Written By: Akshat Jain | Updated: Sep 7, 2025, 5:06 PM
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In this collection of pictures we shall know the dangerous batter who nearly scored a double century before Sachin Tendulkar and bowlers still fear him years after retirement. Let's dive in.
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Sachin Tendulkar is known as the God of Cricket. In 2010, he became the first player to score a double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs), achieving this milestone against South Africa in Gwalior. Before him, many batsmen came close to reaching 200 runs in an ODI, but none could cross the mark. Interestingly, a Pakistani batsman was on the verge of hitting the first double century way back in 1997, but his dream was crushed when Sachin Tendulkar eventually made history.
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Pakistan's former explosive opener Saeed Anwar scored 194 runs against India in Chennai in 1997, which was the highest individual score in ODIs at that time. In 2009, Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry matched that record by remaining unbeaten on 194. However, just a year later, Sachin Tendulkar made history by becoming the first player to hit an unbeaten double century in ODIs, securing his place in the record books.
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Saeed Anwar's 194 was the highest individual score in ODI cricket at that time. He broke the previous record of 189 runs set by West Indies legend Vivian Richards. During that innings, Anwar had a golden chance to become the first player to score a double century in ODIs, but that milestone was later claimed by Sachin Tendulkar, taking the historic moment away from him.
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In the 1997 ODI match held in Chennai, Saeed Anwar was dismissed for 194 runs when Sachin Tendulkar got him caught by Sourav Ganguly. Because of this, Anwar missed the chance to score the first-ever double century in ODIs. Interestingly, the same Sachin who stopped Anwar from reaching 200 went on to create history himself 13 years later by becoming the first player to score a double century in One Day Internationals.
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After Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag scored 219 runs in 2011, followed by Rohit Sharma, who made 209 in 2013. Then in 2014, Rohit again broke records by scoring 264, which remains the highest individual score in an ODI innings. In the 2015 World Cup, Chris Gayle hit 215, and later Martin Guptill smashed 237. In 2017, Rohit Sharma hit his third double century, remaining unbeaten on 208. The last double century came in 2018 when Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman scored 210. Since Sachin's milestone, a total of nine players have gone on to score double centuries in ODI cricket.
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Saeed Anwar's international cricket journey lasted 13 years (1990–2003), but the Multan Test in 2001 turned out to be his final Test match. After scoring a century in that game, he never played Test cricket again. Interestingly, in his debut Test against West Indies in 1990 at Faisalabad, he was dismissed for zero in both innings. However, he ended his Test career on a high by scoring a hundred in his last innings.
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