The age-old cricketing rivalry reignited once again under the floodlights at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, where a packed crowd witnessed a vintage Sachin Tendulkar innings for India Masters. However, his masterclass wasn’t enough to counter the onslaught unleashed by Shane Watson and Ben Dunk, as Australia Masters secured their first victory of the International Masters League 2025 with a commanding 95-run triumph.
When the team needed him most, Tendulkar rolled back the years with an electrifying 33-ball 64. The iconic straight drives and elegant late cuts were on full display as he tore into the Australian bowling attack, bringing up his half-century in just 27 deliveries. Even as wickets fell at the other end, the legendary batter waged a lone battle, smashing four sixes and seven boundaries to take India Masters to 100/3 midway through the chase. However, the packed stadium was left stunned when Xavier Doherty grabbed a catch off Daniel Christian to dismiss Tendulkar.
Following his departure, Yusuf Pathan’s quickfire 15-ball 25 briefly raised hopes of India Masters securing their fourth consecutive win, with their spot in the knockouts already sealed. However, the soaring required run rate made the task insurmountable, leading to their first defeat of the tournament. Left-arm spinner Doherty emerged as Australia Masters’ standout performer with the ball, scalping a brilliant 5/25—the first five-wicket haul of the competition.
Earlier, Dunk and Watson turned back time with a record-breaking, unbeaten 236-run stand—the highest-ever partnership for the second wicket in T20 cricket—to propel Australia Masters to a mammoth 269/1.
Sharma, who had grabbed a hat-trick in the previous match against South Africa Masters, tried to apply the brakes on the run flow, and his tight bowling eventually built pressure for left-arm spinner Pawan Negi to claim the first breakthrough.
Dunk, promoted to No.3, announced his arrival with a towering six over midwicket and soon began tormenting the Indian bowlers.
The duo rolled back the years, dealing in boundaries and sixes, as their stand crossed 100 within just eight overs. At no point did Watson or Dunk appear past their prime, with the former storming to a 47-ball hundred before Dunk outpaced him to bring up the fastest century of the tournament in just 43 balls. By the end of their carnage, Watson remained unbeaten on 110 off 52 balls (12 fours, seven sixes), while Dunk bludgeoned a brutal 132* off 53 deliveries, featuring 12 boundaries and 10 monstrous sixes.
Adding further drama, this showdown unfolded merely a day after India’s current national team edged past Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal in Dubai. This poetic coincidence only reinforced how this legendary rivalry never fails to deliver, irrespective of the era.
Brief Scores: Australia Masters 269/1 (Shane Watson 110*, Ben Dunk 132*) beat India Masters 174 (Sachin Tendulkar 64, Yusuf Pathan 25; Xavier Doherty 5/25) by 95 runs.
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