Ind SA ODI 2 33 Overs: Tendulkar's 46th ODI Ton Affects Blinded, Bruised South Africa

Sreelata YellamrazuFeb 24 2010

Another Sach-storm hit the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior, the venue of the second India South Africa ODI, even as South Africa were blinded and bruised well before the half way mark in India's innings.

sachin tendulkar at gwalior

There is presently a storm raging inside the stadium but the only people being blown away are the South Africans. Desperate to win the second ODI to not only stay alive in the series but also, stay at the no.2 position in the ICC ODI rankings. But it appears India are the favourites to snatch even that away, after the top Test ranking, as Sachin Tendulkar blazed away.

Wayne Parnell picked up the two wickets to fall in the 33 overs completed thus far. But it was after South Africa were hit by Tendulkar's 46th ODI century and Dinesh Karthik was dismissed after playing the role of Tendulkar's accomplice to the hilt.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, was only too delighted to win the toss and put India in to bat first. The tone was set from the very start, even though Virender Sehwag survived one catch against Dale Steyn only to be caught by Steyn at third man off Parnell's bowling for nine.

Promoted to the no.3 position yet again after India were 25/1 in the fourth over, Karthik proved a good partner for the blazing Tendulkar, rotating the strike and delivering a few hits of his own when the opportunity presented itself. Tendulkar was virtually unstoppable and in the mayhem that followed, even the likes of Steyn struggled to find their line, length and rhythm against the well set, belligerent run machine.

In front of a packed, partisan house, Tendulkar unleashed a beauty of an innings, the likes of which is the bane of the opposition. Tendulkar raced to his 46th ODI ton in only ninety balls. But Kartik missed out on a possible century, dismissed for seventy-nine runs after a massive 194 run partnership for the second wicket.

En route, to add injury to insult (yes, that's right), JP Duminy suffered injury to the webbing on his left hand and went off the field for treatment while Charl Langeveldt was hit above his left eye by a ball off Sachin Tendulkar's bat. The bleeding Langeveldt was treated in the dressing room and sent out, but with a swollen eye, virtually blinded resembling a boxing incident, allowing the commentators to recall the likes of Mike Tyson and "Rocky Balboa" movies featuring Sylvestor Stallone.

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