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Sachin dominant as ever
Sachin Tendulkar scored his sixth double hundred as India took a 17-run lead before being dismissed for 495 in their first innings on the fourth day of the second Test against Australia in Bangalore on Tuesday.
Tendulkar's 214-run knock helped India surpass Australia's first innings total of 478.
It was his sixth double ton and second this season, following the 203 he scored against Sri Lanka in July.
It was also his second double hundred against Australia and third on Indian soil.
Incidentally, Virender Sehwag too has scored six double hundreds.
The 37-year-old's free-flowing knock, however, came to an end when debutant pacer Peter George rattled his stumps with a delivery that kept low.
It was the 10th occasion that Tendulkar lost his wicket to a debutant. Three of them are Australians, Peter Siddle, Cameron White and George.
Four other Indians have scored double hundreds against Australia: VVS Laxman 2 (281 - Kolkata, 2001 and 200*, Delhi, 2008), Rahul Dravid (233, Adelaide, 2003), Ravi Shastri (206, Sydney, 1992), Gautam Gambhir 206 (Delhi, 2008).
Click NEXT for details of Tendulkar's double hundreds in Test cricket.
Statistics: Rajneesh Gupta
The Kiwis were the first to face the music
217 vs New Zealand
Tendulkar scored his first double hundred at the age of 26, against New Zealand, at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, on October 29, 1999.
His went on to score 217 off 344 balls.
It included 29 fours, at a strike rate of 63.08.
The match ended in a draw.
Hapless Zimbabwe bore the brunt of Sachin's attack
201 vs Zimbabwe
The following year (2000), on November 25, came his second double hundred. He scored an unbeaten 201 against Zimbabwe at the Vidharbha Cricket Association ground in Nagpur.
The knock, off 281 balls, was studded with 27 fours and came at a strike rate of 71.53.
This Test too ended in a draw.
Magic at the SCG
241 vs Australia
It took him four years to get the next.
On January 2, 2004, against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Tendulkar scored his third double hundred.
He was unbeaten on 241, which came off 436 deliveries. It included 33 fours, at a strike rate of 55.27.
This match too was drawn.
Taming the Tigers
248 vs Bangladesh
His fourth double came at the fag end of the same year.
It was against Bangladesh, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, on December 10, 2004, that he scored an unbeaten 248 off 379 balls, which included 35 fours, at a strike rate of 65.43.
India went on to win this Test.
Lankans get a taste of their own medicine
203 vs Sri Lanka
Though he piled on the runs and broke almost every record in the book, he could notch his fifth double hundred only this year (2010).
It was against Sri Lanka in the recent series, on July 29, at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
Tendulkar scored 203 off 347 balls. The knock was studded with 23 fours and one six, and came at a strike rate of 58.50.
This Test too ended in a draw.
Australia's nemesis again
Three months later, on October 12, Tendulkar posted his sixth double ton, at Bangalore against Australia.
It was his second double against the Aussies.
He scored 214 off 363 deliveries. The knock was studded with 22 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 58.95.
Whether India wins this Test remains to be seen.