World Cup Flashback: Revisiting Sachin Tendulkar's Age-Defying 120 In the 2011 World Cup 

Sachin Tendulkar, in 2011, was playing his sixth World Cup, but still caressed the ball with the enthusiasm of a child; he was into his 22nd year in international cricket, but still managed to keep Father Time at bay and deluded all those who watched him into believing that the passage of time was just an illusion.

In one particular game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, he dazzled and sparkled his way to an ethereal 120 against England.

India won the toss and decided to bat first on a bright sunny afternoon. Tendulkar took his time to settle down, while Sehwag went after the bowling from the other end.

The master scored his first boundary off the 24th ball he faced. Anderson bowled the ball on Tendulkar’s pads and was flicked past mid-wicket for a boundary. Then, off the next ball, Anderson delivered it short and Tendulkar beautifully rose on his toes and with an effortless flick of his wrists, sent the ball racing past square leg for another boundary. It was a Genius at work.

Then, off the fourth ball of the 16th over, Tendulkar came down the track with the elegance of a ballet dancer and smashed Graeme Swann over his head for a boundary. However, it was off the fourth ball of the 17th over that Tendulkar played the shot of the match and it is shots like these that made the country fall in love with him.

Paul Collingwood bowled a perfect ball on the off stump, Tendulkar just punched him over Long Off for a six. It was barely a push, but it sailed into the crowd.

Tendulkar brought up his fifty with another six off Collingwood. The bowler tried to outwit the master by bowling a slower ball, but Tendulkar spotted it early and hoisted the ball over deep mid-wicket.

Then, in the 26th over, Tendulkar ripped into Swann with two enormous sixes over mid-wicket. Swann tried to deceive Sachin in the air, but the Little Master got onto the front foot and pummelled the ball over deep mid-wicket.

Tendulkar then played his iconic upper-cut over third man off Ajmal Shahzad off the third ball of the 27th over. It was in the 29th over of the innings that England got to witness Tendulkar’s ability to play with the field.

He first got onto the front foot and delightfully drove James Anderson to the right of deep cover. And off the next ball, he conjured a magnificent backfoot punch, this time to the left of deep cover. The master was at the peak of his powers and all that the opposition could do was to gape at him in astonishment.

Tendulkar then brought up his 47th ODI hundred - his fifth in World Cups - with a flick off Tim Bresnan past fine leg, and the entire Bangalore crowd erupted in unbridled joy.

The masterclass from Tendulkar ended off the second ball of the 38th over when Tendulkar tried to flick the ball past mid-wicket. The ball took the leading edge and landed straight into the hands of the fielder at cover.

Tendulkar’s century helped India post a mammoth 338 runs on the board. However, Andrew Strauss played a blinder of an innings and in the end, the match ended in a pulsating tie.

This fixture will go down in history as one of the greatest World Cup matches ever, and this magnificent hundred from the finest willow-wielder of the game at cricket’s showpiece event will linger in the minds of cricket lovers forever.