Champion stuff from Sachin Tendulkar

By our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, APRIL 13. There will be a no-holds-barred fray for place in next week's championship final. Mumbai, a champion side of the past and looking forward to lay its hands on the Ranji Trophy again and Tamil Nadu, which has had a wonderful run this season and equally keen and eager to take a shot at the title, appeared as perfectly matched rivals while taking the semifinal to the edge of a thrilling duel for the first innings lead. Mumbai needs 16 runs with two wickets remaining to tip over Tamil Nadu's 485.

The first minutes of Friday will determine as to which team would have nudged out the other. But this will be only a minor happening in the five day match which has already thrown sufficient hints of developing in to an absorbing and gripping tussle, the first signs of which was already evident in Sachin Tendulkar's near-solo effort that kept afloat Mumbai's boat for three full sessions on Thursday.

Tendulkar's undefeated 213 made in five minutes short of nine hours resembled a confectioner's art of baking a huge savoury cake for a glitterati occasion. He put his hands up for his home team soon after the last Super League match against Bengal at Eden Gardens. The semifinal itself was postponed to allow time for him to return to the city after turning up for the Asian XI in Dhaka. This was his first match for Mumbai, not available for the previous eleven after leading Mumbai in the West Zone league match against Gujarat in November 1998.

He had a big slice of luck though, before he showed his steely nerves and settled down to play one of the longest innings in 12 years. Mumbai began the third day at 141 for four wickets, which straightaway placed a heavy responsibility on the fifth wicket pair in Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Mumbai might have been in a real plight had Madanagopal held on to a regulation catch at second slip off the bowling of S. Mahesh.

A major lapse

The first chance had come in the eighth ball of the morning. Tendulkar tried to steer Mahesh wide of second slip, but only got a thick edge of the bat for waist-high catch to second slip. This was a major lapse Tamil Nadu paid for, failing to make Tendulkar make another mistake, though there were lapses in concentration that did not result in a chance driving at the medium pacers.

Mumbai's most famous pair in the last decade did not lose time to take command. It has never been a case of one of them dropping anchor and the other attacking the bowling. Both believe in dominating the bowlers which was what they did in the first session and until the pair was separated after lunch. The left- handed Kambli was timing his shots and finding the gaps at will while Tendulkar excelled in off side strokes. A couple of straight drives of Mahesh ad Kumaran were signature shots that raced to the boundary the moment it left the bat.

Tamil Nadu skipper Robin held back off-spinner Aashish Kapoor for two hours. This was surprising. He was forced to bring him after Kambli lifted left-arm spinner Sriram over long on for the first six of the day. The two added 121 runs in the first two and a half hours, which was a good effort considering the fact that they were up against a formidable task. The second new ball, and more significantly, Mahesh's bouncer which had an element of surprise in it, did the trick in the form of a first breakthrough for Tamil Nadu.

After cover driving Mahesh for his eleventh boundary, Kambli top- edged a hook. The bowler Mahesh himself was under the ball to take it. The fifth wicket stand produced 139 runs in near about three hours. Kambli's dismissal sustained the contest alive, but it was another day Tendulkar made unmistakable his determination to stay put and slowly manipulate the tide Mumbai's favour.

Tendulkar found an able ally in Amol Muzumdar, who was willing to rotate the strike. Muzumdar hit a few brilliant shots, stepping out and driving Sriram and Kapoor, but it was Tendulkar who provided a thrust hooking Gokulkrishnan for two consecutive sixes. Tendulkar was in his elements after his 12th century in the National championship. The sixth-wicket stand had raised another 125 runs when Sriram made on turn sharply from the rough to have Muzumdar held at slip by Robin Singh.

Tantalising session

The post-tea session was tantalising because Tamil Nadu picked up three wickets. Sriram held a brilliant catch at second slip to get rid of Romesh Powar. Kapoor picked up an important wicket that broke the eighth-wicket stand between Tendulkar and Agarkar. The all-rounder was dropped by Mahesh at cover-point immediately after Reuben Paul had appeared to have put down a difficult chance. Agarkar's score then was 10 and 11, but after he added two more runs, he was held at short- leg by Madanagopal.

Tendulkar reached his double century with a six hit over long-on off Kapoor. He refused singles to keep Abey Kuruvilla from the strike. He pulled Robin Singh for his eighteenth four and even made sure that he will face the first ball on Friday.

The scores:

Tamil Nadu - 1st innings: 485

Mumbai - 1st innings: S. Dighe c Paul b Mahesh 55; W. Jaffer c Ramesh b Kapoor 12; J. Paranjape c Kapoor b Kumaran 15; S. Tendulkar (batting) 213; R. Pawar c Madanagopal b Kapoor 1; V. Kambli c and b Mahesh 75; A. Muzumdar c Robin Singh b Sriram 47; R. Powar c Sriram b Mahesh 13; A. Agarkar c Madanagopal b Kapoor 13; A. Kuruvilla (batting) 0; Extras (b-9, lb-7, nb-10) 26; Total (for eight wkts. in 147 overs) 470.

Fall of wkts.: 1-41, 2-77, 3-120, 4-127, 5-266, 6-391, 7-412, 8- 449.

Tamil Nadu bowling: Kumaran 23-7-76-1, Mahesh 25-2-97-3, Gokulkrishnan 21-7-72-0, Kapoor 29-6-93-3, Robin Singh 27-9-48-0, Sriram 22-2-68-1

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Maheshchandran and Prathiba close in on title
Next     : Karnataka batsmen begin in right earnest