The Hindu : Sport : Sachin falls short of a landmark

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 11, 2005

Sport

Sport

Sachin falls short of a landmark

By S. Dinakar

REWARD FOR HARD WORK: Danish Kaneria exults after dismissing Sourav Ganguly. — Photo: S. Subramanium

MOHALI, MARCH 10. The crowd erupted as the ball travelled off the blade and then there was a hush as Asim Kamal emerged gleefully from gully. Sachin Tendulkar winced as he began his walk back. Just a stroke away from a Test record 35th hundred, the maestro had opened the face of the bat to a regulation delivery from paceman Rana Naved-ul-Hasan only to see the catch being snapped up.

On the third day of the first TVS Cup Test at the PCA ground Tendulkar's progress towards a rare batting feat proved engrossing. Virender Sehwag (overnight 95) rattled up an entertaining 173 as India reached 447 for six, to stretch its lead to 135.

However, India's run rate dropped in the second half. For Pakistan, the second new ball taken after 120 overs, fetched two late wickets, including the prize one of Tendulkar.

V.V.S. Laxman, under pressure, will resume on a pleasing 33, with two strokes — an on-drive off a leg-break from Kaneria and a square-drive off the back foot off Rana — showing why he is such a gifted batsman.

In the morning, Sehwag reached his hundred with a steered brace off Rana and there was a warm hug for him from non-striker Rahul Dravid. This was the punishing Delhi batsman's ninth Test hundred in 32 matches, underlining his value at the top.

Dominant Sehwag

Sehwag's dominant ways also dent the confidence of the bowlers, who switch mentally from attempting to grab wickets to trying to prevent the runs being scored. By scattering the attack, this intrepid batsman makes things easier for his partner as well.

The rate of scoring invariably drops after Sehwag's dismissal and the pressure gradually builds on the line-up. While his footwork is still questionable, the manner in which he dismantles an attack shows how much his hand-eye coordination, reflexes and sheer bravado work for him.

Defensive methods

Pakistan's methods were once again defensive and it was intriguing why there was just one slip for Rana after just half an hour's play. Inzamam, rightly, had the swing bowler operating from the city end and bowling into the wind was bound to help Rana's outswing. But the skipper should have backed his bowlers more on the field.

Dravid (overnight 39), who continued to bat fluently to reach a half-century, could not keep a back-foot push off Mohammed Sami down and Kamal made no mistake at gully. The partnership between Sehwag and Dravid was worth 103 in 213 balls.

Sehwag greeted Abdul Razzaq's introduction by smashing him straight for a six, and Tendulkar appeared in fine touch too, gloriously driving Kaneria through the covers. However, the maestro might have been fortunate to survive a vociferous appeal for a bat-pad catch at silly point off the next delivery.

Re-look needed

Tendulkar soon drove Razzaq to the point and cover boundaries and, with both Sehwag and Tendulkar piercing the gaps, the Indian innings leapt from 250 to 300 in only 38 deliveries. The Pakistani think-tank will need to have a re-look at the composition of its pace-attack. Sami, Rana and Razzaq are all right-arm pacemen, and with none appearing a match-winner, the visitor needs to bring in more variety into the bowling, which could be in the form of left-armer Mohammed Khalil.

India went to lunch at 318 for two, with a whopping 134 runs added in the morning session. Sehwag was on 166, and Tendulkar on 47 at the break. The Indian innings had just begun to gain momentum.

On resumption, the Mumbaikar, who used the paddle sweep effectively to counter Kaneria, got to an entertaining half-century (off 78 balls) but Sehwag miscued a pull off a short ball from Razzaq to mid-on. The third-wicket pair had added 118 runs in good time.

Slump in run rate

The Indian scoring rate slumped after Sehwag's departure. Tendulkar adopted more defensive tactics and Sourav Ganguly — he was caught at first slip off a no-ball from Sami and then put down at gully off the next delivery — looked tentative. The Indian captain was finally picked up at silly point off the otherwise luckless Kaneria, who in a lionhearted spell, sent down 32 overs from the city end.

Then came Tendulkar's dismissal. Probably the pressure of reaching a major landmark was weighing on the great batsman's mind and he consumed 124 balls to progress from 50 to 94.

Dinesh Kaarthick erred in not playing with a straight bat towards the end of the day, and his uppish flick was gobbled at square-leg. The Pakistanis regrouped in the second half of the day, but it's still advantage India. The weather might yet hold the key to this Test. When play concluded, dark clouds covered the skies. The match begins at 9.30 a.m. on Friday.

Sehwag disappointed

Virender Sehwag said the Indian team was disappointed that Sachin Tendulkar missed his 35th Test century by a whisker. "We were all looking forward to it."

Despite notching up a big-hundred, Sehwag said he had wanted to bat for a longer period. The Delhi cricketer said India would be seeking to extend the lead to around 250 by lunch and then put the Pakistanis in. He did not expect the Pakistan batsmen to save the match from that situation.

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