[private]NEW DELHI: On Thursday Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books by hammering the fifth double Test century. In this way he further added another feather to his well adorned cap.

Tendulkar, who  was looking tired but fully composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer, but on the other hand crowd erupted with unbridled joy. From the striker’s end Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down to congratulate him for his remarkable achievement.

In the history of cricket the greatest accumulator of runs, Tendulkar possesses all major batting records. Sachin has once again opened up a yawning gap between himself and all his contemporaries, over the past twelve months. If he can be compared with anyone it is only Australian – Don Bradman, who reminded himself while he was watching Sachin’s batting.

On the fourth day at the Sinhalese Sports Club, India, replying to Sri Lanka’s mammoth 642/4 declared, moved ahead with their overnight total of 382/4 to 477 without any further loss by lunch. Raina and Tendulkar, who came together on Wednesday afternoon when India was struggling at 241-4. On a pitch still favouring stroke- making, they have so far added 236 runs for the fifth wicket.

Raina became the ninth Indian to score a century in his first test. At the time of lunch he was unbeaten on 112, while master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was on 152 runs not out. The world’s leading run-getter, Sachin Tendulkar, equalled the record of West Indian Brian Lara’s of 19 scores of 150-plus. On 18 occasions Australian legend Don Bradman did it.[/private]