World Cup dream comes true for Tendulkar

By Julian Guyer

 

Sachin Tendulkar failed with the bat but still ended a World Cup-winner for the first time on Saturday as India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final.

By Julian Guyer

 

Mumbai: Apr 3, 2011

 

Sachin Tendulkar failed with the bat but still ended a World Cup-winner for the first time on Saturday as India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final.

 

Many fans in a capacity 33,000 crowd had piled into the Wankhede Stadium hoping to see the 37-year-old Tendulkar, on his home ground, score his hundredth international hundred.

 

But instead the star batsman, bidding to fulfil a lifelong ambition by winning the World Cup at his sixth — and in all likelihood last — attempt, was dismissed for just 18.

 

It had seemed as if Tendulkar and India might be outshone by a masterful hundred from Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, who made 103 not out in a total of 274 for six after the islanders won the toss and batted.

 

India’s millions of fans around the world were stunned when, in reply, Virender Sehwag was lbw for nought second ball to Lasith Malinga.

 

Tendulkar, who has 51 Test hundreds and 48 in one-day internationals, produced two stylish boundaries, driving Nuwan Kulasekara down the ground and cutting him for another four.

 

But his brief, 14-ball innings ended when he tried to steer Malinga through the off-side only to be caught behind by Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to leave India 31 for two.

 

Tendulkar walked off to the kind of standing ovation usually reserved for batsmen who’ve scored far more than 18, in what was a recognition of his previous great deeds rather than this innings.

 

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more than this. Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life,” said Tendulkar.

 

“Thanks to my teammates – without them, nothing would have happened.”

 

Earlier Jayawardene, 33, reached his century in superb style with two successive boundaries off Zaheer Khan.

 

First he cut the left-arm quick behind high behind square on the offside before next ball striking a brilliant boundary over mid-off to go to the landmark in 84 balls with 13 fours.

 

But for the second time in as many finals, following Sri Lanka’s defeat by Australia in Barbados four years ago, Jayawardene finished a runner-up, with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hitting a six to seal victory with 10 balls to spare.

 

Jayawardene secured the unwanted record of becoming the first man to score a hundred in a World Cup final yet finish on the losing side.

 

All five previous tons in the fixture — by Clive Lloyd (West Indies, 1975), Vivian Richards (West Indies, 1979), Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka 1996), Ricky Ponting (Australia, 2003) and Adam Gilchrist (Australia 2007) had been made in winning causes.

 

©AFP

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