The Hindu : Sport : Tendulkar carves out a century

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Sunday, Jul 15, 2007
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Tendulkar carves out a century

Ted Corbett

Yuvraj plays supporting role as India recovers after a collapse

CHELMSFORD: Sachin Tendulkar has come to England to lay down a lasting memorial trail.

If you had any doubt about his intention to fill the summer with glorious images, the last concern was removed at the County Ground on Saturday.

Accompanied by howls and screams and encouragement from his devout followers, Tendulkar arrived with two batsmen out for two, flayed the early youthful England Lions and then settled down to make his 67th first class century.

Century stand

He was 99 at tea but immediately after that he completed his hundred in 190 minutes (140 balls, 13 x 4, 1 x 6). A century stand with Yuvraj Singh saw India at 174 for four off 45 overs in reply to England Lions’s 413 for eight declared.

India will field a Test bowling attack of the two left-arm seamers Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, Sreesanth and Anil Kumble; but batting problems lie ahead even if Steve Harmison misses the first Test.

Tendulkar did not find progress easy. The young Lions followed the animal world and, having smelt blood at three for 14 and four for 65, went in for the kill.

Surviving appeals

Tendulkar had to survive appeals — a half chance to Ravi Bopara at leg slip, and a better offering to Owais Shah at gully. He struggled on, first to fifty off 60 balls with memorable drives through mid-wicket, straight and out of reach of mid-on and then more sedately.

He arrived, looking in some disarray, after Wasim Jaffer had been given out lbw to Geoff Onions and V.V.S. Laxman had been caught off an outswinger on the third ball he faced. The signs of panic were clear. India was two for two and, to judge from the time it took Laxman to settle down at the crease, there was trouble in the dressing room.

Where was error?

We are left to guess what went wrong. A change of batting order, a misunderstood word of guidance; who knows? Whatever, it left Laxman tying shoelaces, adjusting pads and looking flustered and seeming bewildered by Onions’s first two balls and out to the third.

Sachin clipped the sixth ball of that second dramatic over through mid-wicket and the game returned to normal.

But in the fifth over Dinesh Karthik was caught behind and, unwilling to go particularly as he had his back to the umpire when he was dismissed like an unwelcome guest at the wrong party. Sourav Ganguly and Tendulkar batted until lunch at 63 for three but Chris Tremlett caught and bowled Ganguly two runs later and when young Adil Rashid bowled his leg breaks causing hesitation and uncertainty in equal measure, India was not yet 120, still facing a follow-on at 264, no way to prepare for a Test.

Then Tendulkar hit Rashid for four, four and six to reach 80 and establish who was master and who the L-plate kid.

Five years ago, Andrew Flintoff played at Leeds, had a hernia operation afterwards and took much longer to recover than expected and could not go to Australia. The selectors will not want history to repeat, what with Steve Harmison also in need of an operation on his hernia.

SCOREBOARD

England Lions — 1st innings: A. Strauss b Khan 1, J. Denly st Dhoni b Powar 83, O. Shah c Khan b Sreesanth 11, I. Trott c Ganguly b Khan 46, R. Bopara c Karthik b Tendulkar 29, T. Ambrose c Dhoni b Khan 4, A. Rashid c & b Pow ar 0, T. Bresnan (not out) 126, S. Broad c Yuvraj b Sreesanth 50, C. Tremlett (not out) 32; Extras: (b-8, lb-2, nb-21) 31; Total: (for 8 wickets decl; 97 overs) 413.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-62, 3-142, 4-174, 5-184, 6-185, 7-225, 8-354.

India bowling: Zaheer 22-5-119-3, Sreesanth 21-0-76-2, Ganguly 6-2-16-0, Ishant 12-1-61-0, Powar 25-1-96-2, Tendulkar 9-0-24-1, Yuvraj 2-0-11-0.

Indians — 1st innings: D. Karthik c Ambrose b Broad 5, W. Jaffer lbw b Onions 1, V.V.S. Laxman c Ambrose b Onions 0, S. Tendulkar (batting) 102, S. Ganguly c & b Tremlett 14, Yuvraj (batting) 50; Extras: (lb-1, w-1, nb-8) 10; Total: (for 4 wickets; 50.3 overs) 182.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-14, 4-65.

England Lions bowling: Broad 11-2-33-1, Onions 11-1-54-2, Tremlett 10.3-3-34-1, Rashid 5-0-33-0, Bresnan 10-2-16-0, Bopara 3-1-11-0.

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