6 short of 200, asked to come back, Sachin says I was ‘surprised’

India’s declaration this evening, with Sachin Tendulkar six short of a double century, has caused a storm here and back in India among ...

India’s declaration this evening, with Sachin Tendulkar six short of a double century, has caused a storm here and back in India among the media, experts and the public. And the batsman himself, in a rare public show of displeasure, said he was ‘‘surprised’’ by the decision.

‘‘So close to it and you can’t achieve it,’’ he said in his opening remarks at the post-match media briefing. Could it be that a senior cricketer like Sachin was not in the loop about planning the Indian innings? ‘‘I was aware that a declaration was round the corner,’’ he clarified, ‘‘but I was taken by surprise.’’

If Tendulkar had got his 200, it would have been his second consecutive double-century in Tests—the last one was 241 not out in Sydney.

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But when Yuvraj Singh’s wicket fell, said Tendulkar, he saw Rahul Dravid calling him and he had to inform the umpires that the declaration was on. No point crying over it though, he added, ‘‘whatever has happened has happened. Can’t do anything about it.’’

A few overs before the declaration, Ramesh Powar was sent on to the field for a lengthy conversation. At that time, Rahul Dravid and the others were dressed in vests; 10-odd minutes later, Dravid was back in his flannels, apparently ready to take the field.

Tendulkar said the general idea had been to declare about an hour before stumps. Which raises the question: was he under the impression that the declaration would come exactly an hour before scheduled close of play? Or was it to be so timed that the Indian bowlers got exactly an hour?

Interestingly, this is the second consecutive Test a leading batsman has been left short of a landmark by a declaration. On the fourth day of the final Test against Australia at Sydney last January, Rahul Dravid was on 91 (and Tendulkar on 61) when Sourav Ganguly called them in to press for a win.

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