Twenty20 is supposed to be a youngster's game, but Sachin Tendulkar is proving that wrong.
Just a month shy of his 37th birthday, the Mumbai Indians captain is proving unstoppable with the bat in the Indian Premier League.
It was Chennai Super Kings that felt the fury of his bat, in Mumbai on Thursday, when his composed innings of 72 from 52 deliveries helped set up Mumbai's five-wicket innings that fired them to the top of the IPL standings.
It seemed Tendulkar had calculated his approach right from the start as he started steadily, playing second fiddle to the rampaging Shikhar Dhawan, who smashed a quick 56 from 34 balls.
In the middle overs, Tendulkar kept the scoreboard ticking at a good rate and kept striking boundaries at regular intervals before attacking towards the end.
He even got the better of his long time rival Muttiah Muralitharan; he charged down the wicket and lofted him straight down the ground for a six.
Tendulkar was also helped by Chennai's generosity as his last four boundaries were courtesy full tosses, which he merely placed in the gaps around the field.
He was caught top-edging a pull shot off Lakshmipathy Balaji after a fine innings of 72 from 52 deliveries, his highest score in Twenty20 cricket.
Tendulkar has now hit three half-centuries in five matches in the tournament and Mumbai will be hoping that the master's bat continues to fire.
Photographs: IPL/Getty Images
