Packed Off: A breeze for India as Sachin takes charge

It’s on days like this that Sachin Tendulkar justifies all the hype, the adulation and the pay packet. For his teammates, the Pakistani...

Written by Sandeep Dwivedi

March 2, 2003 12:00 AM IST

1 min read

It’s on days like this that Sachin Tendulkar justifies all the hype, the adulation and the pay packet. For his teammates, the Pakistanis, those in the stands at Centurion and the millions watching back home, he gave a sublime lesson today on the art of deconstructing and demolishing a fearsome pace attack.

His innings paved the way for India to storm into the Super Six round of the world cup by outclassing Pakistan and leaving them on the verge of exiting the tournament. The win — by six wickets, India successfully chasing 274 — leaves the men in blue group runners-up behind Australia and guaranteed of taking vital eight points to the Super Six stage.


Dravid, Yuvraj walk back after conquering Pakistan at Centurion

It seemed Tendulkar had come to the crease with demolition on his mind. Taking strike for once in an obvious statement of intent, he hit a four off Wasim Akram’s first over, Virender Sehwag following suit, before grabbing the game by the neck the next over, from Shoaib.

The second-ball six off the Rawalpindi Express was a fitting riposte to his ‘‘I will have a go at the Indians’’ taunt. He cut with an open blade for six over backward point, then flicked the next ball to square leg for four and, next ball, checked a drive through mid-on for another breath-taking boundary.

Clashes in Gujarat
Back home, celebrations in Ahmedabad led to violence and a youth was killed in the sensitive Shahpur locality when police opened fire to scatter mobs pelting stones at each other. (ENS)

That was his opening line in a script which, unsurprisingly, had a hint of Bollywood to it. Towards the end of that knock he was limping, from cramps and a thigh strain, and, as he walked off two short of another century, he would have been reminded of the Test against Pakistan at Chennai when, playing with a backache, he scored a century and took India within sniffing distance of a win only to end up on the losing side. This, though, is New India and he has more able lieutenants to carry on his good work. First Kaif and than Yuvraj played knocks which were as vital as Sachin’s 98. And, after Sachin’s departure, Dravid took on the role of the mature elder partner.

And, as a disintegrating Pakistan side, under a disillusioned captain, went through the motions — which included lots of angry gesticulations — India walked off the field and into the Super Six.

Preaching what they practised? Commentators as cricketers

It’s one World Cup battle that hasn’t been written about much, yet has caused a great deal of resentment . This is the skirmish between the Indian cricketers and the Indian commentators, brought into sharp focus by Saurav Ganguly calling them ‘‘jokes’’, not meant to be taken seriously. Even the reticent Javagal Srinath had a go at them for inciting passions at home with their strident criticism. Well, the commentators have a job to do and operate within the bounds of free speech but, just to put things in perspective, here are their own one-day playing records.

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NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU (1987-98)
M Runs HS SR
136 4413 134* 69.72
The Patiala Punster has cred, all right, and a World Cup century against Pakistan

SUNIL GAVASKAR
(1975-87)
M Runs HS SR
108 3092 103* 62.26
Not that hot in the one-day game, but he speaks from the commanding heights of 34 Test centuries and more than 10,000 runs

K SRIKKANTH (1981-92)
M Runs HS SR
146 4091 123 71.73
Not as good as nostalgia allows us to believe — a strike rate in the early 70s — but as fast a talker as he was a fielder

ARUN LAL (1981-89)
M Runs HS SR
13 122 51 52.58
Speaks from the experience of…well, almost no one-day experience. Doesn’t seem to hold him back

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SANJAY MANJREKAR (1987-97)
M Runs HS SR
74 1994 105 64.30
His talking style matches his batting style: measured, cautious, not lacking depth

RAVI SHASTRI (1981-93)
M Runs HS SR
150 3108 109 61.07
The best of the lot, fittingly for someone crowned ‘Champion of Champions’ Down Under in 1985

ANSHUMAN GAEKWAD (1974-88)
M Runs HS SR
15 269 78* 52.84
See: Arun Lal, above (and being a coach doesn’t count)

L SIVARAMAKRISHNAN (1984-88)
M W Best Econ
16 15 3-35 4.26
Spinning webs around bewildered Englishmen was his forte; he did it 23 times in his debut home series. Not that hot at spinning tales, though

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VENKATESH PRASAD (1993-2002)
M W BB Econ
161 196 5-27 4.67
The most contemporary of the commentators often goes wide of the mark with language and delivery. Which prompts one question: where will the next generation of commentators come from?

ROBIN SINGH (1988-2001)
M Runs HS SR
136 2336 100 74.30
Brings his Caribbean style of batting to the TV; a lisping faux-Bajan lilt that’s pleasing to the ears

CHETAN SHARMA
(1983-95)
M W BB Econ
65 67 3-22 4.94
No matter what he says or does, is forever redeemed by that hat-trick at Nagpur (Shamya Dasgupta)

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