ludhianvi Posted December 25, 2009 Author Posted December 25, 2009 Century # 41 : 103* v England at Chennai 11 Dec 2008 ...Scorecard: http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/361050.html Superstar Tendulkar writes the perfect script He's 35 years old and owns practically every batting record in the game, but you couldn't escape the feeling that this was probably Sachin Tendulkar's finest hour Dileep Premachandran December 15, 2008 As Graeme Swann prepared to bowl the second ball of his 29th over, more than 20,000 people in the stands abandoned their plastic chairs. They were on their feet, creating the sort of bedlam and noise I last witnessed at this very venue seven years ago, when Harbhajan Singh's squirt past point clinched the most famous of India's series victories. Swann bowled. The batsman came forward and patted the ball back with almost exaggerated flourish. The crowd was momentarily quieted but the primal scream started again as Swann went back to his mark. Again, there was sharp turn, but the paddle-sweep that greeted the ball was emphatic. As it streaked to fine leg, the batsman ran down the pitch and punched the air in celebration, before being held aloft by his equally delighted partner. He's 35 years old and owns practically every batting record in the game, but you couldn't escape the feeling that this was probably Sachin Tendulkar's finest hour. To score the winning runs in a record-shattering chase was special enough, but when that last stroke also brought up your 41st century, it became ineffably so. Boyhood dreams are made of this, and it says a lot about Tendulkar that he has never lost that child-like passion for the game. Even in a world where cricket was played in isolation, this would have been a breathtaking effort. Given all that's gone on over the past three weeks though, this was so much more than just a match-winning century. Kevin Pietersen said it best after the game. "Who can write Sachin Tendulkar's scripts any better?," he asked. "The man from Mumbai came in and scored a sensational hundred. He batted like a superstar." Those that reckon this will heal the wounds of the past don't know Tendulkar well enough though. The scabs of Barbados 1997 and Chepauk 1999 will always be there, especially given he had done so much in both games to take India towards victory. As the years passed, theories and opinions came and went, with people pointing to the absence of a defining fourth-innings knock from the Tendulkar repertoire. Brian Lara had the peerless unbeaten 153 at the Kensington Oval. What did Tendulkar have to offer as response? An awful lot really, but those intent on nitpicking will inevitably find a way. As the afternoon progressed though, the feeling intensified that we were witnessing something extraordinary. With Pietersen not inclined to crowd the batsmen with close-in fielders, Tendulkar was more than happy to pick off the runs with a nudge here, a deflection there and the odd paddle-sweep for variety. The contrast with Virender Sehwag couldn't have been more acute. Sehwag's 83 contained 11 singles and two twos, whereas 61 of Tendulkar's runs came in singles (45) or twos. It was a consummate innings. He defended purposefully, especially against the always menacing Andrew Flintoff, but there was no getting bogged down either. Every time there was a lull, either he or Yuvraj Singh would pierce the field. Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land Though dehydration became a factor as the afternoon sun beat down, he continued to scamper between the wickets with the same urgency he showed as a teenager. It's that enthusiasm that's so infectious. Sitting in the stands for an hour this afternoon, there was no doubt what the only people that really matter - the fans - think of him. His every stroke was cheered as though it was a century, and the chants of "Sachin, Sachin" reverberating around were an illustration of an adulation-obsession that sport has never seen, not even when Diego Maradona was playing at La Bombanera. Vijay is a doctor who was in Chennai on a short trip. On Sunday night, he found himself with a pass for the final day's play. With a late-afternoon train to catch, he wasn't sure whether to go or not. There was another reason for his hesitancy too. Like millions of other sports fans who have been scarred by defeat, Vijay was afraid that he might jinx his team and his favourite player. But after watching the first session on television, he decided to take his chances. Over the next three-and-a-half hours, he didn't leave his seat, not even for food and water at tea time. He made his train with 10 minutes to spare. "I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had given it a miss," he messaged me later. Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land. And in these times of distress and anger, it was so very appropriate that it would be Tendulkar who put the smiles back on at least a few faces. Dileep Premachandran is an associate editor at Cricinfo RSS Feeds: Dileep Premachandran Match Report 1st Test : India v England 2008-09 Dileep Premachandran At Chennai, December 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 2008. India won by six wickets. Toss: England. Test debut: G. P. Swann. A historic occasion, and a magnificent match, culminated in the highest fourthinnings run-chase ever to succeed in an Asian Test, enabling India to win with about an hour to spare. The start came only two weeks after the terrorist attack on Mumbai, and the Test was staged amid "presidential-style" security, but by the end the most famous of all Mumbaikars had gone some way to erasing the memories. In a century he dedicated to all Indians, Sachin Tendulkar masterminded the run-chase after Virender Sehwag had snatched the initiative from England's grasp with batting of equal brilliance. England went into the game without a warm-up (their first-class game in Vadodara had been cancelled when they flew home after the Mumbai attack) and only three days of nets in Abu Dhabi. Their lack of match-practice, it could be argued, was decisive, but Pietersen and his players never advanced it as an excuse. Their bowlers had not bowled long spells for months. Panesar, who had been due to play a three-day game for the England Performance Squad in Bangalore as well as in Vadodara, had not had a match since September, Strauss not since October. The other nine England players had played at least once in the one-day series, but the tailenders were all short of an innings, while the catching could have done with fine-tuning: Cook, who had taken some dazzling gully catches in New Zealand, missed Sehwag early in his matchwinning assault. Strauss's last cricket had been in the Stanford tournament (for Middlesex) six weeks before, but he attributed his success - he became the first England batsman to hit a century in each innings of a Test on the subcontinent - to this very freshness of mind. He had been notably decisive about England's duty to return to India, and the same certainty informed his batting. On a slow pitch, where the odd ball leapt alarmingly throughout, he crafted a game plan that played to his strengths: the cut, whenever the ball was short, and the sweep to spin bowling of a full length, without risking the front-foot drive. In each innings, he scored no more than three runs past the bowler. If a criticism could be made, it was that neither he nor Collingwood forced the pace after reaching hundreds in England's second innings, whose meandering nature towards the end - against reverse-swing of the highest quality - let India back into the game. It was, nevertheless, a fine achievement for England to win so many sessions until Sehwag overwhelmed them. Strauss and Cook put together their fourth century opening partnership in eight Tests, and England reached 164 for one at tea on the first day before Zaheer Khan began their demise. On a spinner's pitch, Zaheer was to bowl 48 overs in all for 81 runs and five wickets, using every trick in the pace bowler's book, and it was largely because of him that England ultimately failed to set the 400-run target to which Pietersen aspired. Bell fell to a "wicket-taking ball" in each innings; Pietersen was bounced out in his first innings and teased out in his second. In his first overseas Test as captain, having to cope with politics and diplomacy, and a cracked rib which prevented him throwing, Pietersen was as agitated as Strauss was calm. Collingwood was the victim of a flustered decision by Billy Bowden, who raised his right hand holding the bowler's hat. England's first-innings collapse was partially arrested by Prior, in his first Test for a year, and India then struggled to 102 for five. Dhoni called it "a bad day at the office" when he fronted up for the second-evening press conference: most captains, especially those not out overnight, would have avoided the TV cameras. Graeme Swann became the second bowler, after Richard Johnson in 2003, to take two wickets in his first over of Test cricket: both were marginal lbw decisions by Daryl Harper, but overall the umpires had a good game, save for Collingwood's dismissal and their tolerance of time-wasting. (Bowden was a late substitute for Asad Rauf, who did not have time to obtain another city-specific visa, required for Pakistani citizens visiting India, after the Test was moved from Ahmedabad.) After Laxman and Tendulkar had been caught and bowled in successive overs from checked drives (Tendulkar was Flintoff 's 200th Test wicket for England), Dhoni made his fifth fifty in six Test innings to take India within striking distance, but it was widely considered that a lead of 75 would be decisive on a disintegrating pitch. Only the pitch did not disintegrate. It had been prepared for a 20-over game in the Champions League cancelled because of the Mumbai attack and, although copious dust arose from the red earth, it just about held together. England slipped to 43 for three when Yuvraj Singh trapped Pietersen with his first ball, adding to a running feud in which Yuvraj - recalled to replace the retired Ganguly - had eyeballed Pietersen after allowing himself to be wound up by the fielders in his first innings. England needed their highest fourth-wicket partnership in Asia, 214 from Strauss and Collingwood, to recover. Together they batted out the third day, added 72 runs off 24 overs next morning, and should have been in a position to ram home England's advantage on the fourth afternoon. Collingwood, unlike Strauss, occasionally came down the pitch to loft the leg-spin of Mishra, who was much slower off the wearing surface than his predecessor Anil Kumble would have been. But the longer England's innings went on, the more Zaheer and his partner in reverse-swing, Sharma, slowed them down - they made only 57 in 23 overs on the fourth afternoon - until Pietersen set India 387 in what would have been 126 overs had his side achieved the required over-rate. England had been diffident about ramming home the advantage; Sehwag was not. He climbed into the opening bowlers (Anderson's first two overs cost 15, Harmison's first four 33), mesmerised them into bowling short and wide, and spread the field - which was never brought in again to save singles, allowing India's batsmen to rotate the strike and keep the score ticking over. Only one six had come in the first three innings; Sehwag hit four, upper-cutting Harmison over third man, swinging a full toss from Panesar for six and driving him for another, then pull-driving Swann. Two balls later, Sehwag missed a sweep at an off-break turning out of Zaheer's footmarks, but his 83 from 68 balls had asserted India's mental dominance once and for all. Requiring a further 256 on the final day, India were always ahead of the rate. It might not have suited England that Dravid went early when he was so out of form (he had also missed a straightforward slip catch). Gambhir saw off Flintoff 's opening blast on the final day before steering to gully, and after lunch Laxman pushed a leaping off-break to forward short leg, but that was the end of England's victory bid. They fell back on the defensive, trying to contain with in-out fields which leaked singles, and India had only to bat through the day to knock off the runs. At one point Panesar bowled to Yuvraj without a fielder saving one in front of square on the leg side. Harmison, England's strike bowler, did not start his second spell until the 63rd over. Scoring a hundred in a successful fourth-innings run-chase was, according to Tendulkar, something he had wanted, the one achievement missing from his CV: in consequence, he rated his hundred as "up there" and "one of the best". It was a masterclass in its conception - of what shots to play, and how often - and in its execution, especially of the sweep in all its forms. Pietersen changed his bowlers with the greatest frequency but never found a pair to stem the flow. Yuvraj did not allow himself to be wound up second time round, and was only reined in when he restrained himself in order to allow Tendulkar to reach three figures. It was a Test which contained some superlative batting, in various styles - and Strauss deserved a share of the match award for shaping the game, before Sehwag redesigned it and Tendulkar unveiled his masterpiece. The Test was staged amid stifling security, which may have contributed to keeping the crowd down to a few thousand - aside from security personnel - for the first three days. At England's request, armed commandos were placed every five yards inside the perimeter fence. But on the fourth day, a Sunday, and the last, the ground was at least half full and atmospheric. England's players donated half their match fees to the relief fund for victims of the Mumbai attack, and the Indian board donated three crores of rupees (about £450,000). Man of the Match: V. Sehwag. Close of play: First day, England 229-5 (Flintoff 18, Anderson 2); Second day, India 155-6 (Dhoni 24, Harbhajan Singh 13); Third day, England 172-3 (Strauss 73, Collingwood 60); Fourth day, India 131-1 (Gambhir 41, Dravid 2).
ludhianvi Posted December 25, 2009 Author Posted December 25, 2009 Century # 42 : 160 v New Zealand Seddon Park, Hamilton 18 Mar 2009 ......Scorecard: http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/366628.html New Zealand v India, 1st Test, Hamilton, 3rd day Tendulkar's ton gives India big lead The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran March 20, 2009 New Zealand 279 and 75 for 3 (Guptill 48) trail India 520 (Tendulkar 160, Gambhir 72, Dravid 66, Zaheer 51*, Martin 3-98) by 166 runs Sachin Tendulkar scored his 42nd Test century and gave Seddon Park a batting masterclass as India established a stranglehold on proceedings on the third day. Having started the day one run in arrears, they piled up 242 in two sessions before dismissing both New Zealand openers and Kyle Mills, the night-watchman, in 31 overs before stumps. With Harbhajan Singh getting sharp turn and Munaf Patel hinting at some reverse swing, New Zealand's prospects of saving the game were decidedly slim. Tendulkar's hundred took just 168 balls and his positive intent never allowed the bowlers to settle. India lost Yuvraj Singh to an error of judgement but though Mahendra Singh Dhoni was initially subdued, a 115-run partnership gave India an advantage that weren't likely to relinquish. Over the past few months, there have been several glimpses of the Tendulkar of old, the peerless strokemaker who just came out and played without a thought for the cares of the world. That was in evidence again in the morning, with some magnificent strokes played all around the wicket. The tone for the day was set in the very first over with a lovely cover-drive after Yuvraj had clipped Chris Martin off the pads twice for fours. In Martin's next over, Tendulkar played a gorgeous back-foot cover-drive, and when Iain O'Brien was glanced and then cut for four, he was into the 90s. The partnership was beginning to look ominous when Martin gave New Zealand some respite. Coming round the wicket, he got the ball to nip back a smidgen off the seam. Yuvraj watched it all the way and just shouldered arms. The ball took off stump. Dhoni edged the first ball he faced just short of third slip, but all eyes were on Tendulkar. A wonderful stroke through cover off O'Brien took him to 99, and a wristy tuck on to the onside when James Franklin came on to bowl had the crowd on its feet, to acclaim a man whose feats are unlikely ever to be matched. The punishment was far from over though. Jesse Ryder had been miserly on day two, but 24 hours later, Tendulkar greeted him with an on-drive, a deft swish behind point and a nonchalant clip off the pads. Of the 66 runs scored before drinks, he had made 47. Dhoni was watchful at the other end, with only a fluent cover-drive off Franklin offering a glimpse of the strokes at his disposal. Daniel Vettori came on and bottled one end up, unlucky perhaps not to get an lbw decision against Tendulkar, but the slumping body language of his team-mates said it all. It only got worse after lunch. Tendulkar swept Vettori for four and was ruthless in his execution of the cut when Martin dropped short and wide. When he tapped one down to third man, he had his 18th score of 150 or more, and the century partnership came up soon after as Dhoni unleashed a withering off-drive off Martin. It was the impressive O'Brien that gave his beleaguered team some respite. The third umpire was needed to make sure that Ryder hadn't caught Dhoni at gully after another fierce cut, but India's captain was on his way three balls later after gloving a short-pitched delivery behind. Then, after an immaculate punch down the ground off O'Brien, Tendulkar's 260-ball effort ended with an edge to first slip, after he tried to fend a bouncer down towards fine leg. By then, the lead was 164 and though Vettori took a smart diving catch at mid-off to end Harbhajan Singh's cameo, there was further punishment from Zaheer Khan, who hit the ball through and over the covers with the ease of a frontline batsman. The hapless Mills went for three fours in an over, and the 500 came up right after Daniel Flynn had put Zaheer down off Franklin's bowling. Zaheer celebrated that chance with two whiplashes through cover, and a risky single soon after gave him 50 from 45 balls and added insult to considerable injury. Vettori was tidy while O'Brien and Martin toiled hard but the lack of quality from the back-up bowlers was glaring, especially against the tail. There were bound to be changes for Napier, but as they headed for the dressing room after Munaf holed out, all thoughts were on surviving Hamilton. When New Zealand batted a second time, Tim McIntosh lasted just three balls. There were doubts over whether the edge off Zaheer carried to Tendulkar at first slip and the fielder himself went off with a badly jammed and bleeding finger. Tendulkar later clarified that his finger was sore, but had not been broken. Martin Guptill and Flynn slowly set about building the innings with Guptill playing some glorious strokes through the covers and working the ball neatly off his pads. The shot of his innings was undoubtedly a swivel-pull for six off Ishant Sharma. All the good work was undone in the final few minutes though. Guptill was just two short of a half-century on debut when he played a lazy drive at Harbhajan for Virender Sehwag to take a tumbling catch at mid-off and Munaf then trapped Mills in front with the last ball of the day. The shouts of celebration reverberated around the ground, and the Indians took their time to walk off after a day when pretty much everything had gone their way. New Zealand v India, 1st Test, Hamilton, 3rd day Sachin evokes his prime Bring back Shane Warne, Shaun Pollock and Wasim Akram because we have a conundrum here that only they can solve. The way Sachin Tendulkar has batted on this tour, and in the matches leading up to it, it seems he has hit the kind of patch he did in the mid Sidharth Monga in Hamilton March 20, 2009 Sachinspeak * First up: Yesterday, initially it was a little difficult to get used the pace and bounce of the wicket. It did take some time to find the centre of my bat. Later on, it got better. I felt the contact was much better, and gave me a lot of confidence. * From thereon: I thought once the new ball was taken I started timing the ball much better, and after that things were different. I was quite happy with the way I moved and found the centre more often than not. Every hundred is not going to be a fluent one, that is what Test cricket is all about. I was prepared to wait for my chance to come and eventually when I found the centre of the bat consistently I thought I was playing a different game altogether. Initially they [New Zealand bowlers] did bowl good lines and in good areas. You have just got to respect and play out good spells. And that is what I did. * His dismissal: I went for the single. I saw that there was no fielder at mid-wicket and square-leg. So I wanted to work the ball around there. Probably the ball was not there to be played to square. * The match situation: I think we are in a strong position now, and that is what really matters to us. There is a terrific atmosphere in the dressing room. We have sort of led from the first session of this Test match, and at this point in time we are very much on our way to achieving some good things. We don't want to take anything for granted. Tomorrow's first session is going to be extremely important, and we hope to go flat out. [/quoteblock] Bring back Shane Warne, Shaun Pollock and Wasim Akram because we have a conundrum here that only they can solve. The way Sachin Tendulkar has batted on this tour, and in the matches leading up to it, it seems he has hit the kind of patch he did in the mid-90s. One can't be sure if it is due to the deteriorated standards of bowling, but in some ways Tendulkar might even have got better, which the bowlers of the 90s might think of as a ludicrous proposition. Tendulkar was not completely authoritative when he took guard at Seddon Park yesterday, which is also a credit to the pitch that has kept the good bowlers in the game. But once he was given the reprieve, dropped on 13, he turned it into a helpless situation for the bowlers. With a young Tendulkar at the crease, the bowlers might have stayed interested because there was an element of risk to his batting. In this innings it was a no-win situation for them. He didn't even have to try to be dominant to beat the bowlers mentally. Apart from that, we saw the Tendulkar of old at Seddon Park today. All along, the runs kept coming, through cannily placed singles and gorgeous boundaries alike. Once the new ball was taken late yesterday, with New Zealand looking to cash in on some tight bowling over the 81 previous overs, Tendulkar raised his game too. It continued today, when he took the attack to the bowlers under overcast skies early in the morning. The cuts, the glances, the straight-drives, the cover-drives, no longer inspire that awe, but the feeling of 'Yes we know them and the bowlers still can't do anything about it'. What he might have lost in pure instinct and brute strength he has gained in experience and wisdom. It shows in the way he assesses match situations, be it any form of the game. He doesn't get bogged down now, as was the case in 2005 and 2006. There is a certain relaxed manner to which he approaches batting. Perhaps it has to do with the feeling that this is the best batting line-up he has been a part of, something he acknowledges too. Tendulkar may not say it, and thereby put undue pressure on himself, but 100 international hundreds are more than just a hope now. They are increasingly becoming a reasonable possibility. His last two innings have been imperious centuries, he has scored three centuries in his last four Tests, and after today's exhibition Tendulkar is eight shy of reaching the 50-mark in Tests. Cricket can throw up some meaningless statistics, but 100 hundreds can't be one of them. It is perhaps too early to think and talk of it, but the way Tendulkar has been batting it is a tempting thought. There are no indications to the effect, but from the way Tendulkar is enjoying himself, it seems his hunger won't die until he has had another crack at the World Cup, which is still two years away. It is not impossible to score 15 centuries in the next two years. Between March 25, 1998 and December 26, 1999, he hit 20 centuries. Between February 18, 1996 and December 3, 1997, he managed 14. He is not the same batsman as he was in the mid-90s, but the effect he is having is quite the same. He has scored eight international centuries since May 2007, and has been dismissed seven times in the 90s. The umpires, and once even a diving Kamran Akmal (now that's unfortunate) have had a role to play in that. Regardless, he has put behind him the lacklustre 2005 and 2006 - when he managed only four international centuries - to get to playing as well as he has, albeit in a different manner. It seems, after 2006, he has started ageing backwards. But obviously he hasn't. With form on his side, his big enemy is his body. He has attracted more cramps and niggles in the last two years than he perhaps did through his career. It is impossible for an outsider to understand what his body must be going through after 19 years of international cricket. The niggles stay with him for longer than they ever did, which showed in the resurfacing of the rib trouble during the Christchurch ODI. He has started picking and choosing what matches he plays. But the heart wants to stay involved. When asked whether New Zealand was becoming his favourite place, what with back-to-back international hundreds, he said, "I'm a bit superstitious. I'll let the others count the hundreds, and let me go and bat." Don't worry, we'll do the counting, and will stay pretty busy if he bats the way he did today. Match ReportS New Zealand v India, 1st Test, Hamilton, 4th day India end drought with thumping win The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran March 21, 2009 India 520 (Tendulkar 160, Gambhir 72, Dravid 66, Zaheer 51*) and 39 for 0 beat New Zealand 279 (Vettori 118, Ryder 102, Ishant 4-73) and 279 (McCullum 84, Flynn 67, Harbhajan 6-63) by ten wickets Scorecard and ball-by-ball details How they were out It had been 33 years since India won a Test match in New Zealand but the statistic was rendered obsolete after a six-wicket haul from Harbhajan Singh inspired a comprehensive 10-wicket victory at Seddon Park. Daniel Flynn led the defiance with 67 and Brendon McCullum hustled 84 as India eased off after tea. But though the innings defeat was avoided after a 76-run partnership with Iain O'Brien, India needed just 32 balls to knock off the 39 runs needed. McCullum was decidedly fortunate to survive a leg-before shout from Munaf Patel when he was on three, and Simon Taufel missed a bat-pad catch when he had 67. But those apart, he played his strokes freely, with MS Dhoni not employing too many close-in fielders and more than content to give him singles. With the field spread, he cut the ball with immense power and played a couple of pulls too as the innings defeat was avoided. O'Brien defended stoutly and hit a couple of boundaries himself as the partnership assumed frustrating proportions. Almost inevitably, it was Harbhajan that provided succour, though there was more than an element of doubt about the bat-pad decision that ended O'Brien's resistance. He could have few complaints though after the third umpire had given him the benefit of a run-out call. It had taken India almost an hour to break through in the morning but once they did, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Harbhajan was at the forefront, bowling round the wicket and flighting the ball into the few rough patches. He varied his pace cleverly and the bounce in the pitch made tackling him a most arduous proposition. Flynn started the day in positive fashion, cutting and pulling Zaheer Khan for fours, but Ross Taylor struggled terribly against Ishant Sharma, who had bowled him in the first innings. It was left to Flynn to keep the scoreboard ticking and he did that with two guided fours behind point when Munaf was introduced into the attack. It took New Zealand 42 overs to bring up 100 and Flynn then cut Ishant beautifully through cover to bring up his half-century from 118 balls. The applause had barely died down though when Taylor, who had eked out just four from 29 balls, slashed a Munaf delivery straight to Virender Sehwag at gully. Jesse Ryder was fortunate that the uppish drive with which he got off the mark just evaded Harbhajan at cover, but there was nothing lucky about two ferocious pull strokes that went for four and six off Zaheer. But thoughts of a sensational counterattack, as in the first innings, vanished soon before lunch as Harbhajan came round the wicket to trap him plumb in front. New Zealand's plight would have been much worse if MS Dhoni had not put down a catch off Flynn when he had made 55. Harbhajan turned away in disappointment as the chance went down, but it was only a matter of time before India made further inroads. James Franklin, selected on the basis of robust batting form as well as his bowling, never looked at ease, and a scoop to point was safely taken by Munaf. When Flynn was caught at short leg off bat and pad, it brought Daniel Vettori to the crease, but though he played two magnificent off-drives, there was no repeat of the heroics that had saved face in the first innings. Harbhajan arrowed one in at the body and Vettori could only get a thin inside-edge that Dhoni did very well to hold on to after it brushed the thigh. That gave Harbhajan his 23rd five-wicket haul and it was something of a surprise when Dhoni decided to take the new ball 10 minutes before tea. Though McCullum and O'Brien kept then kept India at bay for an hour, it wasn't a costly gamble, and Sehwag wasn't even required to open as Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid finished things off with a flurry off fours. One more jinx ended by an Indian team that has now won four of its last six Tests.
ludhianvi Posted December 25, 2009 Author Posted December 25, 2009 Century # 43 : 100* v Sri Lanka Ahmedabad 16 Nov 2009 ...Scorecard: http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/430881.html India v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Ahmedabad, 5th day Tendulkar, Gambhir, dead pitch frustrate Sri Lanka The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga November 20, 2009 India 426 (Dravid 177, Dhoni 110, Welegedara 4-87) and 412 for 4 (Gambhir 114, Tendulkar 100*) drew with Sri Lanka 760 for 7 decl. (Jayawardene 275, Prasanna 154*, Dilshan 112) Scorecard and ball-by-ball details How they were out %2$s Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, and a dead Ahmedabad pitch (21 wickets and seven centuries in five days) put paid to Sri Lanka's dream of a first Test win in India. Gambhir played out 110 deliveries for 40 runs, and Tendulkar 211 for 100 runs; both of them looked entirely at home in the role of saving a Test, not letting dot balls affect their minds. By the time the final session of the match arrived, the only question left unanswered was whether Tendulkar would get to his 88th international century. Kumar Sangakkara didn't seem pleased with being kept on the field in the mandatory overs while Tendulkar moved towards the ton. The bowlers started bowling way outside off stump, and Tendulkar retorted in his own inimitable manner. He walked across to a delivery so wide it would have been called in an ODI, and flicked it to the square-leg boundary to get into the 90s. He had to work similarly hard for the rest of the runs too. As soon as he got there, the captains agreed to call off the match with six overs still to go. Sri Lanka started the day 144 ahead, and needed eight Indian wickets to force a result, but met a docile pitch and determined batting. The only break in concentration came in the second session when Gambhir stepped out to launch Rangana Herath out of the ground, and ended up losing his wicket. That was not before he had reached his seventh century: four of them, including his last three, have come in the second innings, two of them in match-saving scenarios. He now averages 59.55 in the second innings, against 54.22 overall. Sri Lanka were not helped by the hamstring injury to Dammika Prasad, who didn't bowl in the first session, and Muttiah Muralitharan's ineffectiveness: he didn't take a wicket in 38 second-innings overs. Previously Murali had gone wicketless in the second innings of a match only six times; the most he had bowled in such scenarios was 17 overs. Their problems on the unhelpful pitch were summed up by how Amit Mishra, nightwatchman from yesterday, got to his personal best score and frustrated them for 26 deliveries on the fifth morning. Gambhir, at the other end, was in his Napier-like mode from earlier this year, when he batted 643 minutes for 137 runs to save the Test. Even today, he was not interested in scoring, or in other words he didn't let being stuck at one end bother him much. Angelo Mathews bowled well in Prasad's absence, hitting good lengths consistently, getting some of them to stay low and getting the odd one to seam away off the rare crack on the pitch. But Gambhir took most of the strike to him, playing 30 consecutive balls from Mathews for no run in the first hour, certain in his judgement outside off, and coming forward to straighter deliveries to negate the odd shooter. Against spinners, Gambhir preferred to stay back, or jump out of the track and get close enough to the delivery. He did pull out the big hits in the 90s, as he is used to doing because he prefers to get the 90s done with quickly. He took 61 deliveries to move from overnight 74 to 90, but then hit three boundaries in six balls to reach his century quickly. And then scored two runs in 25 deliveries. The approach in the 90s was similar to that in Napier, when he stepped out and lofted Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel for fours in consecutive overs. Post lunch, when Gambhir played his only rash shot, he left the saunter towards safety in Tendulkar's hands. Tendulkar had started off fluently, driving Murali against the spin for two boundaries, and punching Mathews for one, and once he got comfortable in the middle he too opted to play for time. Between them Gambhir and Tendulkar played out 24 overs. The latter had reached 32 off 75 deliveries, and slowed down even more after that. Sri Lanka tried one of the last rolls of the dice, taking the new ball and getting Prasad to bowl despite the injury. But neither Prasad nor Chanaka Welegedara could find enough from the pitch to disturb Tendulkar or VVS Laxman. For a while Tendulkar shut shop completely, scoring three runs in 26 deliveries. By that time he had reached 30,000 international runs, and it seemed torturous to make the fast bowlers keep bowling on this pitch. The spinners came back on, the match started moving towards a slow draw again. By tea Tendulkar had crossed 50, India had erased the deficit, and Tendulkar and Laxman had played out another 24 overs. Post the interval, both Tendulkar and Laxman batted with more intent, in the knowledge that the game had been saved. Sri Lankan bowlers tried various angles of attack, but there was little left to play for, and both the batsmen duly reached personal milestones.
Gambit Posted December 27, 2009 Posted December 27, 2009 Fantastic thread ludhianvi! Please continue. :D
Chandan Posted December 27, 2009 Posted December 27, 2009 What a fantastic thread, Ludh! It is a thread to bookmark and then even save it to have it in your collection. Thanks a ton for it, and eagerly awaiting for the next 20 reports as well! :winky:
Guest BossBhai Posted December 27, 2009 Posted December 27, 2009 -- Removed on request of the user --
littlemaster1982 Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 One of the best threads on ICF. Ludhianvi' date=' I thought we werent supposed to disturb you till you were done .. but brilliant idea ...[/quote'] :agree: Ludh bhai :hatsoff:
ludhianvi Posted December 29, 2009 Author Posted December 29, 2009 Thanks guys, its updated for now. Done copy/pasting :tounge_smile: Ludhianvi' date=' I thought we werent supposed to disturb you till you were done .. but brilliant idea ...[/quote'] Nah, it was ok, I have reserved about 50 spaces. But yeah, a good idea for a book. The idea could be expanded to make it more interactive I suppose.
littlemaster1982 Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 PDF: http://www.mediafire.com/?iutmtgld2yb
goose Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 This thread has a sacred quality we diminish by posting comments. To read that write up of his 'finest hour' at Chennai only to see Sehwag declared MoM at the bottom of the article is surreal and deeply satisfying.
Sachinism Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 This thread should have all comments deleted, then locked and stickied
SachDan Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Century # 44 : 105* v Bangladesh at Chittagong 18 Jan 2010 scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/bdeshvind2010/engine/current/match/434256.html When familiarity breeds respect Sachin Tendulkar's has become such a scientific art these days that he has managed to eliminate risk and has almost made batting appear a routine. It's amazing how he has taken a capricious art and made it look a risk-free activity Sriram Veera in Chittagong January 18, 2010 Watching Sachin Tendulkar bat these days is almost like watching a re-run of one's favourite TV show. When the innings is over, one is hard-pressed to remember a single stand-out shot; not because there aren't any but because, having been essayed so many times over 20 years, nothing screams out. That pull, that cover drive, the slog sweep and those punchy drives invoke a sense of familiarity, which in this case, breeds not contempt but respect. The match situation on Sunday controlled his style. Shakib was trying to trap him lbw but Tendulkar didn't oblige. He went back, took care not to get the front leg across and played the ball late. Now and then, Shakib would drop his arm rounder or get it higher and try to surprise Tendulkar with a variation in trajectory but didn't succeed. Time and again, Shakib would slip in the arm-ball and the one that would gently go on with the line outside off stump, Tendulkar played the former with the straightest bat possible and tapped the latter just past silly point. It's not that his shots are risk-free, in the conventional sense of the term, but they rarely look cheeky or desperate. Yesterday, occasionally, he played the paddle shot and the slog sweep. When Tendulkar plays them, you realize they aren't employed for the mere sake of exhibitionism, rather, they come out of an extremely calculating mind. You can predict what he is going to do but somehow you don't think he can be stopped. There were two errors yesterday. The second one was borne out of the circumstance. In the company of the tail and needing quick runs, he top-edged a pull but it fell clear. The first one revealed more; it was a bouncing delivery outside off stump and Tendulkar edged his intended punchy back-foot shot but first slip couldn't hold on to the tough chance. What happened next was interesting. Two balls later, Shafiul Islam almost sent down the same ball that had caused the error. This time, Tendulkar got his hands high, got himself in a better position for the extra bounce and upper cut it over backward point for a four. It didn't feel like indulgence, neither did it feel like a statement. It just seemed as the ideal shot for that ball. There were no adrenalin-pumped moments that followed the shot as Tendulkar returned to cautious mode. You could have bet that Brian Lara would have continued to impose himself yesterday, even, and especially, considering the match situation. His ego wouldn't have allowed him to bat out quiet periods against a Bangladeshi attack; he would have chosen to counterattack. Tendulkar's seems to be more complex; he doesn't like to fall prey to his ego. It's a feature of the almost-maniacal, critical self-control that accompanies the Bombay school of batsmanship. They rarely indulge themselves. Tendulkar's has become such a scientific art these days that he has managed to eliminate risk and has almost made batting appear a routine. It's amazing how he has taken a capricious art and made it look a risk-free activity. It's where he started to drift away from Lara. It was said, early in his career, that Tendulkar was a mixture of Gavaskar and Richards and at some point, he left the Richards persona behind and went the way of Gavaskar. On the way to his 44th Test hundred, he crossed 13,000 Test runs and by the end of the innings, he had reached 13,075. Later, he said about the crossing, "I was aware but not that I was counting." You bet his fans are and they must be keeping a close eye on Ricky Ponting's run counter as well: 11,859 runs and 39 Test hundreds. They used to fret about Lara before; its Ponting now. The more the things change, the more they remain the same. Match Result: India won by 113 runs
SachDan Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Century # 45 : 143 v Bangladesh at Dhaka 25 Jan 2010 Scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/bdeshvind2010/engine/current/match/434257.html Tendulkar and Dravid make merry K.C. Vijaya Kumar Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid’s shared theme of durability was displayed again at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here on Monday. Tendulkar’s 45th ton, Rahul Dravid’s 29th century and their 222-run partnership for the third-wicket helped Dhoni’s men tighten their grip on the second Test against Bangladesh. At close on the second day, India scored 459 for five and with an unfinished lead of 226 is set for another triumph while leading the series 1-0. Mishap A day of batting riches was, however, marred when Dravid (111, 188b, 12x4) got retired-hurt after a Shahadat Hossain bouncer with the second new-ball, did not climb as expected and slammed into the batsman’s helmet visor. Later Tendulkar, Murali Vijay and Harbhajan Singh’s soft-dismissals had minimal effect as India marched ahead with captain M.S. Dhoni at the crease. Tendulkar (143, 182b, 13x4, 1x6) and Dravid had their streaks of fortune as catches were dropped and a run-out was avoided while they remained equal to the task of coping with a sluggish pitch. They also became the best pair for 100-run partnerships through their 17th successful alliance. The earlier record of 16 belonged to the pairs of Ricky Ponting-Matthew Hayden and Gordon Greenidge-Desmond Haynes. Shakib swirled in his left-arm spin with a negative line and a packed on-side. The pace trio of the two Hossains (Shahadat and Rubel) and Shafiul Islam, removed the slip cordon, kept two gullies and tempted the batsmen to slash. Later as reverse-swing surfaced, two short mid-wickets were placed to choke any mistimed shot off the incoming delivery. Unfazed However, Tendulkar and Dravid remained unfazed. Initially Dravid used his feet and freed his arms while Tendulkar took some time to gauge the pace of the pitch. Tendulkar also enjoyed his share of reprieves on 27 and 53 while Raqibul Hasan dropped him twice at gully off Rubel and Shahadat. Tendulkar soon drilled his shots through the in-field with a whip off Rubel being the pick. The maestro’s slog-sweeps and Dravid’s inside-out drives negated spin as the partnership gained depth. The on-drives and backfoot-punch were also employed as Dravid continued to flourish though a close run-out call, late in his innings, tested his patience. Dravid reached his 100 while denting the cover-picket and along with Tendulkar added value to the earlier efforts of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Bounced out It was not Sabina Park and there were no Caribbean drawls of ‘give him the perfume ball’. But out there in the middle, three bouncers tweaked in a different sub-text during the first session. Sehwag and Gambhir succumbed while Dravid survived to add a touch of welcome drama. Sehwag (56, 63b, 8x4) pummelled a few through the off-side but was surprised by Shahadat’s bouncer. On his toes and with the bat inches off his nose, Sehwag fatally fended to signal the end of a 103-run partnership with Gambhir. The odd delivery kept low and the pitch began its share of surprises but Gambhir (68, 83b, 9x4), in the form of his life, reached his 50 to equal another record. The opener signed his name alongside Vivian Richards for scoring 11 consecutive Test fifties and the other fabulous record of Sir Don Bradman beckoned. A sixth successive Test century seemed there for the taking but Shafiul, steaming in from around the wicket, cramped Gambhir with his angle and the bouncer had the intended effect. An ungainly Gambhir helped wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim exult again. Lucky escapes Dravid, meanwhile, enjoyed two slices of luck on nine and 28. A Gambhir drive had earlier narrowly missed Shafiul’s outstretched palm and crashed into the non-striker’s stumps with Dravid backing up too far. A few overs later, Rubel’s bouncer caught Dravid off-guard, a diving Junaid Siddique ‘caught’ at slip and the man from Bangalore began his pavilion-bound walk before pausing on seeing Billy Bowden’s ‘no-ball’ call. Tendulkar and Dravid then unfurled their partnership to shut Bangladesh out of the match. Match Result: India won by 10 wickets
SachDan Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Century # 46 : 100 v South Africa at Nagpur 09 Feb 2010 [Scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/indvrsa2010/engine/current/match/441825.html Tendulkar hits 46th Test Hundred, India struggle in Nagpur Test NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed after hitting his 46th century on the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa at the VCA stadium in Nagpur on Tuesday. Tendulkar achieved the milestone after lunch when he played a Wayne Parnell delivery to point for a single. This is Tendulkar's first century against South Africa in India. This is Tendulkar's third century in as many Test matches as he got centuries in the last two Tests against Bangladesh. But Tendulkar soon fell after his hundred edging a Paul Harris delivery onto his stumps. Before lunch, Tendulkar survived a sharp chance in the slip cordon before reaching his 55th Test fifty to lead India to 162/4 in their second essay at lunch on Day four. The partnership between Murali Vijay and Tendulkar produced 72 runs. The pair had got together late Monday evening after the hosts had lost openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag by the fifth over. Tendulkar was watchful but did not spare bad balls either. He square cut Dale Steyn for his first boundary in the second over of the day and then played a wristy flick to the square leg fence for another boundary. Tendulkar was lucky to see his glide off Wayne Parnell grassed by Jacques Kallis - the lone slip - while on 45 in first over after the first drinks break. But two other similar shots, played with fine control, to the third man fence fetched Tendulkar his half-century. It took him only 51 balls on Day 4 to reach the landmark from his overnight 15 and included seven hits to the fence. Match Result: South Africa won by an innings and 6 runs
SachDan Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Century # 47 : 106 v South Africa at Kolkata 15 Feb 2010 Scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/indvrsa2010/engine/current/match/441826.html A meeting of generations S Aga February 15, 2010 If Sachin Tendulkar was the face of Indian cricket in the liberalisation-satellite TV era, then no one epitomises the Internet-Twitter generation quite like Virender Sehwag. Tendulkar grew up idolising the 1983 World Cup heroes. Sehwag grew up wanting to be Tendulkar. And despite the following for the game increasingly manifold since Tendulkar made his debut as a 16-year-old, Sehwag remains the only one of the generation that watched him avidly to mature into a truly world-class batsman. Initially regarded as a Tendulkar clone, he has since gone on to traverse paths that no other player has. They said of Victor Trumper that he batted to his own tempo. So does Sehwag, with beats so accelerated that they can drive bowlers insane. Despite both of them batting in the top four, there have been few significant partnerships between the role model and the maverick follower. Tendulkar has shared a remarkable 17 century stands with Rahul Dravid, and 12 with Sourav Ganguly. With Sehwag, this was only his fourth. Yet, on the rare occasions when they do bat together, the opposition usually has cause to regret it. Of the Indian pairs that have batted more than 10 innings together, Sehwag and Tendulkar have an average (75.22) behind Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu (77.81) and Pankaj Roy and Vijay Manjrekar (76.18). When Tendulkar arrived at the crease on Monday morning, there was plenty to do. The pure adrenaline of the opening partnership had given way to serious concern after a needless run out and a fine delivery from Morne Morkel to Murali Vijay. The dressing-room mood would have been even worse at lunch had JP Duminy not put down a fairly straightforward chance at slip with Sehwag on 47. Seeds of doubt seldom germinate in the Sehwag mind though. After lunch, it was as though he had started again with a clean slate. Kallis was clipped through square leg, while Dale Steyn - who claimed to have worked him out before the series began - was cut and then stroked through midwicket. Paul Harris was watched for a few deliveries before the slog sweep came out and deposited the ball over the rope at deep midwicket. At the other end, Tendulkar was doing what he does so well these days, nudging the score along almost imperceptibly. A guide behind point and a superb square-drive off Steyn, and beautifully timed clips through midwicket off Morkel and Harris. As Corrie van Zyl, South Africa's coach admitted afterwards, it was all very unsettling, especially with the typically vocal Kolkata crowd roaring on their heroes. Each time the South Africa looked like reining in a rampant run-rate, Sehwag would unleash a booming drive through cover, or infuriate Harris by reverse-sweeping from well outside leg stump. It took him just 87 balls to bring up a fourth consecutive hundred in home Tests, and further mock those that once wrote him off a flat-track bully and slogger. This was no one-paced innings though. At several points during the afternoon, Sehwag took a step back, avoiding the overly ambitious and allowing Tendulkar to find the gaps in the field. When he did give Harris the charge after tea and AB de Villiers fluffed a simple stumping with his score on 129, it was the signal for a period of introspection. His first four after the interval, a cover-drive that burst through Hashim Amla's hands at cover, came only after he had faced 30 balls in the session. Tendulkar, who now has five centuries in his last seven Tests, saw a few deliveries snake past the outside edge, but didn't so much as give a chance. Watching him bat these can be a demoralising experience for those on the other side. He knows his game so well, and seldom does anything more than is required. The Russian-roulette kind of strokes that are almost obligatory in a Sehwag innings are nowhere to be found once he gets set. Yet, despite the overwhelming impression that his was a supporting act, Tendulkar scored only 13 runs fewer than Sehwag during the course of the 249-run partnership. It will irritate him hugely that Sehwag's exit was the precursor to his own, allowing South Africa a route back into a game that appeared to have slipped beyond outstretched fingers at 4pm. When either of these two bat with Dravid, the clash of styles is easily apparent. Here, you could see some of the similarities, especially the stillness when the ball is bowled and the bat-flow when the ball is sent speeding through the covers, but the differences were also apparent. With Sehwag, every lull seems to precede a stroke-making storm. With Tendulkar these days, as opposed to the man who eviscerated Shane Warne at Chennai and Bangalore in 1998, patience is a weapon used to wear down bowlers. Between them, they ensured that the bulk of the second day belonged to India. No one should trash Vijay or S Badrinath on the basis of one innings, but the manner in which they were sorted out by bowlers that Sehwag and Tendulkar had handled with some aplomb tells you all you need to know about the difference between the highest echelons and domestic cricket. It's difficult to flourish in the shadow of greatness and that's all the more reason to savour it while it's around, gracing venues like the Eden Gardens. Match Result: India won by an innings and 57 runs
SachDan Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Century # 48 : 203 v Sri Lanka at Colombo 28,29 July 2010 Scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-india-2010/engine/current/match/456670.html Tendulkar braves demanding conditions and delivers Sidharth Monga at the SSC July 29, 2010 Sachin Tendulkar had just reached his double-century. He was into the ninth hour of his innings. He had been on the field for the whole match, except for perhaps one session. He had had a few visits from the physio. The tea break was approaching. Twice in the next two overs, MS Dhoni hit shots slightly wide of the outfielders. And Tendulkar hared across for the twos, running as though they were his 199th and 200th runs. That was perhaps the most impressive aspect of the 95 runs Tendulkar added today to his overnight 108. If a run was there to be scored, he was there to score it. After Tendulkar had helped India to relative safety on day three, today ceased being a battle between bat and ball. There was hardly anything to trouble Tendulkar. It had come down to endurance, and the need to bat as long as possible to try and prevent his bowlers from having to bowl in the humidity. Tendulkar spoke about the physical challenge of batting for 516 minutes after having fielded for more than five sessions. "It's been challenging," he said. "Of course the conditions are tough. Yesterday when I got into the dressing room, I had a long ice bath. I was in the ice tub for a while. Then I did some stretches, had an early dinner, and I was in bed by 8.30. "I just relaxed as much as possible. Because I went off to sleep early, I was up early morning, sort of relaxed a bit and stretched a bit in the morning. When you are off the field time flies in between. When you are off the field, go back to the hotel and sleep, when you wake in the morning, it's time to go back to the ground again. But that's what Test cricket is all about. For almost all four days, I have been on the field. It's been demanding on the body, but it's held up pretty well." Another moment that stood out in what was largely an error-free effort was when Suresh Raina brought up his debut hundred. There was as much joy on Tendulkar's face as on Raina's. Like Virender Sehwag said, it was difficult to tell who the debutant was. They then spoke for what seemed a longish period between deliveries. "I was very happy for him," Tendulkar said of the moments after Raina got his century and before the next ball. "Many guys doubted whether Suresh was a good Test player or not. He has done well, I am very pleased. The way he batted was fantastic. All I told him was, 'Enjoy this moment. You have earned something special. This will always be the highlight of your career. You will have many more hundreds, you will achieve many more things in your life, but this will always be something special.'" Admittedly this was a flat track - Tendulkar didn't try to suggest otherwise. But he also knew that - until the follow-on was avoided -India were one mistake away from getting into big trouble. He had to curb the temptation of looking for runs, especially because the track and the bowling were ripe with runs. "It was tough. There were times when you felt you could go over the fielders," Tendulkar said. "But also the Test match was poised critically. It was an important phase, and one mistake would have cost us quite a bit. So I felt it was important to just try and control all those temptations, and play a percentage game." Those joyful shots came at intervals. His scoring-rate never fell though he eliminated risks. With not much life left in the match, everybody's thoughts turned to the elusive triple-century. This was a good chance: there was enough time left, all he needed was for MS Dhoni to stay with him. The error from Tendulkar arrived, though. Just after tea, the first ball of Tillakaratne Dislhan's spell turned a bit extra and Prasanna Jayawardene pouched a bat-pad offering. Tendulkar later said that the triple-century was not on his mind. "I have always gone out and played," he said. "People look at records, not me. I would want to score as many runs as possible. Whenever it comes, it comes. It is never too late. I will keep trying, but that is not the end of the world to me. There are many more things to cricket, and that is where the focus is. It's not on records. If it has to come, it will come." Whatever milestones he passed during the course of the innings - be it the most 150-plus scores, be it drawing level with Steve Waugh's 168 Test caps, or be it yet another double-century - saving the Test was his top priority. To keep the series alive. And he was a satisfied man at the end of it all. And when he is satisfied, so is the rest of India. Match Result: Draw
SachDan Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Century # 49 : 214 v Australia at Bangalore 11,12 October 2010 Scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/464527.html http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=243776 Tendulkar's 49th century grinds Australia down The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale October 11, 2010 Only a man blessed with immense powers of endurance could sustain a 20-year Test career and Sachin Tendulkar displayed exactly that quality on a day of Indian dominance in Bangalore. Tendulkar batted through the day, along the way recording his 49th Test century and helping to steer M Vijay to his first, as India all but demolished Australia's first-innings advantage. Tendulkar finished the day unbeaten on 191 and MS Dhoni was on 11, and with India requiring only a draw to win the series, there was no need for Dhoni to consider a declaration. How Ricky Ponting would love to have called a close to India's innings himself, after a day on which his attack looked toothless and failed to make a breakthrough until 3.21pm. When they did, they quickly made it two. Vijay's edge behind off Mitchell Johnson was followed four balls later by the departure of the unlucky debutant Cheteshwar Pujara, who was padded up for more than six hours only to be greeted with skidder from Johnson, who trapped the new man lbw for 4. Suresh Raina made 32 before he drove Michael Clarke to mid-off late in the afternoon, but by then India were within sight of Australia's first-innings 478. They had Tendulkar and Vijay to thank; their third-wicket partnership began on Sunday afternoon, stretched until after tea on Monday and was worth 308 runs. Both players batted wonderfully well, barely giving Australia the sniff of a wicket. Tendulkar moved to 99 with a slog-swept six off Nathan Hauritz and repeated the stroke to move into triple figures while offering the spectators at long-on a catch. Nobody has scored more Test hundreds than Tendulkar, who celebrated his seventh in the past year with his usual bat-raise and glance to the heavens, but without any major display of emotion. Vijay witnessed the ease with which his senior partner raced through the nineties but found it not so simple himself, and was stuck on 99 for more than 20 minutes. The Australians tried to dry up his options with short balls and when he eventually pushed a quick single to cover, he leapt for joy and was embraced by Tendulkar, who had started his Test career when Vijay was five years old. In those two decades, Tendulkar has had only one year - 2002 - better than his vintage efforts of 2010, which earned him the ICC Cricketer of the Year award last week. He continued that form by handling all of Australia's bowlers with supreme comfort, racing to triple figures before lunch after he had started the day on 44. Tendulkar pulled Johnson for consecutive fours, sliced Shane Watson over cover with ease and respectfully kept out the most consistent of Australia's bowlers, Ben Hilfenhaus. But the harshest punishment was saved for Hauritz. Even Shane Warne failed to mesmerise Tendulkar and in comparison, he found Hauritz easier to read than a cheap paperback. As well as the two sixes, Tendulkar worked Hauritz effortlessly through the gaps, using his feet with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what was coming. The morning began with Hauritz conceding two boundaries down leg side to Tendulkar and that set the tone for much of the day. By comparison, Vijay was generally not as forceful but was no less important for India. He scored slower than his partner but showed sublime placement on both sides of the wicket and occasionally went over the top against Hauritz. There were echoes of VVS Laxman in Vijay's clips and drives through the gaps, and that is enough to worry any Australian side. Unlike Tendulkar, Vijay did have a couple of nervous moments, including an lbw appeal from Hilfenhaus just after lunch that could easily have been given out. Before the break, Vijay had nearly run himself out in his eagerness to move from 49 to 50 when he pushed to cover, took off and was turned back, and was only saved by a wayward ping from the fielder Hauritz. Had Hauritz simply lobbed the ball to Tim Paine, Vijay would have been out by many metres. Peter George also gave up four overthrows with a high hurl from mid-off that would only have been appropriate had Paine also been 203 centimetres tall. Those efforts epitomised Australia's sloppy and wearying day. The only man who didn't seem tired at stumps was Tendulkar. That's the benefit of 20 years of practice. Tendulkar better than ever Match Result: India won by 7 wickets
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