Clones in distress

18.1 overs: Anderson to Tendulkar

Tendulkar attempts to drive a ball outside the off-stump only to edge it to wicket-keeper Jones

Against the same bowlers, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh negotiated skillfully to ward off any threat that might have occupied the minds of the two earlier batsmen 8212; Sehwag and Tendulkar. On a typically sultry Sunday afternoon, the jampacked Wankhede Stadium was witness to the miseries of India8217;s two most exciting batsmen who looked like clones in distress.

India were 89/3 at stumps and, if not for some defining moments from Dravid and Yuvraj, they would have been in real dire straits. It is not that India are out of the woods yet. But what is surprising is that on a pitch where the Indian bowlers toiled for a day and a half to get 10 England wickets, it took just 18 overs for England to consume three top-order batsmen 8212; all in similar fashion.

Playing conditions were certainly not what the England pace trio of Hoggard, Flintoff and Anderson are used to. The wicket was unassuming, the weather humid and England8217;s confidence shattered by the absence of Steve Harmisson.

Yet, the trio kept the speed-gun busy, pitching the ball just short of good length and maintaining a precise middle or little outside the off-stump line. Indians were certainly made to feel uneasy and their own lack of confidence leading to the downfall.

Sehwag was dismissed by Hoggard for the third time in five innings in this series and has been the bowler8217;s bunny on six occasions until now. The bigger predicament, at the moment, nevertheless is watching Tendulkar bat.

Flintoff was consistently clocking in the 142kmph-plus range and Hoggard, though a few yards slower, had the bounce and the lethal dip. The two along with new boy Anderson made Tendulkar wait for his first run for 14 measured deliveries before the Mumbaikar scurried for a single. Seven balls later, he was walking back, staring at his feet that had failed to move in line with the ball as he attempted a feeble drive.

This was a significant outing for the great batsman. It was his backyard and a historic moment but it all boiled down to another poor score. With a highest score of 28 not out from the last nine innings until now, it8217;s time for introspection for the captain, coach, selectors and the man himself.

India head to the West Indies after this series, where they will play the World Cup next year. Tendulkar is definitely not in the best of form, at least in the longer format of the game. If he does actually intend to keep himself unsullied, fit and in form for what could be his last World Cup, a break from the Caribbean trip might do a world of good to the batsman. Maybe, it will also keep him in good nick for the big event. After all, staying fit and fresh for the World Cup makes sense than putting himself under stress to play the Tests there despite his lack of form doesn8217;t.