Centurion: Milestones mean little to this little Indian but the gigantic number of those under his belt, make you stand up and applaud everytime he achieves one and this time it was the much-awaited 50th Test century on Sunday at the Centurion against South Africa that once again forced the world to say, "Take a bow Sachin Tendulkar."
Little it may mean to the end-result of this Test that India has all but lost with one full day left, but the fact that Sachin reached the much-awaited 50th hundred is a moment in which every cricket lover will want to remain immersed for a while, forgetting what might happen in the Test.
The cricket world was eagerly waiting for this. However, there was little hope for it happening in a Test match where India surrendered for 136 in its first innings and then spent more than a couple of days in the field watching a mountain of 620 runs being build up by South Africa.
Sachin strode into the middle to take guard in the second innings on the back of a 137-run opening stand between Virender Sehwag (63) and Gautam Gambhir (80). But the two had departed in the space of 33 runs, asking Sachin and Rahul Dravid to take India to stumps on day three without anymore damage, which the veterans successfully achieved.
But Sachin's real test came on Sunday, the penultimate day of the Test, when he stood through the morning session watching India lose four wickets and slipping towards an embarrassing defeat.
There was little hope, if any, from MS Dhoni - who himself is nowhere near his best - on a tricky Centurion track with Steyn and Co. breathing down his neck.
That Dhoni chose to counter-attack actually worked in favour of Tendulkar, who allowed his skipper to take charge and himself kept plucking ones and twos with an occasional boundary.
Sachin reached his half century quietly and while Dhoni kept sending the South African bowlers for cover, Sachin to collected a few boundaries reaching 80 at the stroke of tea.
By now, the news had spread across the world that Sachin was near his 50th Test ton and the anticipation got every cricket follower glued to their TV sets.
That India got close to saving the Test match, should rain intervene on the final day, actually took a backseat - that's the sheer magic Sachin Tendulkar can create.
The maestro, though, was playing a workman-like innings while the world waited with bated breath for the momentous stroke of the clock and Sachin's bat.
Left-arm spinner Paul Harris tested Sachin the most and had a few close calls against the little master which were turned down by the umpire.
Watching a determined Sachin, the Proteas skipper Graeme Smith brought the first-innings hero Morne Morkel in to frustrate the Indian legend with short-pitched stuff. But Sachin remained unperturbed, ducking anything that was bowled short.
But it was nothing less than a heart-stopping moment that on the next ball from Harris, Sachin danced down the track and lofted the tall spinner straight over his head for a six to reach 95.
A couple followed and Sachin was just three shy of the 50th Test hundred.
Another heartbreaking moment followed when Dhoni almost committed a suicide going for a single. But a timely 'no' from Sachin prevented the seventh Indian wicket from going down. Sachin, though, was still on 97!
Smith chose to replace Morkel with Dale Steyn in order to get the master out. Dhoni gave Sachin the strike, who then scored a couple to reach 99.
Finally the moment arrived. The next ball was punched through the cover for a single by the master for his 100th run, punctuated with 12 fours and a six. And Sachin was standing with hands raised in the middle of the ground, the first man on earth to score 50 centuries in Test cricket.
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