Cricket: Tendulkar and Dravid send records tumbling

SACHIN TENDULKAR and Rahul Dravid set one-day records in Hyderabad yesterday as India defeated New Zealand by 174 runs to level the five- match one-day series at 1-1.

Both batsmen recorded career-best centuries during a world-record one- day partnership of 331 as India piled up their highest score of 376 for 2 in 50 overs, before bowling the Kiwis out for 202.

Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 186 off 150 balls with 20 fours and three sixes, finishing eight runs short of the world-record score of 194 set by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar. His partner, Dravid, scored his 153 at a rate of a run per ball, hitting 15 fours and two sixes as the records tumbled amid the flurry of runs.

Tendulkar surpassed his previous best of 143 against Australia at Sharjah last year, while Dravid bettered his 145 against Sri Lanka during the World Cup earlier this year. Their stand was the highest for any wicket, beating the previous record of 316 by Dravid and Saurav Ganguly, also set against Sri Lanka during the World Cup at Taunton.