Bengaluru: When the master was at play, all that England could do was just stand and watch.
Sachin Tendulkar, the master blaster, virtually brought down the roof of the Chinnaswamy stadium with innings which will remain in the memories of all those who were lucky enough to witness it.
It was his 47th one-day hundred and he raced to the pinnacle of glory to become the batsman with the maximum centuries in the World Cup, shattering the record of four centuries held by Australia's Ricky Ponting and Mark Waugh, and India's Sourav Ganguly.
From the moment Virender Sehwag left after a short innings, Tendulkar took over. The crowd roared at each and every short from his blade. He proved that he is indeed the "god of cricket," as they call him.
Two beautifully placed shots off his middle and leg to the boundary off James Anderson, and they were the first signs of his plan for the day. The manner in which he moved from strength to strength was sheer magical delight.
He brought India's 100 with a straight six off Paul Collingwood and a few balls later his individual half century too with another six off the same bowler to mid wicket.
Deafening roar
Tendulkar also brought the 100 runs in partnership with Gautam Gambhir with a six over long on off Swann and also hit the next ball into the crowd at midwicket. The deafening roar from the crowd pierced even the air-conditioned press box.
Though Gambhir fell for 51 after adding 134 runs in 21.5 overs, Tendulkar showed no signs of slowing down, batting with the same rhythm and racing to his century. And after he took off his helmet and looked skyward seeking blessings, he then raised his bat to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.
The entire audience stood up for him. Some among the crowd were seen weeping for joy. It was a scene to be cherished forever.
With this second one-day century here, Tendulkar bettered his previous score of 117 against New Zealand in 1996-97, only to be immediately caught at covers off Anderson for 120 runs.
And for those who witnessed his 10 boundaries and five sixes, this will be something they can never forget.
Every stroke was a gem, sparkling all the way to the boundary. Though the crowd seemed fully satisfied with the knock, Tendulkar wasn't.
He walked back disappointed at having played an uppish shot. His appetite for runs is so high that he would not be satisfied even after playing the full 50 overs.
So dazzling was his innings that no one realised. The sun had set for the day.
Loud cheers of: "We love you Tendulkar" kept ringing in the air even after he disappeared into the dressing room.
Factfile
Tendulkar's centuries in World Cup (read as runs, balls faces, strike rate, opposition, venue and year):
- 127 not out — 138, 92.02 v Kenya, Cuttack 1996
- 137 — 137, 100.00 v Sri Lanka, New Delhi 1996
- 140 not out — 101, 138.61 v Kenya, Bristol 1999
- 152 — 151, 100.66 v Namibia, Pietermaritzburg 2003
- 120 — 115, 104.34 v England, Bengaluru 2011
— Mohandas Menon
