The Great Game Called Cricket...

New Delhi: Cricket fraternity hailed Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the first batsman in the history of one-day cricket to smash a double century, describing the feat as an incredible achievement.

Accolades also came from none other than India’s President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"Sachin Tendulkar has yet again re-written the record books of cricket, by climbing yet another Mt Everest of the game," Patil said in a message.

She said in setting a new benchmark for the highest score by a batsman in one-day internationals as well as in notching up a double century, "the master batsman has set stiff targets" for future generation of cricketers to break.

Terming it a "magnificent achievement", the Prime Minister said that Sachin has led by "example and that all Indians are proud of his achievement".

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said Tendulkar has established himself as the greatest batsman ever.

"There is just no question about that. He is the greatest batsman the game has ever seen," Gavaskar gushed.

"See his record! Who else has got 90-plus centuries, 17000-plus runs in ODIs and 13000-plus runs in Test cricket? He is comfortably the greatest batsman ever," said Gavaskar.

Gavaskar, meanwhile, advised Tendulkar not to stop here. "He should aim for more. Maybe a Test innings of 450 or a ODI knock of 250. And then he himself wants to win next year's World Cup," said the batting legend.

"There is a little boy in Tendulkar who wants to keep playing. That spirit keeps him going. It's absolutely incredible how he keeps going. A lot of others with his record would have had called it enough. But I guess there is no word called enough in Tendulkar's dictionary," said Gavaskar, whom Tendulkar often looks upto.

"I think he should go for the triple century in Test cricket. This is something he doesn't have but he is very capable of. This is well within his reach and he should go for it," Gavaskar said.

Former Test player Bapu Nadkarni found it difficult to find words to describe the feats of Tendulkar and said, "Whatever record is seen to be impossible to achieve, he makes it possible. That's all I can say. It seems as he's getting older, he is becoming more and more mature. No wonder Sir Donald Bradman saw himself in the way Sachin bats," Nadkarni said.

Spin legend Shane Warne, who enjoyed many a duel with Tendulkar, followed the innings and kept posting on his Twitter page, egging the Indian to achieve the milestone.

"(I'm) nervous for my good friend Sachin," Warne posted as Tendulkar approached 200.

"Come on Sachin my friend get your 200. World record to please! You deserve it," he said.

Once Tendulkar reached the milestone, the former player posted "Yes, yes, yes! Well done Sachin my friend. Congrats and well done! (It's) awesome."

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar paid rich tribute to Tendulkar, saying it was an incredible feat that spoke volumes of the batting master's toughness.

"It's an amazing feat to get 200 in a day and that too off only 147 balls," Vengsarkar said. It shows his mental and physical toughness. He's a player who does not throw away his wicket once he's set. He always places a huge price on his wicket," Vengsarkar said.

Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi also lavished praise on Tendulkar, calling him the greatest sportsman.

"Sachin - the greatest ever player - without any doubt," the IPL boss wrote on his Twitter page.

"I salute Sachin...world's greatest sportsman. We can see him only rise. (He is an) inspiration to us all. He is the best," Modi said.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara also paid his tribute. "What an innings it was! He came close to achieving it twice. I always felt that Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya are capable of doing that," Sangakkara said.

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad said he was always convinced of Tendulkar's greatness and stands vindicated.

"He is my favourite player. I had told that one day he would go on to break all batting records and now you see him scoring runs and runs," Miandad said.

Another former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail attributed Tendulkar's success to his humility.

"I think if you ask Saeed Anwar (who jointly held the previous record for highest ODI knock), he would say he's happy that Tendulkar broke his record," Sohail said.

"The reason for his success is that he has a great respect for the game," Sohail reasoned.

Sachin Tendulkar: "Since I was timing the ball well, I could be more aggressive and put pressure on the bowlers"

Sachin Tendulkar, who broke the record for the highest individual ODI score, overtaking Saeed Anwar and Charles Coventry on his way to the format's first double-hundred, has said his ability to bat the entire 50 overs was a testament to his fitness after having played the game for more than 20 years.

"It feels good that I lasted for 50 overs, a good test of my fitness. I'd like to bat another 50 overs at some stage and see that the fitness level doesn't drop," Tendulkar said after his effort helped India take a unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. "The ball was coming onto the bat and I was striking the ball well. So when everything falls into its place, it feels nice. It was one of the innings where I felt I was moving well. Since I was timing the ball well, I could be more aggressive and put pressure on the bowlers."

Tendulkar, while dedicating his feat to the people of India, credited coach Gary Kirsten for the team's success in both forms of the game after the debacle in the World Cup in the Caribbean. "I've enjoyed various challenges; after the 2007 World Cup things have looked different and I'm enjoying the game," he said. "The credit also goes to Gary [Kirsten], he has really held the team beautifully. It's about togetherness and playing for each other. You see during the practice sessions that Gary himself trains as hard as anyone else, or probably harder than anyone else as he's the one giving us practice all the time."

Tendulkar said he sensed an opportunity to break the record and reach a double-century when he had gone past 175 in the 42nd over. The record eventually came in the 46th over, and the 200 in the 50th. "When I was near 175-180, I thought I could get a 200 as there were quite a few overs left," he said. He added that he would prefer his achievement to be upstaged by an Indian. "I don't play for records, I play for enjoyment and play with lots of passion. That's how cricket started. I didn't start playing cricket to break all the records; it's happened along the way. The dream was to play for India and do my best.

"I don't think any record is unbreakable. Records are made to be broken. I hope that if this record is broke, it's done by an Indian."

This was India's third-highest score in ODIs, and Tendulkar said the 400-mark would not have reached if not for some big hitting by Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni. "I thought a target of 340-350 would be a good one, but Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni came in and hit the big shots and cleared the ropes consistently and helped us pass 400."

Tendulkar added that India were not relaxing despite having put up a mammoth score, for they were aware South Africa were the only team to have chased down a target in excess of 400. "This was the team that chased 434 against Australia. So we didn't get complacent and told ourselves that we had just got through the half-way stage by scoring 401. And what we did in the second half was extremely important. We were aiming at getting early wickets and putting them out of the game."

Dhoni, who witnessed Tendulkar surpass the record from the other end, said: "I think one of the best innings, you can say. It's always good to be on the other side, watching him score 200 runs. When he is tired and can't play the big shots, he was very clever to use the pace of the bowler and it's very difficult for the bowlers as they don't know where exactly to bowl."

India lost Virender Sehwag early, and Tendulkar was assisted in three sizable stands where runs came at a brisk pace, with Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf and Dhoni. "Once Viru got out, it was important to get some kind of a partnership going. They [Tendulkar and Karthik] went on with their innings, and they set a platform after which we were sure we would get 350-plus which would be a difficult target," Dhoni said. "Yusuf was sent up the order and with the talent he's got, he can be a great asset to the side."

Yusuf scored a quickfire 36 and was particularly lethal during the batting Powerplay, while Dhoni proved destructive at the death, bludgeoning 68 off 35 in a century-stand with Tendulkar in just 53 balls. "I have changed my batting a bit, but the situation demanded that kind [attacking] of innings," Dhoni said. "The ground is a small one, and we were a bit worried about the dew factor. But once they lost 3-4 early wickets, it was difficult for them to get back into the game."

For South Africa and their stand-in captain Jacques Kallis, it was a case of the basics gone wrong. "The toss was quite vital. Our basics were just weren't good enough today. We were outplayed," Kallis said. "We lost wickets at crucial stages, our basics let us down. A fantastic innings by Sachin; he took advantage of some good conditions and he played superbly. We let ourselves down in some areas."

It took nearly 40 years of waiting and it was well worth it. Sachin Tendulkar chose one of the better bowling attacks doing the rounds, to eclipse the record for the highest score, before bringing up the first ever double-hundred in ODI history. The spectators at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium became the envy of Indian cricket fans as they witnessed one of the country's favourite sporting heroes play a breathtaking innings which not only set up a 153-run annihilation but also the series victory. He may have been run-out cheaply in the previous match, but nothing could deny him today - be it bowlers, fielders, mix-ups or cramps. Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni stood by and admired as the master unfurled all the shots in his repertoire.

At 36, Tendulkar hasn't shown signs of ageing, and his sparkling touch in both forms of the game has ruled out all possibilities of him checking out anytime soon. Fatigue, cramps and paucity of time have stood in the way of batsmen going that extra mile to get to the 200-mark. Tendulkar did cramp up after crossing 150, but he didn't opt for a runner. His experience of 20 years at the international level came into play in this historic innings, staying at the crease from the first ball to the last, never once losing focus. There were no chances offered, no dropped catches, making his innings absolutely flawless.

A swirl of emotions must have run through his mind as he approached one record after another but he ensured he was never lost in the moment. His running between the wickets remained just as swift as it had been at the start of the innings. The humidity in Gwalior was bound to test him but he stood above it all and played like he owned the game, toying with the bowling with a mix of nonchalance and brute power.

In the 46th over, with a flick for two past short fine-leg, Tendulkar broke the record for the highest ODI score, going past the 194 made by Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar, and to say that he acknowledged his feat modestly would be an understatement. His muted celebration on going past 194, true to style, made his innings all the more endearing. He didn't raise his bat, merely shook hands with Mark Boucher and simply carried on batting amid the din. Coming from a man who is not known to showing too much emotion with the bat in hand, it wasn't surprising. He reserved his celebrations for the magic figure of 200, which he reached in the final over with a squirt off Charl Langeveldt past backward point. He raised his bat, took off his helmet and looked up at the skies and it was only fitting that one-day cricket's highest run-getter reached the landmark.

Tendulkar's innings featured strokes of the highest quality, but his true genius was exemplified by one particular shot which rendered even the best bowler in the world helpless. In the first over of the batting Powerplay - taken in the 35th over - Dale Steyn fired it in the block-hole for three deliveries outside off to keep him quiet. Tendulkar, feeling the need to improvise, walked right across his stumps and nonchalantly flicked him across the line, hopping in his crease on one leg to bisect the gap at midwicket. A helpless Steyn watched the ball speed away and merely shrugged his shoulders. There was no use searching for excuses or venting frustrations at the temerity of that shot. It was just that kind of afternoon for the bowlers.

It wasn't all just about the cheekiness of his shots. His timing and placement were the hallmarks at the start of his innings. On a road of a pitch which offered no margin of error for the bowlers, he squeezed out full deliveries past the covers and off his pads. With no seam movement on offer, Jacques Kallis took the slips off and placed them in catching positions within the 15-yard circle, hoping to induce a mistake. But Tendulkar outplayed all of them, making room to manoeuver it past a number of green shirts. There were a minimum of two runs on offer each time the ball was placed wide of them and the quick outfield did the rest.

Once he got his eye in, the short boundaries and the flat pitch were too inviting. Virender Sehwag's dismissal for 11, caught at third man, was just an aberration as Karthik, Pathan and Dhoni traded cricket bats for golf clubs. Driving and lofting through the line had never been this easy. Tendulkar could have driven them inside out in his sleep.

The two century stands, with Karthik and then with Dhoni, may well get lost in the scorecard but they were vital building blocks. Karthik rotated the strike well in their stand of 194, struck three clean sixes and helped himself to his career-best performance. That partnership sent out ominous signs to the South Africans that they were in for something massive. Add Dhoni's bludgeoning hits and scoops and you had a score in excess of 400.

Tendulkar reached his fifty off 37 balls and his century off 90. Ironically, he struck his first six - over long-on - when on 111. Pathan bashed it around at the other end, clubbing full tosses and short deliveries in his 23-ball 36, as India amassed 63 runs in the batting Powerplay. The South African seamers made the mistake of trying to bowl too fast and as a result, sent down too many full tosses and full deliveries. The unplayable yorkers remained elusive and Tendulkar, who was seeing it like a beach ball, picked the gaps, made room and improvised.

He reached his 150 by making room to Parnell and chipping him over midwicket with a simple bat twirl at the point of contact. The heartbreak of Hyderabad, when his scintillating 175 all but won India the match against Australia last year, must have lingered in his mind as he approached that score again. A towering six over long-on later, he not only eclipsed Kapil Dev's 175 but also looked set to wipe out his own record. He started clutching his thighs, indicating that cramps had set in, but even that could not stop him today.

He equalled his highest score of 186 by pulling a lollipop of a full toss off Kallis and broke his own and India's record with a single to square leg. Fortunately, he didn't have to do much running and played the spectator's role for a change as Dhoni bulldozed his way to a 35-ball 68, muscling four sixes. The Dhoni bottom-hand is the strongest in the business these days and the exhausted spectators had enough energy left in their vocal chords to cheer him on as well.

The record of 200, however, was yet to be attained and the crowd were desperate for Tendulkar to get the strike. Dhoni tore into Steyn for 17 off the 49th over and retained the strike for the 50th. After hammering the first ball of the 50th for six, he shoveled a full toss to deep midwicket where Hashim Amla made a brilliant save. Tendulkar settled for a single and the crowd were on their feet as they watched him make history. It was all the more fitting for another reason because it was on this very day, back in 1988, that he and Vinod Kambli added a mammoth 664 - then a world record - in a school match.

There was to be no repeat of the 434-chase at the Wanderers, when South Africa took guard, perhaps mentally and physically shaken after the assault, and with a partisan crowd to contend with. AB de Villiers' attacking ton got completely lost in the chase as South Africa merely went through the motions. It was all a question of how quickly India could wrap it up.

Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Roelof van der Merwe and Jacques Kallis all got out cheaply within the first 15 overs. de Villiers motored along at more than a run-a-ball, and collected 13 fours and two sixes. South Africa had to rely on the services of nine men to muster 200 - for India one man sufficed.

Tendulkar's knock drew parallels with Brendon McCullum's frenetic 158 in the IPL opener in Bangalore two years ago. The match was all about individual brilliance but not a contest. While such games are good in small doses, for one-day cricket to survive on the whole, it needs more contests between bat and ball.

Virender Sehwag's 293 against Sri Lanka was chosen for the best Test batting prize

Virender Sehwag has won the Test batting prize for the second year running in the ESPNcricinfo Awards. Sehwag's audacious 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai was chosen over Andrew Strauss's 161 at Lord's in the Ashes and Chris Gayle's unbeaten 165 in Adelaide, by a jury of former cricketers, commentators and Cricinfo's senior editors.

The six awards, for performances in the three international cricket formats in 2009, were shared between players from three countries: India, Pakistan and West Indies. Gayle won the Twenty20 batting award for his 50-ball 88 against Australia at The Oval in the World Twenty20. His West Indies team-mate Jerome Taylor's rout of England in Jamaica was voted the Test bowling performance of the year.

The ODI batting award went to Sachin Tendulkar for his fighting 175 in a match India lost by three runs to Australia.

Shahid Afridi, who was nominated for his Twenty20 bowling as well, won for his career-best 6 for 38 in in Dubai, also against Australia.

The award for Twenty20 bowling went to Umar Gul, who was nominated twice in the category, for his five-wicket haul against New Zealand at The Oval, also in the World Twenty20 - a performance of reverse-swing bowling in which, according to former Australia captain and jury member Ian Chappell, "for three overs he looked like he was going to take a wicket every ball and damn near did".

Of the winners, Gul, Gayle and Afridi were among eight players to receive two nominations each. Fifty-seven performances from 2009 were shortlisted in the six categories early in January and voted on by the jury.

Former England opener Geoff Boycott, one of the members of the jury, which also included Tony Greig, David Lloyd, Ramiz Raja, Daryll Cullinan and Sanjay Manjrekar, said Sehwag's win was hardly surprising. "It is extraordinary to watch him play. I have seen some people score quickly and get big scores," Boycott said. "Part of the time it is brute force, but not so with him. It is just simplicity itself. I watch him bat and it seems as though he sees the shot even before the bowler has bowled. It is quite extraordinary. He doesn't play with great power; it is grace, timing and effortless ease, and his range of shots is quite exciting."

In addition to the performance awards, the ESPNcricinfo Awards also comprise the Statsguru Awards, which are based on detailed statistical analyses of the year's performances. Indian players won the top batting awards here as well. Gautam Gambhir was adjudged the Batsman of the Year, based on a score arrived at by adding Test batting average to ODI batting index (batting average multiplied by strike rate). He was also the Test Batsman of the Year. Sehwag was voted the ODI Batsman of the Year. The bowling awards went to Stuart Broad (Bowler of the Year), Mitchell Johnson (Test Bowler) and James Anderson (ODI Bowler). Other Statsguru Awards winners included Shane Watson (Most Consistent Test Batsman), Tillakaratne Dilshan (Most Runs in Test Wins), and Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder (ODI Opening Batting Pair of the Year).

Cricinfo readers were invited to vote on the nominees and their picks mirrored the jury's in all but one category: Twenty20 batting, where they picked Tillakaratne Dilshan's unbeaten 96 in the World Twenty20 over Gayle's 88.


Awards 2009 : Test batting: Virender Sehwag
Awards 2009 : Test bowling: Jerome Taylor
Awards 2009 : ODI batting: Sachin Tendulkar
Awards 2009 : ODI bowling; Shahid Afridi
Awards 2009 : Twenty20 batting; Chris Gayle
Awards 2009 : Twenty20 bowling: Umar Gul
Awards 2009 : Statsguru Awards: Sehwag, Dilshan, Johnson win
Awards 2009 : Readers' Choice
News : Virender Sehwag "would love" to bat at No.4
Teams: India | Pakistan | West Indies

Viv Richards, the only captain under whom West Indies never lost a series, speaks about the sense of confrontation he brought to his cricket, his first Test in Antigua and his success against England

What was it like having all those great West Indian fast bowlers to face in practice?
You may say it was good enough practice. But I've never enjoyed being in the nets, because I felt enclosed. My batting practice would be a guy throwing balls in the way in which I liked it. It was all about getting ball on bat, rather than something whizzing past your ear. Each bowler has his own pride when bowling in the nets but it's vital that you get ball on bat and then you are ready to use the opportunity when you are out in the middle.

In 1969 you refused to walk when given out in a match for Antigua, sparking crowd trouble. How do you look back on that now?
It was a difficult start to my career, but if you are confident enough about the decisions that you make and about how you can correct them, then it becomes history. It's all about pushing on and learning from mistakes. You are going to have some hiccups, especially as a young man. I felt I wasn't out at the time and I stamped my feet - I've seen people not be banned for worse. Obviously this sent a message to the crowd that all wasn't well. The crowd reacted and I was responsible. I paid my dues - I was banned from first-class cricket for two years. If you do a crime, you must do the time.

What was it like arriving at Somerset in 1974?
There seemed to be a lack of self-esteem with certain individuals at the club. You heard about Somerset not winning anything in over 100 years. I've always been a competitive guy. I want to win. I want to make an impact. At the time I was on the fringes of the West Indies team and I was going to a club that knew nothing about me. I felt I could bat. I looked around the county circuit and saw the professional cricketers and I'm saying, "Wow, I could do a little bit better than that." I tried to pump that motivation into my team.

What was Brian Close like as a captain?
Closey is someone I have an enormous amount of respect for. I was fortunate to have him around at that time. He was instrumental. I felt he saw something in me. He took me under his wing and I would travel with him on most occasions. In those days county cricketers travelled their own way. I was Closey's co-pilot. During the long journeys around the country we would talk about the game, about what I could do to move forward. He taught me about being tough with your decisions and fighting hard. Closey did not reap the success of the team and the characters he built. In came Brian Rose and by that time the players were ripe. They were battle-hardened by playing under one of the hardest skippers I'll ever know. It was the perfect platform. And in the end it came good for Somerset. We became a fancied county. The Garners and the Bothams came on board and we had a good connection.

You were more successful against England than against any other Test side. Was there added motivation?
When I first came to this country there were folks who felt I was coming from a hotter climate so I wouldn't adapt to English conditions. They thought I wasn't going to do well because of my style of play - of hitting across the line. I didn't call it hitting across the line. I felt it was inventive. If you stay to the basics - hitting the ball in the V - it would be a rather boring game. I felt I was an artist. If I hit a fielder I wasn't doing my job well enough. It was all about avoiding fieldsmen and scoring runs. No one was going to put me off my plan.

I could have hit the ball through the off side as well as any. I know that. It was my choice when to and when not to. So I wanted to prove these guys wrong, prove that I am a soldier where the bat is concerned. Wherever the fight is, I'm going to be fighting. I didn't want to be rude to anyone, but anyone who is rude to me, then I was going to be rude in the right way: my bat was going to tell the story. You had guys who didn't believe in the black man. If you feel you are superior to me, then you should be knocking me over every goddamn time. There were a few ass***** out there. All these factors were a motivation for how my innings would go.

Perhaps Tony Greig's promise in 1976 that the West Indies would "grovel" helped too?
I'm not into the talk stuff. You have guys who talk a lot but cannot deliver. Tony was talking himself and England into believing what they could do. Maybe he took the wrong route. I'd played against Tony a few times and didn't see anything that was extra special, apart from the lip he had at the time. I felt he was a guy who knew he didn't have any trump cards and was bluffing.

Did anyone dislike your famous leisurely walk to the crease?
There were crowds who wanted to test me, especially in a hostile environment like Yorkshire. "Hurry up!" they'd say. That's why, when you look at the records and see Vivian Richards' record against Yorkshire, I think I could be high up where averages and runs are concerned. Sometimes you get crowds who give you that opportunity to hate everyone. My beef was with them. And it was the guys who were representing them on the field who were going to suffer. That was a simple, plain fact.


What about bowlers who confronted you?
I love a guy who is up in my face. I didn't like it when a guy would beat my bat and just smile. I wanted him to say something, to give me something to fuel my emotions. Guys used to tell me to eff off when I was out. I enjoyed that. I wanted to come back every time. I thought, "Have your day. You knock me over, it takes only a couple of seconds to walk off, but I tell you, I back myself enough to know that so long as I'm batting you are going to see my face for a long time and it's going to hurt. Big time."

What are your memories of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket?
It was the hardest cricket I played in my life and I loved it. There were no prizes for coming second. That period had the best fast bowlers in the world. Everyone had somebody. I got a few centuries and I think it's unfair that they are not officially recognised. There was no cricket like that. I hope that the establishment look back and provide some sort of clemency.


What was it like scoring a hundred in 1981 in the first Test to be played in Antigua, where you were born?
My game was all about emotion. There must be something on the line - then Viv Richards is at his very best. Some people are weak in situations like that; they need a second chance. But sometimes there is no second chance. This was a great opportunity to prove myself. A Test in Antigua - wow! We in the Caribbean are pretty hard to convince. The people had listened to John Arlott and heard I was okay, but they wanted to see for themselves. The whole persona of that innings was about how I felt and what I wanted to achieve. You dream of these things: scoring a Test hundred in front of the folks you grew up with.

How did captaincy suit you?
I didn't quite have the numbers as captain. In those days we didn't have all these coaches; the captain and manager were responsible for keeping everyone fit and arranging practice. With captaincy you tend to ignore yourself a little. I didn't do enough work on my batting because I had to channel my energies into the team. Captaincy slowed me down and put my thinking cap on, but it also took away what I contributed as a player - like being in the field, running around and picking the ball up. I loved my fielding. As captain I had to be a bit closer to the activity and I missed being in the outfield. I was pretty handy out there as well.


What is your greatest achievement as a cricketer?
I don't look solely at what I achieved. I look at what the Caribbean and the other guys achieved in showing what teamwork can do. We all think so differently in the various parts of the Caribbean. We each have our different spices, we boast about them and other things because we are from another country and we represent that country. Being able to be in the same team as all these guys, to know the differences between us but still fulfill your goals - that to me was the greatest achievement. On a personal note, I didn't wrap myself up in cotton wool - with a helmet, a chest guard, an elbow guard - I did it the way men should and I'm proud of that. When the helmet came into play it helped a lot of careers. Batsmen felt they had this suit of armour on. Guys who could never hook a ball in their lives suddenly felt they could do it. That's when you started getting more injuries.

Do you have any regrets about your career?
I may have regrets but I hate to lament them because it could have been much worse. Today I walk in the streets and people remember me for my style of play. I'd like to be playing today. That's the only thing I'd love to change. If I was playing today, I would have been seriously rewarded for what I feel I would have given to the game.

Wherever the fight is, I'm going to be fighting. I didn't want to be rude to anyone but anyone who is rude to me, then I was going to be rude in the right way: my bat was going to tell the story. You had guys who didn't believe in the black man

Reflecting on their thrilling one-run defeat against India at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, South Africa captain Jacques Kallis has said Wayne Parnell's performance with the bat, under pressure, was one of the positives they could take out of the game. Parnell, batting at No.9, scored 49 and was run out off the final ball with South Africa needing three runs to win.

The left-arm seamer didn't make much of an impression with the ball, taking 1 for 69 off nine overs. He walked in in the 36th over of the chase with South Africa in trouble at 180 for 7. Kallis and Parnell had added 45 for the eighth wicket, but when the captain fell, India were still well in control. But Parnell's stand of 65 with Dale Steyn gave their side a fighting chance of pulling off an improbable win. Steyn smashed a 19-ball 35 before falling in the final over, as South Africa's hopes rested on the well-set Parnell.

"He's a talented cricketer and he's going to take a lot away from today. Everytime he plays he's going to learn. He's still very new to the subcontinent," Kallis said. "He's got all the attributes of becoming a good allrounder and that's something that he's working on. He's a man for the moment, so he's certainly got a bright future ahead of him."

One of the biggest turning points in the chase was Sachin Tendulkar's save at the boundary in the final over. Charl Langeveldt pulled the ball to long leg where Tendulkar dived full length to his right and pulled it back before the rope. Replays weren't conclusive if Tendulkar had simultaneously made contact with the rope and the third umpire gave the benefit of the doubt to the Indians. The South Africans ran three but that extra run was the difference between a tie and an Indian win.

Kallis accepted the third umpire's call but referred to another bizarre incident, also involving Langeveldt, in the final over of India's innings. Langeveldt's yorker to Ashish Nehra had hit the stumps but the bails weren't dislodged. To add to South Africa's ill luck, the ball deflected to the third man boundary, adding a crucial four runs to India's total of 298.

"That's not our call - that's what third umpires are there for and he saw that it wasn't four and we've got to accept it and get on with it," Kallis said of the Tendulkar incident. "I think what came back to haunt us was Charl Langeveldt's second last ball that hit the stumps and went for four, which was incredible."

Kallis said he was pleased they had managed to restrict India to just under 300, but the real worries were with the batting. Kallis scored 89 but the rest of the batsmen failed to rise to the challenge, which left plenty for the lower order to handle. The recognised batsmen struggled against the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who took 2 for 29 from his 10 overs on a good batting pitch.

"I think on the whole we're pretty happy with the way things have gone, although obviously there are things we need to work on. Our death bowling has been a problem for a while but the guys did really well there. At one stage it looked like India would make 330," Kallis said. "On the batting front we need to make sure we don't lose wickets along the way and get some big partnerships going to set the game up. Perhaps we've got to come up with ideas for the way Jadeja bowled - I thought he bowled really well and tied us down for a while, so we've got to make sure that we're strong on our game plans there."

Indian captain MS Dhoni, on the other hand, said India needed to work hard on their bowling.

"It was a team effort and from that perspective it was a good show, but we need to do better with our bowling," Dhoni said. "We cannot give away the runs we did with the new ball, although we were a bit hampered by the absence of Sehwag in the field. He made himself unfit while batting and could not bowl.

"When there are so many runs needed and when the No.9 and 10 batsman are at the crease, you don't really expect your best bowlers to get hit the way they did. Credit must go to the batsmen, but I'm sure we would do better in the next game if the conditions are the same."

It went down to the last ball but when Jacques Kallis fell in the 43rd over, with South Africa requiring an improbable 74 from 43 balls and only two wickets in hand, it looked like game, set and match to India. From there, Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell threatened to pull of an incredible heist but India held their nerve to clinch a final-ball win in Jaipur.

The quality of cricket was actually below-par from both sides - India's bowling threatened to completely disintegrate under the pressure and barring Kallis, South Africa's batting was quite dismal - but the contest was made memorable by the tailenders Steyn and Parnell. This is how it panned out in the end: Steyn lashed two straight sixes in the 46th over bowled by Suresh Raina, the pair pinched three boundaries in the 48th over bowled by an errant Sreesanth and when both batsmen struck audacious sixes down the ground against Ashish Nehra in the 49th over, South Africa required only 10 from the last over.

Praveen Kumar bowled Steyn with a slower one off the second delivery but the drama wasn't over yet. Charl Langeveldt pulled the penultimate delivery to long leg where Sachin Tendulkar dived full-stretch to prevent the boundary. Many replays later, the third umpire ruled it a legal save and South Africa had to be content with three runs but had the well-set Parnell on strike for the last delivery. More excitement lay ahead as Praveen hurled a wide leaving South Africa needing three to win. Parnell squeezed out the final delivery to third man where Sreesanth fielded the ball cleanly and threw in a slightly wide throw but MS Dhoni had enough time to break the stumps with Parnell just one yard short of levelling the scores.

Until those dramatic end overs where India threatened to choke, they had actually done most things necessary to win the game. No batsman got a big score, but there were enough handy contributions from the top-order to push India to a strong 298. No bowler got more than two wickets but there was enough combined discipline in the attack, till they crumbled under the Steyn & Parnell show, to restrict South Africa.

For their part, South Africa might have come very close in the end but the stand-in captain Jacques Kallis was the only top-order batsman to offer any resistance in the chase where Ravindra Jadeja starred for India with his unspectacular but steady spell of left-arm spin where he used the arm-ball quite liberally to keep the batsmen honest. When Jadeja came on to bowl South Africa were sitting pretty at 60 for 1 from nine overs. When he finished his first spell that read 8-2-23-2, and included the vital wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, South Africa had slowed down to 127 for 3 from 24 overs.

He didn't get the ball to turn but repeatedly slipped the one that went straight on with the arm to suffocate the batsmen. The ball also tended to skid on in this surface and at times kept a touch low and the batsmen struggled to put away his armers. He lured Gibbs to slice to long-off and troubled both Kallis and de Villiers with his skidding deliveries. de Villiers tried to wriggle free with an attempted cut shot that proved fatal as he completely failed to connect.

From then on South Africa were always chasing their own tail despite Kallis' effort and though Steyn and Parnell played the one-day innings of their lives, they fell short in the end.

Like South Africa, India too didn't have any centurion today but, unlike the visitors, there were enough contributions to charge them to a strong score. On a day when Virender Sehwag played a couple of typically stunning shots - a slashed six over third man and another flamboyantly carved over covers being the picks - two innings, from men who are yet to secure their spots in the playing eleven, caught the eye. Karthik's entertaining 44 and Raina's attractive 58 stood out for their sparkling shots, and also for their untimely dismissals. Both fell when they were well-set and had the opportunity to take India to an unassailable position.

India were at 32 for the loss of Tendulkar in seven overs when Karthik started to go for his shots. Until then, he was playing the conventional strokes and even timing them well but was unable to find the gaps.

Everything changed in the eighth over bowled by Parnell. The first ball, a short of a length delivery outside off stump, was flat-batted - a forehand cross-court swat - over the bowler's head. Off the third delivery, he walked down the track to upset the line and length and whipped through midwicket for another boundary and a pull off the fifth delivery fetched him a couple before he collected another pulled boundary off the last ball.

Karthik continued to innovate and play the big shots - a slog-swept six against Johan Botha being the highlight - before he fell. This ability to manufacture shots and pull out the big hits irrespective of the match situation has been his strength and weakness. Shot selection hasn't always been his strong point but it looked like today was going to be his day until he was dismissed against the run of play, mistiming a pull shot off Langeveldt straight to mid-on.

Raina took over after Karthik's exit, starting off with a delightful, on-the-up, cover-driven boundary off Albie Morkel, and handled himself well against the short stuff from Kallis. The pitch was a flat beauty and there wasn't great pace or bounce to cause any trouble and Raina collected boundaries with upper cuts and a couple of pull shots. He went on to heave a back-of-length delivery from Parnell over wide long-on boundary but in the 44th over, with India on 260 for 6, he moved away from the stumps to try an expansive inside-out drive over the covers, only to edge Kallis behind the wicket.

It was left to the tail to push India towards 300, which proved more than enough in the end courtesy a fine spell from Jadeja. Kallis carried on gamely with a characteristic innings but he received no support from his team-mates: Mark Boucher edged a slightly wide delivery, Alviro Petersen was run out as he failed to ground his bat, and both Morkel and Botha fell playing across the line. Kallis dealt in singles initially, put away most of the bad balls, and tried to manufacture a few big shots in the end overs but the stiff target proved too much for him to pull off a one-man-show. Steyn and Parnell nearly pulled off the improbable but couldn't complete a fairy-tale finish.