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By Vijay Lokapally
Sachin Tendulkar left behind a frustrating slump to hit an unbeaten 220 in the fourth Test against Australia at Sydney on Saturday. The Mumbai maestro put on 353 for the fourth wicket with V.V.S. Laxman (178) as India piled on 650 for five at close. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan
India 650 for five
The 353-run partnership between Laxman and Tendulkar was the most emphatic statement in a long time vis-à-vis India's reputation of possessing the best batting line-up in the world. This was creative batsmanship at its best, Laxman composing a symphony of his own, and Tendulkar lending him unstinted support, their partnership carrying India's batting standards to unmatched heights. Tendulkar's double century and Laxman's elegant century, his second of this series and second at this venue, carried India to a position of immense strength on the second day of the final Test. India's 650 for five was the highest by any visiting team on Australian soil. It was only the second time Laxman and Tendulkar had come together to craft a big association after the double century stand against the West Indies at home. So furious was the pace that India aggregated 366 runs for the day with young Parthiv Patel joining in the act with a blistering knock in the last session. "It was a treat to watch him from the other end,'' said Tendulkar while Laxman looked at his partner's performance as a "wonderful learning experience.'' What did Ganguly think of them? "Simply outstanding.''
An imposing score
If Laxman was daring and innovative, Tendulkar was authoritative as always, and at times sublime too. Their combined assault decimated the Australians on a warm afternoon as India amassed an imposing total, enough for them to try and win the Test and the series. 
V.V.S. Laxman pulls Stuart MacGill. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan
The stunning exhibition by Laxman and Tendulkar was a classically executed act, scripted meticulously. For those who thought that Laxman was shaky against the short ball, this innings was a firm reminder that here was a batsman who can shake the opposition with his individual brilliance. For those who felt Tendulkar's footwork was not the same, here was an essay that saw the opposition dance to his tune. "A lot of senior players spoke to me and encouraged me. I value their help a lot,'' said Tendulkar on his tortuous journey until this momentous knock. Runs came at a fast pace as India put on 103 in the first session and 108 in the second. The pattern was clear by now and the Australians, despite claiming the new ball, were on their knees in the final session when India plundered 155 runs. It was the best phase of India's batting on this tour after the Laxman-Dravid show at Adelaide. The Australian attack struggled to get the ball past the bat. It was an achievement of sorts if they could beat Tendulkar or Laxman, or even evoke a hurried response from either. The Indians' domination was complete and a tribute to their magnificent state of fitness and mental toughness when dealing with a tenacious opposition. "Australia is a strong side and that's why this innings becomes so special,'' said Tendulkar, who dedicated the knock to his family and brother Ajit. A few records lay buried under the majestic partnership that Laxman and Tendulkar forged. "It's a very, very big innings, especially when you consider I wasn't having a good series. But I knew a big innings was just around the corner,'' said Tendulkar, reflecting on his disciplined contribution that flattened the opposition. Batting looked the easiest thing in the world when Laxman was on strike. He led the charge by playing some astonishing shots with Tendulkar admiring from the other end. "I enjoyed his batting and never tried to copy him because he has a style which is completely different,'' admitted Tendulkar. The genial Laxman responded: "It's his humility. He's the number one batsman in the world.'' Initially Tendulkar was tentative and the Australians looked in with a chance. But Laxman gave the bowlers little respite all the while, whipping them around with his own brand of strokeplay — breathtaking for his fans and demoralising for the opponents. "The ball was coming on nicely today,'' said Laxman, who savaged Brett Lee with a series of astounding strokes.
Contrasting knocks
If Tendulkar was straight and solid, Laxman was audaciously entertaining. Their strokeplay varied. Laxman, reprieved at 177 by Stuart MacGill off Jason Gillespie, revelled in shots at all possible angles. Tendulkar, dropped on 149 by MacGill off Nathan Bracken, denied himself that liberty and concentrated on the good ones from the book. The Aussies had no clue. The knock, Laxman observed, will always be cherished by him for the stage it came on. "It's Steve Waugh's last Test and I have lot of respect for his achievements. I dedicate this century to Steve and also to my parents (Dr. V. Shantaram and Dr. V. Satyabhama) for their sacrifices,'' said an emotional Laxman. There was a calculated method to Tendulkar's innings. It was paced skilfully and his presence meant so much to the team. Laxman departed to a good ball from the hard-working Gillepsie, the only bowler to command respect. The batsman was surprised by the late swing. Ganguly, who left the field for a while to replace his contact lenses, perished in trying to force the pace but Patel filled up the role admirably with a flurry of rousing strokes. The Aussies were bruised and battered by the end of the day, their reputation in tatters and the task ahead as gigantic as any they would have faced during their glorious domination of world cricket.
Gilchrist all praise for India
PTI reports: Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist today said the on-going four-Test series was the "toughest" he had played at home and rated the Indian middle order as "the best batting line-up in the world". "This is easily the toughest series I have played at home against a visiting team. When we were in India in 2001, I rated it the toughest series abroad I had been involved in. So in a way, India has been tough opponents both at home and abroad," said Gilchrist. "This is easily the best batting line-up in world cricket, probably in many, many years. It is rare when all the batsmen are firing as well as the Indians are doing in this series." V.V.S. Laxman's stroke-play during his classic 178 left Gilchrist completely stumped for its sheer beauty and timing. "Everytime he plays against us he comes up with something special and the next thing we read after the series is he is dropped! It leaves me completely bewildered." Gilchrist also praised Sachin Tendulkar who cracked a career-best unbeaten 220. "As for Sachin, well, he played like Sachin. He was very disciplined on the first day and denied himself which I would say made him appear tentative. But he was in his groove today and played a marvellous innings." Gilchrist said though he has often stood behind the stumps for two days running, those had been in rather happier times when his side had enforced a follow-on. "It is different standing behind the stumps when your team is doing well and quite opposite when nothing is going your way." But he did not feel that the Aussies were making mistakes in the field because they were under-pressure from a good batting line-up. "I don't think it is because we are facing the heat in the field that catches are being dropped. In the past we used to pluck half chances and run-outs but I would not say we are missing them because Indians are batting so well."
Fall of wickets: 1-123 (Sehwag), 2-128 (Chopra), 3-194 (Dravid), 4-547 (Laxman), 5-570 (Ganguly). Australia bowling: Lee 36-5-169-2 (nb-17), Gillespie 41-11-112-3 (nb-5, w-3), Bracken 37-13-97-0, MacGill 38-5-146-0 (nb-2), Waugh 2-0-6-0, Katich 17-1-84-0, Martyn 9-1-27-0.
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