Sachin Tendulkar rolled again the years with a scintillating knock, delighting a capability 50,000-plus crowd as India Masters dished out an allround present 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, limiting West Indies Masters to a modest 148/7 after Brian Lara opted to bat. In response, Tendulkar handled followers to a glimpse of his golden days, unleashing his signature strokes in his transient however memorable keep of 25 runs from 18 balls (2×4, 1×6).
Ambati Rayudu (74 in 50 balls; 9×4, 3×6), on the opposite finish, held on to anchor the chase earlier than 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 finest, executing a picture-perfect late reduce to Jerome Taylor for 4 earlier than following it up with an audacious upper-cut six over third man.
His copybook drive, flick, and ramp shot transported followers again to his prime.
He raced to 23 off simply 14 balls, thrilling the group along with his easy strokeplay.
However, his glowing innings was reduce quick when he mistimed a pull off Tino Best, discovering Chadwick Walton at fine-leg.
By then, he had put India Masters in full management, forging a 67-run opening stand in simply 7.5 overs.
Rayudu anchored the chase with a composed knock, making certain there have been no hiccups.
He too showcased his attacking prowess, smashing a flat six off Taylor, whereas Yuvraj Singh performed a fluent hand to information India Masters house comfortably.
Vinay, Nadeem lead bowling cost
In a Sachin vs Lara face off, the West Indies Masters seemed set for a 180-plus complete as Dwayne Smith (45 off 35 balls, 6×4, 2×6) took cost, whereas Lara performed second fiddle opening the innings.
The duo have been in prime gear at 34 from 22 balls earlier than Vinay Kumar halted Lara’s innings.
But they reached 52/1 within the powerplay, with Smith tearing into Negi for 15 runs in an over.
However, the left-arm spinner Nadeem struck on the proper time, castling Smith with a supply that skidded on as he performed for the flip.
Vinay Kumar was the standout performer, dismissing Lara (6) early and returning on the loss of life to assert the prized wicket of their top-scorer Lendl Simmons (57 off 41 balls, 5×4, 1×6).
His precision and variation ensured West Indies Masters struggled within the ultimate overs, managing simply 35 runs whereas dropping two wickets.
Negi (1/30 in 3 overs) and Stuart Binny (1/11 in 2 overs) additionally performed supporting roles, limiting the opposition to a below-par complete.
Despite Simmons’ preventing fifty and a 61-run stand with Denesh Ramdin (12 not out), West Indies Masters lacked the final touch, setting the stage for Sachin’s nostalgic masterclass and India Masters’ emphatic title triumph.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
Topics talked about on this article
