Vintage Sachin leads India to IML title

Sachin Tendulkar rolled back the years with a scintillating knock, while Ambati Rayudu slammed a stylish fifty as India Masters dished out an all-round show to beat West Indies Masters by six wickets and win the inaugural International Masters League.

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The Indian bowlers, led by Vinay Kumar (3/26) and Shahbaz Nadeem (2/12), had earlier set the tone, restricting West Indies to a modest 148/7 after Brian Lara opted to bat.

In response, Tendulkar treated fans to a glimpse of his golden days, unleashing his signature strokes in his brief but memorable stay of 25 runs from 18 balls (2x4, 1x6). Ambati Rayudu (74 in 50 balls; 9x4, 3x6), on the other end, held on to anchor the chase before Yuvraj Singh (13 not out) and Stuart Binny (15 not out) sealed the chase in 17.1 overs.

Opening the innings, Tendulkar was at his elegant best, executing a picture-perfect late cut to Jerome Taylor for four before following it up with an audacious upper-cut six over third man. His copybook drive, flick and ramp shot transported fans back to his prime.

Brief scores: West Indies Masters: 148/7 (Simmons 57, Smith 45; Vinay 3/26, Nadeem 2/12); India Masters: 149/4 in 17.1 overs (Rayudu 74, Tendulkar 25).