South Africa, a team he hasn't had the best of records against, bore the brunt of his aggression as India totalled a mammoth 401-3 having elected to bat in the Gwalior ODI.
Tendulkar --- 200 not out, 147 balls, 25 fours and three sixes --- beat Saeed Anwar and Charles Coventry's record of 194, after he had bettered the Indian record of 186 --- set by him in 1999 against New Zealand.
Dinesh Karthik (79 from 85b) and MS Dhoni (68 not out from 35) aided Tendulkar strongly. Karthik added 194 for the second wicket with Tendulkar, before he and Dhoni added 101 from just 54 balls, taking India past 400 off the final ball.
Tendulkar completed his fifty off 37 balls, and slowed down a little to complete his hundred off 90.
Just after Karthik got out and India claimed the batting Power Play, Tendulkar motored along with Yusuf Pathan (36, 23b) and reached his 150 in just 28 more balls.
In the process, he also claimed the ODI record for most fours in an innings. He broke Virender Sehwag's Indian record of 21, and then ended the innings with 25 fours --- one more than the previous record by Sanath Jayasuriya against the Netherlands.
Tendulkar claimed the scoring world record in the 46th over with a clip off his toe for a double. But as Dhoni hogged the strike and completed a 29-ball fifty, Tendulkar had to wait till the 50th over --- bowled by Parnell again --- to complete the double hundred.
The elusive record finally fell off the third ball of the over which Tendulkar squeezed through point. A misfiled allowed him to take a single. He finished the innings on 200 not out.
No bowler was spared today in the course of Tendulkar's flawless innings. The closest South Africa came to getting his wicket was when he'd already crossed 150 and a close run-out call was referred upstairs.
The feared Dale Steyn conceded 85 in his ten overs. Parnell went for 95 in his full quota. Charl Langeveldt, an ODI specialist, was wicketless for 70 having suffered a nasty cut to his head early on a ball bounced unexpectedly at mid-on and hit him on the head.
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