Sunday, Nov 03, 2002
Sunday, Nov 03, 2002 |
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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his century on the fourth day of the third Test at Eden Gardens on Sunday. It was the great master's 31st century and his first at this famous venue in fact — Photos: V.V. Krishnan
The master read it well, and early enough, to ignore it. As the ball sailed harmlessly past his bat, the world's best batsman had signalled his intentions. The West Indians would have to earn his wicket this day. A battle was truly on! With Tendulkar in such a fiercely determined mood, could the spectators have been deprived? They were treated to an innings that was the very essence of aesthetic batting. It was a purists' delight really as Tendulkar chose to play one of his finest innings. The effort--it had everything that a coach would recommend to his pupil--stood out in a series otherwise afflicted by some average cricket. At close on the penultimate day of the third Test, when play was called off due to poor light with 18 overs still remaining, India was 195 for four--56 runs ahead of the West Indies which wound up its first innings at 497 an hour after play today. Tendulkar (114) returned unconquered to hopefully continue his symphony on the final day in front of a packed audience. The bowlers bore the brunt of his bat as Tendulkar achieved a minor milestone--maiden Test century at the Eden Gardens--in a major exercise--playing a match-saving innings, for, the match had taken a slant towards the West Indian camp when Virender Sehwag, Bangar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly fell in succession. If the West Indians entertained visions of a triumph, they could not have been faulted. It was quite a possibility at 87 for four before Tendulkar compiled his 31st Test century. It was a delightful coincidence that Tendulkar, in that glorious moment of reaching the hundred, had the company of V.V.S. Laxman, author of an epic 281 in the last Test at the same venue. These were similar circumstances with the opposition dictating. Tendulkar showed rare signs of uncertainty in the nineties--connecting air as he missed a couple of strokes. But he was not to be denied a century which he eventually reached with a neat brace. His act of thanking the Gods was followed by an acknowledgement of the wishes from the dressing room and of course the faithful followers in the stands. Tendulkar had set an example for his partner in the middle as Laxman batted with welcome restraint in keeping with the situation. The Indian innings had been rocked early when Bangar showed no footwork and followed the ball that had left him late and Chanderpaul took a brilliant catch at third slip. Sehwag was set up nicely when Merwyn Dillon sent one into his rib-cage and this time Chanderpaul was at leg-slip to finish the job. Dravid, the Mr Nice of Indian cricket, was unfortunately adjudged leg-before a second time in the match, again off an inside-edge. This time the umpire was Asoka de Silva, who also later figured in judging Ganguly out. The debate at the Eden Gardens over Ganguly's dismissal was protracted, taking the focus away from the main issue--the vagaries of the game that contribute to make cricket so exciting. It may not have been a spectacle--the rapid end of the West Indies innings in the morning and the deterioration of India's top order in the afternoon--but it was indeed a statement once again reminding the followers that Test cricket had no match when it came to testing the skills and nerves of the players in every department. A majestic essay Only the mentally and physically tough can survive the challenges of Test cricket, and that is why, Tendulkar stands tall with his phenomenal and exceptional application. His innings of today deserves to be preserved for the sake of all those wanting to educate themselves in the intricacies of committed batsmanship. There have been many defining moments in this match thus far but no emphatic show of class and style, with respect to Chanderpaul's essay. Who else but Tendulkar to play the kind of majestic innings that one has come to associate with his stature? The determination in Tendulkar's knock was evident quite early when he curbed his desire to have a go. That he was in such a mood was bad news for Hooper's men. For long, Sunil Gavaskar had been looking forward to a different--defensive to be precise--innings from Tendulkar. "That would make him a complete batsman," Gavaskar would opine. Here was Tendulkar then playing one for the original master. Just the innings that would gladden the heart of an accomplished technician like Gavaskar. Timing remained Tendulkar's forte and it was such a joy to watch him place the ball in the gaps. He had read the situation very well to restrict himself into playing straight initially and then unfold a wide range of shots square of the wicket. It was this strictly disciplined path that he chose to tread that added to the quality of his knock. True, when Tendulkar makes a resolve, it can be as steely as one can imagine--evident from the manner in which he tamed a motivated Dillon. If the Test did not lose all its competitive flavour on the fourth day, the Indian camp had to thank Tendulkar. The situation was dismal when Ganguly was adjudged leg-before to Cameron Cuffy by the highly-rated de Silva for the third time in the series. The merit of the decision was questioned by every expert possible with some technological backing. The same facility, however, was not available to the umpire who concluded that the batsman was not making an attempt to play the ball and thus stood to lose benefit of doubt. After Dravid's departure, this was a blow that gave the match a different direction as Ganguly happened to be the fourth top order batsman to succumb after India conceded a lead of 139 runs. The West Indians went into a frenzy but slowly returned to earth as Tendulkar took charge, as is his wont on a weary track. The pitch bared its fangs as early as the third ball of the day when Chanderpaul was baffled by the extra bounce and failed to pass his career-best score of 140. His cut looked a catching-practice shot and India had been awarded a bonus as Sehwag struck with people yet to settle down. Chanderpaul's was a big wicket and soon Marlon Samuels, who completed his maiden Test century, failed to keep his prod down and Sehwag this time snapped up the ball superbly at short leg. Two big wickets in its kitty and the Indian attack was understandably pepped up. The tail was not allowed to thrive as Kumble joined the act and Harbhajan signed off in style with his 11th fifth-wicket haul in Test cricket. The West Indies had failed in its attempt to put the issue beyond India by amassing a big first-innings lead. A draw on Sunday should be a fair result unless the uncertainty-factor that makes this game so enchanting comes into play. Tendulkar's match-saving performance has not reached the desired destination yet. He has a job to perform on Sunay too when play resumes half an hour earlier than schedule.
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