Most watched test in history!!!

[Holysmoke]

SIXTEEN years after Merv Hughes turned to his captain, Allan Border, and said of Sachin Tendulkar, "This little prick's going to get more runs than you, AB," the Indian batting genius is on the verge of becoming the most successful batsman in history. Tendulkar's innings in defiance of Australia's four-pronged pace attack at the WACA Ground yesterday summoned memories of his century as a tender 18-year-old prodigy at the same ground in 1991-92, which coincidentally was the last time Australia went into a Test without a specialist spinner. Hughes, now an Australian selector, recently recalled how the teenaged Tendulkar made himself at home with a brilliant century on the fastest, bounciest track in the world. It was the moment he and the other Australians realised they were playing against a future champion. They were good judges, for while there may not be enough cricket left in this series for Tendulkar to reach Brian Lara's world record of 11,953 while he is in Australia, the 34-year-old has shown convincingly that he is not, as many have suggested over the past year, on his last legs. Lamentably, in a series marred by bad umpiring that cost Jamaican Steve Bucknor his job, Tendulkar was denied an encore 100 as he was given out, lbw, for 71 when the ball was easily clearing the top of the stumps. Still, Tendulkar needs only 350 runs to pass Lara, the Trinidadian who eclipsed Border's record in Adelaide a couple of summers ago, and became the game's greatest run-scorer. Together Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, whose elation upon reaching his half-century yesterday was an accurate indication of the tough times he has endured this summer, shared a partnership of 139 that blunted the pacemen who were attempting to carry Australia towards a world record of its own — a 17th consecutive Test victory. Rather than featuring more confrontation between the two rivals that clashed so heatedly in Sydney, the sequel to Bollyline featured a champion batsman re-living his youth and moved 108 million households around the world to turn their televisions to the cricket, making it the most-watched Test in history. Not a bad result for a series that less than a week ago was hanging in the balance. Tendulkar was, in the end, unfortunate to be given out on 71 by umpire Asad Rauf, who had resisted several appeals, when Brett Lee struck him above the knee-roll while he was up on his toes, on a bouncy wicket. He shook his head as he left. :omg_smile:

[Guest Hiten.]

what the farkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk BOSS's magic is truly magical :giggle:

[Ram]

108 million households !! ?? I dont buy that, to be honest. Only events like the Olympics opening ceremony or the football world cup finals manage to garner such numbers. No way, for a cricket match.

[Grim Reaper]

“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.”

Now that is awesome!:two_thumbs_up: