Sport

It’s Tendulkar’s day at Mohali

— Photo: S. Subramanium

WELL DONE MATE: Sachin Tendulkar is congratulated by Australian team members and Sourav Ganguly (second left) after crossing the milestone.

Mohali: He rolls back the years almost magically. In the highway to glory, he changes gears effortlessly. Sachin Tendulkar continues to make history.

Tendulkar went past Brian Lara’s mark — 11953 — to be the highest run-getter in Tests on an unexpectedly sunny day here on Friday.

The 35-year-old maestro reached the landmark immediately after tea off paceman Peter Siddle and then crossed the 12000-run barrier in Tests — the first batsman to accomplish the feat.

He was eventually dismissed off the second new ball; Siddle seamed one away to find the outside edge and Matthew Hayden plucked a sharp, low catch in the slips.

India, losing three wickets for 17 runs in the post-lunch session, was 163 for four when Tendulkar (88, 111b, 10x4) and Sourav Ganguly (54 batting, 122b, 4x4) added 142 vital runs for the fifth wicket.

At stumps on the first day of the second Test in the Border-Gavaskar series, the host was 311 for five on a surface conducive to batting. Considering the state of the wicket, the Aussies have done well as a pack to hang in there.

Tendulkar was solid and skilful. The maestro batted with the full face of the blade initially — his high left elbow was very much in view — before bringing his wrists into play.

A flick off Brett Lee scorched the turf as the ball sped to the boundary. Once again, he used the width of the crease — an important aspect of batsmanship — like a master.

His flowing cover-drive off Mitchell Johnson, the leading foot beautifully to the pitch of the ball, head straight, weight balanced and the bat striking the sphere in the middle, had the gathering in raptures.

He shifted the weight on to his back-foot to thump Peter Siddle through cover point. Tendulkar danced down to leg-spinner Cameron White before striking him to the long-on ropes. Every movement of his was measured and precise.

Ganguly too was organised and composed. He got behind the line, treated the ball on merit off either foot. The left-hander essayed a couple of typically flowing strokes through the off-side and was warmly applauded from the non-striker’s end by Tendulkar when he reached a well-constructed half century. A more upright and balanced stance has led to better judgment in the corridor.

The feisty left-hander’s focus was evident in the manner he handled the second new ball. He is now the only Indian southpaw with over 7000 Test runs.

Ganguly, however, might have been fortunate when umpire Rudi Koerzten did not refer an appeal for stumping — White was the bowler — to the third umpire.

On a surface of this nature, Australia relied much on Lee’s speed and thrust. But then, the pace spearhead could neither produce the speed in the air nor the reverse swing to crash past defences. Left-armer Mitchell Johnson was consistently quicker and put greater work on the ball.

The nature of the surface surprised many. Despite curator Daljit Singh’s assertions, the grass on the wicket was shaved off. The sun was out and the pitch, considering the wet conditions preceding the Test, was astonishingly dry.

The Indians read the wicket well. They opted for a second spinner even though skipper and birthday boy Anil Kumble, his shoulder still sore, ruled himself out of the Test.

It was not paceman Munaf Patel but leggie debutant Amit Mishra who made the eleven. Given the composition of the attack, the Indians were bound to bat once Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the spin of the coin.

The bounce was consistent and there was no alarming sideways movement either.

At least three wickets that fell stemmed from batting errors.

Virender Sehwag, in control and appearing dangerous on a flat deck, nicked one down the leg-side to ’keeper Haddin. He had shuffled too much across while attempting to work a short-of-a-length delivery around the leg-stump from Johnson.

Rahul Dravid, batting fluently until that point, misjudged the line off a Brett Lee delivery outside the off-stump while attempting a cut.

The quick-footed Gautam Gambhir got a good one from Johnson that straightened from off-stump. V.V.S. Laxman managed to edge a delivery outside leg to the ’keeper.

Gambhir (67, 140b, 9x4) and Sehwag put on 70 for the first wicket in good time. The left-handed Gambhir has grown in confidence. He whipped up the stroke of the morning — a crashing cover-drive off Siddle.

For most part of the afternoon and evening, Tendulkar held centre-stage. And rightly so.

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