THE Proteas’ Standard Bank squad got a rude awakening to just how much work needs to be done before next year’s World Cup when they were sunk virtually without trace in the second ODI against India at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior, on Wednesday.

India’s winning margin of 153 runs equaled their highest ever against the Proteas first achieved at Dhaka in 2003 and enabled them to wrap up the series 2-0. The final match at Ahmedabad on Saturday will thus be a dead rubber.

This match will always be remembered as the one in which the game’s greatest ever ODI player, Sachin Tendulkar, appropriately became the first to score a double century in the 50 overs game. He reached this landmark in the final over of the innings, facing just 147 balls and hitting 25 fours and 3 sixes.

Apart from a couple of run out calls that were referred to the third umpire the innings was as chanceless as can be and was a remarkable display of stamina – apart from his abundant skills – from a man who is in his 36th year and has been virtually ever present throughout South Africa’s emergence from isolation.

He was the lone survivor on either side from South Africa’s last visit to Gwalior in 1991.

As always a standout feature was Tendulkar’s ability to manipulate the field settings and the bowling plans more or less as he liked, no moment being better than a delivery from Dale Steyn that was pitched well outside off stump that was sent racing to the square leg boundary with a dismissive flick of the wrists.

Of such a moment is genius truly made.

For the Proteas the memory will be one of just how far they are off the pace in terms of making a meaningful challenge for World Cup glory in a year’s time on much the same surface and under the same playing conditions that they will encounter then.

Skill execution was poor – as it has been for most of the past summer in this format of the game – and a real worry must be the continuing inability of the Proteas’ top order to bat out their full 50 overs.

ODI cricket is a batting game and this is something that most sides take for granted.

The only real positive for the Proteas was the return to form of AB de Villiers who finished unbeaten on 114 (101 balls, 13 fours and 2 sixes). But he would have been as disappointed as any with the overall performance and it was not surprising that his celebration on reaching three figures was appropriately muted.

There is much work to be done.