President, PM congratulate Tendulkar on first-ever ODI double ton

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today congratulated Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the first ever cricketer to score a double century in one-day internationals with his scintillating unbeaten 200 against South Africa in Gwalior earlier in the day.

File photo of President Pratibha Patil presenting the Padma Vibhushan to Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on May 05, 2008.

In her message, Ms Patil said Tendulkar, 36, had yet again rewritten the record books of cricket "by climbing yet another Mount Everest of the game".

She also said that, in setting a new benchmark for the highest score by a batsman in one-day 50 overs cricket as well as notching up a double century, the master batsman had set stiff targets to break for the future generation of cricketers.

Dr Singh termed Tendulkar's feat as a "magnificent achievement" and said the batsman had led by example. Saying that all Indians were proud of his achievement, the Prime Minister wished him many more glorious years in his cricketing career.

Tendulkar's exciting knock came off just 147 balls and was studded with three sixes and 25 hits to the fence. It was his 46th one-day century. On his way to the new record, Tendulkar beat the previous high of 194 shared by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Zimbabwe's Charles Conventry.

NNN