It also heralded Sachin Tendulkar's 18th birthday as an international cricketer and boy, didn't he give himself and the country the perfect gift!
To my mind, there is no reason for anyone to be disappointed because Sachin was dismissed in the 90s again. Of course, an individual milestone carries its own value, but knowing Sachin, I don't think he will lose sleep over another slip-up in the 90s. More than the numbers, I think we must focus on the quality of batsmanship and the joy and entertainment Sachin has provided this series.
Sachin is already the maker of the most one-day as well as Test hundreds. Perhaps those records will fall one day, though I doubt anyone will even get close to 40 limited-overs tons. But then again, records are made to be broken. Let's extol the man and his exceptional genius, not harp on what might have been.
In Mohali, immediately after he announced that he didn't want the Test captaincy, a brilliant 99 flowed from his blade. The Gwalior knock was, if anything, even more stunning. On a slightly difficult pitch, he was in complete control. That he is not just in a wonderful state of mind but also that his technique is as good as it ever has been was obvious from the scintillating array of strokes square on the off-side, and the flicks that sped through to the square-leg fence. It was a vintage display from the master himself.
Most importantly from Sachin and India's point of view, it is very obvious that the little fella is enjoying himself and his batting. When he is in that frame of mind, the enjoyment his team-mates and his zillion fans derive can easily be imagined. There is much about Sachin to admire and emulate. The way he conducts and carries himself is capable of being emulated, but I don't think anyone can emulate his batsmanship. Ever.
We are a fairly statistic-obsessed country, and therefore we will keep talking about how Sachin has fallen in the 90s 16 times in his career, and six times this calendar year alone. I feel we should set the figures aside, and enjoy Sachin the batsman for the next couple of years because in my mind, I am convinced that he has at least two good years left in him.
Even though he turned the captaincy down, he has kept himself involved on the field, often talking to Dhoni on field placements and bowling changes, and offering a batsman's perspective to things.
It was on November 15, 1989, that he made his Test debut, in Karachi. Since then, he has gone on to establish himself as among the premier batsmen of his generation. When he is in such great flow as he has been through most of this one-day series, he is far and away the best batsman in the world even today. The likes of Ricky Ponting,  himself batting like a dream, will have to take a back seat.