Sachin Tendulkar rolled back the years, and then some more. He stroked, ran and yearned for more and more runs like it was the 1990s, but unlike those days didn't need to take any chances or risks on his way to his 86th international century. By the time Tendulkar was done, he had given India a strong chance of ending a run of five straight defeats in completed tournament finals to Sri Lanka.

This was Tendulkar's ninth international century since May 2007, to go with seven scores in the 90s. Going by this form 100 international hundreds has become a distinct possibility. Today admittedly he was helped by MS Dhoni 's winning the toss at one of the worst ODI venues, in terms of the toss influencing the result of the match. But what followed the toss was an absolute masterclass. A measure of the bowlers' helplessness lay in the fact that the first time he hit a ball in the air was to reach his fifty, that too off a free hit. With Tendulkar batting the way he was, who needed aerial shots?

He shared valuable partnerships with Rahul Dravid, Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, especially crucial being the one with Dravid. Tendulkar and Dravid, 73 years of age and 762 ODI caps (before this match) between them, took charge of what has looked a shaky batting line-up: their 95-run opening stand took them to No. 6 on all-time partnership aggregates in ODIs.

Tendulkar you couldn't simply take your eye off. Albeit on a flat track, Tendulkar and Dravid were prepared to work hard in sapping conditions, their shirts turning to dark blue with sweat even before the shine went off the white ball.

After Dravid got India off with a boundary of the second ball of the innings, it was all Tendulkar and his classy shots. Nuwan Kulasekera and Thilan Thushara didn't serve up loose half-volleys or long hops; Tendulkar had to work for every forceful shot. The first ball he faced he punched sweetly off his toes, wide of mid-off for three. In the fourth over, he took a similar delivery and wristed it to wide of mid-on for three. We were on to something.

A string of lovely boundaries followed, the best being the punches through a tight cover ring, and the late flicks from off and middle stump to midwicket and cow corner. With Dravid being Dravid, there were hardly any chances for the bowlers; the one that came their way Tillakaratne Dilshan dropped at point. Dravid was 24 then, and India had reached 58 in the 12th over.

Lasith Malinga came on in the 14th over, and was subjected to similar treatment at once: an impeccable punch through the covers for four. With that free hit, a slice over cover, Tendulkar reached his 92nd ODI fifty, in 47 balls.

Dravid followed it up with an aerial shot of his own, reading an Ajantha Mendis googly early, and lofting him over long-on. It was not all fours and sixes, but smart placements on the non-boundary hits: only 38 of the 95-run stand came in fours and sixes.

Dhoni moved up to No. 3, and settled into the innings without wasting much time. By then Tendulkar had started taking the odd chance, stepping out, making room, and hitting Jayasuriya and Mendis over extra cover. Not all such shots brought boundaries, but the twos and threes were a main feature of the innings. During the 110-run second-wicket stand, Dhoni made Tendulkar run hard, and was returned the favour by the man eight years his senior. Never did Dhoni outscore Tendulkar, and between them the two saw off the threat the spinning track posed.

When he got an inside-out boundary off Mendis in the 29th over, Tendulkar reached his 90s, and serenely with ones and twos came up the hundred. The temptation for the double century was on, who could say? But after the hundred came the cramps, and when Tendulkar opted for a runner we were reminded for the first time it was in fact year 2009.

Dravid came back to run for Tendulkar, but the most of the calling Tendulkar did. The bowlers showed no mercy, Malinga bowling a mix of bouncers and yorkers. Tendulkar's response was to hit Mendis for a six inside-out and two reverse-swept boundaries in three balls. When he got out in the 46th over, trying one reverse-sweep too many, he had outscored a younger and fresher Yuvraj too, in a 71-run stand.

In the last four overs, Yuvraj's big hitting got India 42 runs, taking them to 12 more than what Sri Lanka managed and defended comfortable two days ago.

Source Cricinfo