Little left to master as Tendulkar blasts his 50th princely ton...

Sachin Tendulkar is a universe-witheringly, life-enhancingly, lip-wobblingly beautiful deity of humanity and cricket who has, as the most succulent cherry on the most Kiplingly delicious of cakes, just recorded his 50th century in Test matches.

He is also as peerless and humble a man off the pitch as he is unsurpassable a cricketer on it, as evidenced by the way he has carried himself as a player, captain (not his happiest period) and chap over 21 years in the Test game and which was further underlined by his reaction yesterday. Having notched the landmark against the most exacting fast-bowling duo in the world at present, he acknowledged the stat-melting magnitude of his feat only by dedicating it to his late father (who sadly passed away during the 1999 World Cup). For himself, he claimed it was "just another number" and one sensed his mind was already inscrutably focused only on how on earth he could save India's skin in the first Test at Centurion. He still yet could*, and would no doubt swap all the plaudits he's receiving at the moment in exchange for the prospect of this  weather forecast worsening and then transpiring in the skies over Pretoria.

There's a list of the whole 50 here from Statsguru, but I thought I'd post some footage (see left) of what appears to be considered by many of his teammates past and present as his greatest ever innings - his 114 against Australia at Perth in 1992. It's not terribly extensive, I'm afraid, but at least it will give English readers their only chance this week of seeing someone spanking Australia about at the WACA.  I think my own favourite (and I must confess I have not viewed as many as I would have liked) is possibly his first - his 119 at Old Trafford in 1990 - if only because I was so hyptonized by Mohammed Azharuddin's unusual neck amulet on display throughout that series.

Here's also a youtube playlist of music from the man Sachin was named after, renowned Indian composer Sachin Dev Burman (although I must again admit, in my ignorance, he's not terribly well-known to me beyond my drowsy skimming of the Little Prince's wiki page last night). I hope it's of some enjoyment to some of you.

*Update: Even he couldn't. SA won by an innings and 25 runs (a terrific scalp for the Saffers and especially for Jacques Kallis, who contributed a, brace yourself,  barber-ous 201 not out to the Proteas' cause...)