It's a battle etched in cricketing folklore -- one that has thrilled generations of fans, and on Wednesday, it unfolded once again under the floodlights at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, where a jam-packed crowd were treated to a vintage Sachin Tendulkar masterclass for the India Masters after Australia Masters duo of Shane Watson and Ben Dunk unleashed carnage to eventually help their side notch up their first win of the ongoing International Masters League season. Cometh the hour, cometh the master blaster --Tendulkar brought back memories of the epic Desert Storm in Sharjah with an electrifying 33-ball 64, setting the perfect tone for India Masters' run chase.
The delicate late cuts and booming straight drives were on full display as Tendulkar took on the Australian attack with fearless intent, to raise his fifty off mere 27 deliveries, reminding fans why he remains the heartbeat of Indian cricket, as per IML press release.
Despite losing his partners at the other end, Tendulkar raged a lone battle, smoking four sixes and seven fours to power India Masters to 100/3 midway through the innings, thus enthralling the crowd, who were left shocked when Xavier Doherty held on to a catch off Daniel Christian. After his departure, Yusuf Pathan came up with a 15-ball 25 to raise hopes of a fourth win on the trot for the India Masters, who are already assured of a place in the knockouts.
But with the required rate mounting and the rest of the batters expected to step on the gas from the word go, it turned out to be a tall ask as India Masters eventually fell short by 95 runs for their first loss of the tournament. For the Aussies, left-arm tweaker Doherty (5/25) emerged the pick of the bowlers, claiming the first fifer of the
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