Tendulkar-Ganguly pair getting more and more spectacular

By G. Viswanath

CENTURION, OCT. 9. Together, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, appear like a monolith. That's what makes them one of a kind. They are on the threshold of becoming the most successful opening pair in the history of limited-overs internationals.

The Indian captain Ganguly and Tendulkar are within striking distance of a few more landmarks in the overs-specific version of the game they have turned out to be giants since going out as partners for the first time against South Africa sixty months ago. By putting on a jolly good show and a massive 193 runs before the captain made his way to the pavilion at `The Wanderers' against South Africa last Friday, they might have also rejected whispers if any, of the need to separate them from the top to make up for the fragile middle and lower order.

It was kismet that pushed Tendulkar to one of the opening slots. It happened the day when Navjot Singh Sidhu woke up with a stiff neck in Auckland during India's tour to New Zealand seven years ago. Tendulkar, 21 then, and his adrenalin in full flow, hammered the New Zealand bowlers out of sight. Since then he has always been regarded as an opener by the national selectors. Ganguly joined him in Jaipur in the winter of 1996 in the Titan Cup series, the result of which was a desert storm hitting South Africa, the new pair making 126 for the first wicket.

Off and on, new pairs - with some one or the other teaming with Ganguly or Tendulkar - have appeared in India's score sheets in one-dayers. There has been odd and less- convincing reasons, like the Sharjah Cricket Ground not being a lucky venue, that have compelled Ganguly to opt to bat in the middle order. After a match or two, Ganguly returned to his original position last October. Before going to bat at `The Wanderers' Tendulkar missed seven matches of the Coca Cola series in Sri Lanka, which necessitated the captain to look for new partners in Amay Khurasia and Virender Sehwag.

No reason to separate

Experts have spent considerable time over the years, debating the pros and cons of the Ganguly-Tendulkar pair and after dissecting the topic threadbare almost anybody and everybody who has been a party to the discussion has only come to a conclusion that there is no rhyme or reason to separate them. Clear-cut demonstration of their prowess is evident in their contribution to the team, as individuals and as a pair, they have gone out to bat 105 times before, including the tri-series opener here against South Africa.

To say that they have achieved a lot would be a gross understatement. They have scored fourteen runs short of 5000 runs in 105 innings, their big stand of 193 last Friday taking them nearer to an important milestone. It is only natural that the Indian pair, having gone out for 100 plus occasions, should also be approaching the records of the previous best opening pair in West Indies' Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, whose successful run ended at an aggregate of 5150 runs.

The Indian pair should have crossed this mark by the time they are through with their last league match in Paarl on October 24. The latest century plus stand against the South Africans was their fourteenth, one short of Greenidge and Haynes'. The pair also shares a score of half century stands.

Tendulkar has scored 29 of his 30 centuries at the top, the odd century against Kenya being scored at No. 4. Ganguly has made all his 17 centuries as an opener. Ganguly's brilliant effort last Friday took his aggregate to 6,844 runs and Tendulkar's 101 improved the five digit number to 10,562. Their combined total stands at a whopping 17,406 runs from 449 matches, which is what has given them a prime place and stature in international cricket.

While a few record beckons them, Ganguly emphasised a point on Monday that they cannot afford to relax and there's the need to carry on in the same vein.

After the defeat in the tri-series opener, he said centuries don't count if the end result of the match drifted the other way. Ganguly would have been named the `Man of the Match', had India forced a win, but Kirsten took it away with a winning effort of an undefeated 133.

The Indians must have had a brain-storming session in which they ought to have discussed details like propping up the score in the last 60 balls from a strong build-up and make the target out of reach for the team batting second.

The Indians made only 86 runs in the last 90 balls when they had nine wickets in hand after the dismissal of Ganguly. His public statements on Monday has only implored the batsmen Yuveraj Singh and Sehwag to grab the opportunities and make a contribution to the side. Yuveraj made 14 and Sehwag five and Das an undefeated 5 coming in to bat at No. 7.

Harbhajan in the reckoning

Ganguly said it was no panic situation yet, butoff-spiinner Harbhajan Singh who has played 29 matches for 35 wickets has come into the reckoning after the poor show by the bowlers.

Ganguly reiterated his faith on the experienced hands, but it will be interesting to know whether he will still retain them in the eleven. Tendulkar's 51 runs in nine overs meant that India was one bowler short on the type of pitches on which the South African seamers came good against Kenya.

What delayed the shortlisting of the team to twelve is the patchwork the groundstaff carried out on Monday. Coach John Wright said: ``The pitch appeared to be somewhat brownish and dry with cracks on Sunday, but today they have filled the cracks with a mud and water paste.''

What is certain is that India will have to take the best four bowlers and in the circumstances, Harbhajan Singh should may get a recall. What seems to tilt the scales in Harbhajan's favour is that he bowled and batted well in Zimbabwe.

The South African selectors have picked Nicky Boje for Claude Henderson and seamer Charl Langeveldt. Boeta Dippenaar and Justin Ontong were included in the fourteen for the first two matches, but were relieved to enable them play in the provincial games. While Dippenaar returns to the full squad of 14, Ontong, who mixes off-breaks and leg-breaks, has given way to Langeveldt, who was Allan Donald's substitute in Zimbabwe.

Shaun Pollock had said at the Press Conference last Friday that his `overall strategy' will not change against the Indians. But Nicky Boje's is an interesting selection. But after two wins, South Africa has nine points, including the bonus point it got for reaching 160 at a good clip. Hence Pollock has the leeway to go at things in different ways.

The teams (from):

India: Sourav Ganguly (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuveraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Ajit Agarkar, Deep Dasgupta, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Shiv Sundar Das and Venkatesh Prasad.

South Africa: Shaun Pollock (Captain), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Mark Boucher, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar, Charl Langeveldt and Justin Kemp.

Umpires: Messrs Ian Howell and Brian Jerling; Third umpire: Mr. Shaid Wadvalla; Match Referee: Mr. Ahmed Ebrahim.

Hours of play (IST): 6.00 p.m. to 9. 30 p.m.; 10. 15 p.m. onwards.

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