The Hindu : Sport : Tendulkar dedicates his knock to “all Indians”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

Tendulkar dedicates his knock to “all Indians”

Kunal Diwan

Says runs and victories fall way short of healing those bereaved by terror strikes

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

Proving a point: Yuvraj Singh, who in the company of Sachin Tendulkar, ensured a wonderful win for India, drew a lot of praise from the ‘Little Master.’

CHENNAI: Greatness does not render one immune to regret and introspection, especially, when the glorious deeds of the past are speckled with a few painful memories of loss and longing.

The Chepauk Test against Pakistan in 1999 was one such memory for Sachin Tendulkar; his dismissal on that fateful Chennai evening leaving India stranded an inch too far, 12 runs in fact, from the safe shores of what would have been a famous victory.

Nearly a decade after Tendulkar watched his departure lead to a ruinous batting collapse, the plot at Chepauk metamorphosed, yet again, into a battle for survival. And this time, the man, who will always be a boy to all of us, stayed put till the end to guide his country right up to the finish line.

Still retaining a twinkle in his eyes, even after two-decades in the always sapping, at-times cynical world of international cricket, Tendulkar later said that the loss against Pakistan still rankled.

Disappointment remains

“The disappointment of the match against Pakistan will remain, but it is a lesson well learnt if one does not repeat the mistakes of the past.”

For a man who scored his maiden century under duress in the fourth innings of the Old Trafford Test way back in 1990, Tendulkar has often been a victim of sceptical finger-pointing.

Critics, unreasonably, have alleged that not many of his runs have come in crucial, last-innings’ pursuits. Asked how this century would measure up against his other knocks, Tendulkar paused for a bit, understandably, because in a career peppered with innumerable mention-worthy scores, it would be a daunting task to pick out just one or two for selective eulogising.

“It is the dream of any batsman to score a winning hundred in the last innings of a Test match. This one is certainly one of the best because it came in a winning cause. I would rank it right up there alongside my effort in Perth,” he said.

Looking fresh despite the prolonged time he spent in the middle, Tendulkar revealed that the pitch was playing tricks and the loss of a couple of quick wickets may just have led to a different result.

“On a track such as this, one wicket can lead to another. So I decided that I would finish it myself and not leave it to the later batsmen.”

But the going wasn’t all cakes and ale for Tendulkar, who had to brave a torrid hour against Andrew Flintoff. Freddie, all fire and brimstone, threw himself into the contest and came up with a testy, offside-scouring spell in the first session.

“I knew that the runs would come if I hung around. In such conditions, it is important to know which shots will work, and which ones won’t.”

On a more sombre note, Tendulkar dedicated his hundred to “all Indians” and said that runs and victories fell way short of healing the wounds of those bereaved by the Mumbai terror strikes.

“I consider the terror strikes to be an attack on India and not just Mumbai. I would like to thank the England team for agreeing to return for the Test series. As for myself, I had no qualms in playing because I had complete faith in our security arrangements,” he added.

All praise for Yuvraj

Tendulkar also heaped praise on Yuvraj Singh — his partner in the winning 163-run stand — saying that he hoped this effort by the southpaw would silence his detractors from questioning his suitability to Test match cricket.

As for Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar was just happy that he “plays for India and not for the opposition.”

Having finally laid the ghosts of Chepauk to rest, Tendulkar entertained idle post-match chatter of how his career had come “full circle” with this win. But there is still one wrong that remains to be righted, and for that we will have to wait till 2011.

Meanwhile, England captain Kevin Pietersen said that his team had lost despite dominating “70 per cent of the match” and that the positives to come out of this Test for his side were the batting performances of Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood.

“The boys are not happy in the dressing room, but both teams should be proud because they played an enthralling Test match,” he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport