scored a double century. She became the first cricketer to score a double century in ODI cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar scored 25 fours and three sixes during his historic innings. With the help of Tendulkar’s innings, India posted a mammoth score of 401/3. In response, the South African team was all out for 248 runs. About 30,000 spectators present in the stadium witnessed Sachin Tendulkar’s innings. Tendulkar dedicated his innings to the people of India. Earlier Sachin Tendulkar’s best score in ODIs was 186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad.
After receiving the Man of the Match award, Sachin Tendulkar said in the post-match presentation ceremony, ‘I want to dedicate this double century of mine to the people of India, who have stood by me for the last 20 years. There were many ups and downs in my career, but he always supported me. The server of a sports website crashed due to Sachin Tendulkar’s innings. This shows how special Tendulkar’s innings were from the fans’ point of view.