For a cricket-crazy country obsessed with records and sensitive about statistics, Sachin Tendulkar has accomplished almost every single batting feat he could have. The records for the highest individual scores have remained elusive, but he is the leading run-scorer in both ODIs and Tests and has scored the most centuries in both formats. The ovation that Tendulkar received from the packed stadium in Hyderabad when he went past 17,000 one-day runs was the kind that is reserved in India only for him.

But the bulk of runs that Tendulkar has scored over his 20-year-long career are just a testament to his longevity. His real worth is the manner in which he has got them, and the disparaging effect he has had on the opposition right through his cricket-playing years.

Over his long career, Tendulkar has changed in many ways — a slide to stop a single now sends him to the sidelines for 12 overs, and his feet don’t crash against his body with the same intensity while running between the wickets. But, with bat in hand, he has proved time and again that while he may shift gears, he still remains a refined batting genius. Tendulkar’s stunning 175, off 141 balls, that guided India to the brink of a historic win against Australia on Thursday was vintage Tendulkar for a number of reasons.

After starting cautiously, scoring the seven runs needed for his 17,000 milestone, Tendulkar’s first boundary came off a length ball from Ben Hilfenhaus that went sailing over mid-off. In the next over, Doug Bollinger pitched short and was pulled away nonchalantly. In fact, of his other 14 boundaries, most were old-school classics.

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