The Little Master does it again

Just when you think Tendulkar can't get any better... he does.

The Little Master ripped through the South African bowling attack to become the first player to score a double hundred in one day internationals.

His unbeaten 200 off 147 balls, which included 25 fours and three sixes, passed the previous joint-best of 194, set by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in 1997 and Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry last year.

It left the adoring crowd in raptures and helped India on their way to a massive total of 401-3, a target South Africa fell well short of when they were finally all out for 248. Tendulkar's mammoth effort ensures the series goes India's way and they will no doubt have their eyes on a whitewash when the sides meet again on Sunday, a feat the cricket betting suggests the side is capable of.

It makes you wonder how Tendulkar maintains such sky high levels of performance. At 36, with 30,000 runs under his belt spanning 20 years you could forgive him for winding down a little, but such is his professionalism he continues to strive for new heights.

Tendulkar finished with a strike rate of 136.05, which is the second highest of his 46 ODI centuries, but the best against a top-class team - against Kenya in the 1999 World Cup he scored an unbeaten 140 off 101 balls, a strike rate of 138.61.

The knock takes his overall century tally in international cricket to 93, and ten of these have come in 34 innings in the last 12 months - showing that he is indeed improving with age.

This wasn't a novice bowling attack he was facing either, it was a very talented South African side. This didn't seem to matter to Tendulkar as he dispatched the ball around every corner of the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.

He wasn't dropped or and didn't offer a chance to the South African fielders, making it a flawless innings.

It merely confirms his status as one of the world's greatest cricketers, not just in terms of raw ability but in longevity, commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism.

If Tendulkar can maintain this form going into the World Twenty20 then you can expect India's online betting odds for the tournament to get even shorter.