India shock England.

Sachin Tendulkar claimed India's against the odds victory over England was one of the greatest of his long, illustrious career. The 'Little Master's' imperious 103 not out enabled India to record the fourth highest run chase in history and achieve the most improbable of victories. Until the hosts chased down the 387 runs needed, the highest fourth innings achieved for victory in Chennai was a meagre 155. And Tendulkar, who was brilliantly supported by partner in crime Yuvraj Singh (82 not out), said the victory was as sweet as they come. "This becomes a very, very special victory," the Indian legend said. "To score 387 is something to be proud of on a track where the ball is bouncing and jumping at the end." And of his own performance, which saw him hit his 41st Test century, he added: "I think this is a very, very important hundred because I always say if the team wins then the hundred becomes very special and today this hundred is very important." Tendulkar, who combined with Yuvraj for a match-winning unbeaten 163-run stand, added: "The gameplan was to wait for opportunities to score runs because you can't afford to get bogged down. "It was the kind of wicket where the bounce meant you could always play shots, we looked to put the bad balls away." The last day began with India on 131 for one knowing anything was still possible. When play resumed, India suffered a blow in the third over as Andrew Flintoff had the struggling Rahul Dravid caught behind by wicketkeeper Matt Prior for four. Dravid, a veteran of 130 Tests at an average of 52.12, may find the selectors lose patience with him after managing just 32 runs in his past four Tests. Gautam Gambhir, who shared a century stand with Virender Sehwag whose quickfire 83 on Sunday set up the victory charge, then put on 42 for the third wicket with Tendulkar as the Indians attempted to overcome the loss of Dravid. Left-hander Sehwag had moved to 66, his eighth Test half-century, when he flirted with a wide ball from James Anderson and gave Paul Collingwood a catch at gully. VVS Laxman made 26 before Tendulkar and Yuvraj took the game away from England. And Tendulkar was full of praise for Yuvraj. The big-hitting left-hander came into the Test under pressure to perform having flattered to deceive in the Test arena so far. But the fans' favourite did not disappoint as he mixed aggression with studious defence during his 131-ball 85. And Tendulkar said: "Yuvi batted brilliantly, as did Viru (Sehwag) and then Gautam (Gambhir)" For Yuvraj the win, and the part he played in it, was a dream come true. "Sachin said 'play your natural game'," he said. "But my dreams have come true as I used to dream of winning a Test match with him. I tried to stay focused and not get involved in any conversations [with England]." And while disappointed to lose a game his England side looked set to win, Kevin Pietersen said he could not fault his team who only decided to travel to the subcontinent at the last minute following the terror attacks in Mumbai. "To start a Test match two weeks after the tragedy in Mumbai, it's a fair show on both sets of players," the England skipper said. "There are lots of positives to take into our dressing room. "We came here here and put in a fantastic performance against India. "Sehwag started the innings fantastically on Sunday and then the 'Little Master'... as a skipper when you're trying to set fields to a magician like that, it's very difficult. "We came here to win, and unfortunately we got pipped." But he vowed to hit back come the second and final Test in Mohali, which starts on Friday. "It's a very, very bitter pill to swallow," Pietersen admitted. "After day one, if you'd said to us we would be defending 250 on the final day, we'd have taken that. "Our boys are hurting but we'll come back strong."

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