Curtain raiser: Sightscreen lifted at Tendulkars request

Sachin Tendulkar revealed on the eve of his record-breaking 169th Test,that the secret to his unprecedented success over two decades lay in his attention to detail and thorough professionalism when it came to match preparation....

Sachin Tendulkar revealed on the eve of his record-breaking 169th Test,that the secret to his unprecedented success over two decades lay in his attention to detail and thorough professionalism when it came to match preparation.

On Sunday,Tendulkar noticed that the sightscreen,at the Air Force Flats End of the P Sara Oval,the venue of the third Test,wasnt high enough. He was worried about not sighting the delivery when a tall bowler runs in from an angle.

It is not the first time that Tendulkar had requested that the sightscreen be altered. Back in 2005 Tendulkar had made a similar request with regard to the Mohali sightscreen,which he once again repeated a year later in Karachi. The office bearers of the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club TUCAC at the P Sara Oval,Sri Lankas oldest cricket venue,didnt expect such a request from the Indian maestro,as they couldnt remember any batsman complaining about the height of the sightscreen prior to this.

They were hence caught in a catch-22 situation. While they wanted to concede to Tendulkars request,it also meant that two of their committed sponsors a bank and a milk product company would now be covered. Incidentally,the sponsoring bank is also the main sponsor of TUCACs teams.

However,the venue has a rich cricketing history with Don Bradman playing here in 1948 and batting on a 20-yard wicket that was prepared following an oversight from the curator and groundsmen.

So when ICC match referee Andy Pycroft informed the officials at the club that Tendulkar wanted the height increased,they readily agreed. Monetary loss,in the meanwhile,was put on the backburner.

Tony Perera,the CEO of TUCAC,said,We were under pressure to increase the height of the sightscreen once the match referee informed us about Tendulkars request. After all the Don too had graced this ground and now Tendulkar is playing his record Test match,which will make him the most capped player. Yes,the sponsors wont be too happy but we are in talks with them.

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Indian skipper MS Dhoni confirmed that the request that was made by Tendulkar. Sachin is short and when you have a taller bowler bowling to him,the hand crosses the sightscreen. So yes it is true that we have asked for it to be a little taller.

By late evening,the sightscreen was increased by approximately 15 feet and the sponsor boards were covered. If I recall right,this is the first time we are doing such a thing. Only once before was the logo of a sponsor partly covered because Thilan Samaraweera had put in a request during a match, a senior club member said.

Tendulkar was doing only what is his second nature 8211; preparing well. My preparations are such that I am out there to deliver and do my best at all times. For that,the pre-match preparation is extremely important. Sometimes I was able to achieve results,sometimes I wasnt,but my preparations were always there. Im really proud of it, Tendulkar said,a day before the final Test.