Sachin 200 ~ the Golden Toss and Ashwin's 100 the Fastest in 82 Years

200 is an HTTP status code indicating a successful connection.  National Highway 200 (NH 200) is a National highway in India that connects Raipur, the state capital  of Chhattisgarh toChandikhole in Odisha. It covers a distance of 740 km Today on 14th Nov 2013, Test no. 2102 commenced at Wankhede and it started with a sigh of disappointment ………….. MS Dhoni won the toss and said, he would bowl first…  it was no ordinary toss – a toss with a special gold coin engraved Sachin and SRT 200 …. As the decision was heard, crowds expressed its disapproval………….  I also thought that effectively now Sachin has only one last Test innings… With so many records in his kitty, the legend Sachin Tendulkar has completed exactly 24 years in international cricket today. He  played his first international match against Pakistan in Karachi on 15th November 1989.  This will not be a record though as there are 4 in front of him. W Rhodes; DB close and Fe Woolley of England and GA Headley of WI  - aggregating only 166 against Sachin’s perfect 200. Rhodes career spanned 30 years and 315 days.  Mumbai fans had a chance to see him bat for one last time in the same ground where he began with a bang at age 15 making a century against Gujarat in Ranji trophy. At Wankhede as the whole World waited to see him, he first walked down wearing a white panama hat, quickly retreated to come out with the 200th cap presented by Dhoni.  To another man Clive Lloyd presented a cap and it was Shivnaraine Chanderpaul who debuted in 1994 and plays his 150th test at Wankhede ~ after 11000 test runs, still people talk about his stance.  Chanderpaul has 5 players in between himself and Sachin ~ Alan Border 156; Rahul Dravid and Jac Kallis 164; Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting 168….. only Kallis is still playing In the ground today there were people of all ages – most who have lived watching him pad up… loudly cheering expecting Sachin on the field, who rightfully had the honor of leading them in…. a man with 200 and the rest collectively aggregating 187  Test appearances…..  Chris Gayle is playing his 99th match. With West Indies folding cheaply ~ at  3.31pm, M Vijay  got out to a bat-pad catch off Shane Shillingford. With 20 overs to go people started cheering as loudly as they can…. It was in anticipation of the master walking in and it was indeed Sachin… now at close of play, we all are highly hopeful of atleast another Century by the little master who is unbeaten on 38 already showing glimpses of his greatness ~ there was that exquisite straight drive – his trade mark with open bat – Wankhede was delirious. This is Sachin’s Test ~ there is so much of commercial aura in to that  …. Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has 51 different pictures of Tendulkar with his Test centuries and names of oppositions inscribed on rectangular billboards, albeit indecipherable, which are put on the perimeter of the Wankhede Stadium roof.  There is news that  MCA left embarrassed after Virat Kohli’s prominent advertising billboards overshadowed the retiring Sachin Tendulkar’s pictures, removed the rising star’s hoardings from the Wankhede stadium. Department of Posts is issuing a set of two stamps, a Miniature sheet and a sheetlet to commemorate the 200th Test Match of sachin Tendulkar.  There are two stamps of Rs.20/- denomination 30 lakhs of each have been printed according to a Postal notification. This morning Sunil Gavaskar was wearing a blazer with ‘SRT 200’ embossed on it. Away from Sachin, Darren Sammy's wicket in West Indies' first innings was R Ashwin's 100th in Tests. He has taken only 18 Tests to take these many wickets - the fastest bowler to the landmark since Clarrie Grimmett took 100 wickets in his 17th Test, against West Indies in 1931. Ashwin has taken two Tests less than Erapalli Prasanna, who was the previous fastest India bowler to 100 wickets in Tests. Oblivious of everything else, fans are hoping that Sachin makes a 100 tomorrow… With regards – S. Sampathkumar 14^th Nov. 2013.
Photos courtesy : https://www.facebook.com/omgsachin