"Still in better touch than many other current generation batsmen"- Twitterati hail Sachin Tendulkar after vintage knock against England Legends
Sachin Tendulkar was at his vintage best against the England Legends during the 14th match of the Road Safety World Series on Thursday, September 20 in Dehradun. Rolling back the years, Tendulkar scored a magnificent 40 off 20 deliveries to get the India Legends off to an electrifying start.
After being put into bat by Ian Bell, Sachin Tendulkar carried on from where he left off in Indore and struck some delightful shots during the powerplay. He made his intentions clear right from the word go. No half-measures were taken during the knock, which was studded with three fours and as many sixes.
Tendulkar began the charge with a trademark sweep off Stephen Parry which went over the square leg fielder. In the third over, bowled by Chris Tremlett, Sachin Tendulkar decided to cut loose and smashed 16 runs in just three deliveries.
Sachin Tendulkar turned the clock back
While the fourth delivery was ramped over the short fine leg fielder for a maximum, Sachin Tendulkar decided to charge Tremlett the very next ball and lifted him down the ground for a maximum. He finished the over with a streaky boundary towards the deep midwicket region.
The carnage didn’t stop as Tendulkar smashed the third maximum of his innings in the fifth over from Rikki Clarke. Using the depth of the crease, Tendulkar moved across the off-stump and helped it over the fine leg region.
The Little Master was eventually outfoxed by Chris Schofield in the seventh over after making 40. The leg-spinner tossed one up outside the off-stump and Sachin Tendukar ended up playing away from the body, only to a give a simple return catch to Schofield.
The Twitterati went crazy following his stupendous knock and even requested that the Master Blaster come out of retirement.
Here are some of the reactions:
Comfortable victory for India Legends
Due to persistent rain in Dehradun, the match was reduced to a 15-over affair. After the brilliant start from Sachin Tendukar, India lost both openers in quick succession. Suresh Raina struck some exquisite shots to get his innings going while Yusuf Pathan also looked in a destructive mood.
Yusuf struck a quickfire 27 off 11 deliveries, which included three big sixes. The English bowlers tried to put the brakes on during the end overs but Yuvraj Singh had other intentions. He stitched vital partnerships with Stuart Binny and Irfan Pathan to take India to 170.
England were never in the game during the run-chase. They kept losing wickets consistently as the Indian bowlers ruled the roost. Philip Mustard was the top-scorer for England, with 29 off 19 deliveries.
Tremlett struck some lusty blows towards the end but it was all for a losing cause. India Legends registered their second win of the tournament, romping home by 40 runs.