Vintage Sachin Tendulkar Wows Fans As India Masters Clinch Inaugural International Masters League Title

Sachin Tendulkar rolled back the years with a scintillating knock, delighting a capacity 50,000-plus crowd as India Masters dished out an allround show to beat West Indies Masters by six wickets and win the inaugural International Masters League in Raipur on Sunday. The Indian bowlers, led by Vinay Kumar (3-0-26-3) and Shahbaz Nadeem (4-1-12-2), had earlier set the tone, restricting West Indies Masters to a modest 148/7 after Brian Lara opted to bat. In response, Tendulkar treated fans to a glimpse of his golden days, unleashing his signature strokes in his brief but memorable stay of 25 runs from 18 balls (2x4, 1x6).

Ambati Rayudu (74 in 50 balls; 9x4, 3x6), on the other end, held on to anchor the chase before Yuvraj Singh (13 not out) and Stuart Binny (15 not out) sealed the chase in 17.1 overs.

Such a Nostalgia

Opening the innings, Tendulkar was at his elegant best, executing a picture-perfect late cut to Jerome Taylor for four before following it up with an audacious upper-cut six over third man.

His copybook drive, flick, and ramp shot transported fans back to his prime.

He raced to 23 off just 14 balls, thrilling the crowd with his effortless strokeplay.

However, his sparkling innings was cut short when he mistimed a pull off Tino Best, finding Chadwick Walton at fine-leg.

By then, he had put India Masters in complete control, forging a 67-run opening stand in just 7.5 overs.

Rayudu anchored the chase with a composed knock, ensuring there were no hiccups.

He too showcased his attacking prowess, smashing a flat six off Taylor, while Yuvraj Singh played a fluent hand to guide India Masters home comfortably.

Vinay, Nadeem lead bowling charge

In a Sachin vs Lara face off, the West Indies Masters looked set for a