If only Sachin TendulkarSachin Tendulkar had not bothered about his landmark of achieving 17,000 runs, but had concentrated on getting the 7.5 runs per over from the first ball, it could have been a different story at Hyderabad when India and Australia met for the 5th ODI. Once the Aussies posted 350 runs and the Indians took the field for batting, Ricky PontingRicky Ponting made Sachin Tendulkar dance to his tunes – Sachin, the master blaster, had to struggle for each and every run as he inched his way to his milestone. In the process, the required run rate kept on increasing and the other batsmen perished in trying to boost it. Obviously, Sachin Tendulkar’s pending record played spoilsport because, right from the first ball, it was Sachin who wanted to achieve the landmark irrespective of what happens to the game. Well – he got his 7 runs, and then he went on to score his century, in fact 175 runs – one more feather in his cap. But, India lost the game. It has happened earlier several times – Sachin gets his laurels at the expense of the team. The 5th ODI between Australia and India was one that India needed to win to keep their hopes alive in the series. But, the Australians played superb cricket to wrest the initiative away from the Indians.