Dancing down memory lane

Over his long career,Tendulkar has changed in many ways a slide to stop a single now sends him to the sidelines for 12 overs,and his feet dont crash against his body with the same intensity while running between the wickets. But,with bat in hand,he has proved time and again that while he may shift gears,he still remains a refined batting genius. Tendulkars stunning 175,off 141 balls,that guided India to the brink of a historic win against Australia on Thursday was vintage Tendulkar for a number of reasons.

After starting cautiously,scoring the seven runs needed for his 17,000 milestone,Tendulkars first boundary came off a length ball from Ben Hilfenhaus that went sailing over mid-off. In the next over,Doug Bollinger pitched short and was pulled away nonchalantly. In fact,of his other 14 boundaries,most were old-school classics.

For example,both Hilfenhaus and debutant Clint McKay attempted slower deliveries which were smashed over the on-side. His hook shot off Shane Watson cleared the mid-wicket fence,and it was especially his first six that really rolled back the clock. Tendulkar may not have pivoted as dramatically as he had done in Durban against Andrew Caddick in the 2003 World Cup,and the ball may have ended a little straighter,but the stroke instantly brought back memories.

Dancing down

Over the last two decades,a number of spinners including Abdul Qadir and Shane Warne have faced the wrath of a charging Tendulkar. He was 16 when he punished Qadir in Pakistan,and Warne once revealed he was haunted by nightmares of Tendulkar coming down the wicket and sending the ball soaring over his head for a straight six. While neither Nathan Hauritz nor Adam Voges are in the same league,they were subjected to the same treatment on Thursday night. Dancing down the track,he,in fact,hit Hauritz for two consecutive blows over long-off. Standing in the field,Australian skipper Ricky Ponting would have instantly remembered Tendulkars 143 in Sharjah 11 years ago.

But on Thursday,Tendulkar reserved his best shot for the last a cover-drive off Hilfenhaus that dissected cover and mid-off and rushed towards the boundary before the fielders could move. The punch,the raised left-elbow,the position of his feet,and the sound of the ball meeting the bat were all straight out of the Sachin Tendulkar book of batting. The shot was so perfect that the crowd took a few moments to soak it in before erupting into another ecstatic cheer.

Tendulkars innings ended anti-climactically when a mis-timed scoop a shot he has developed more recently ended straight into the hands of short fine-leg with India still not safely home. The rest of the batsmen could not finish the job,and the match was lost by three runs. But the lasting memory of the day was not the result.

Dhoni,when asked if this was his favourite Tendulkar innings,said with Sachin it was difficult . But my favourite has to be the one in Sharjah against Australia,when the match was interrupted by a sandstorm, he said. Former Australian seamer Michael Kasprowicz,who was in the commentary box in Hyderabad,would have agreed. He,too,had been in the middle of a Tendulkar storm that evening.

Another run feast on the cards

Guwahati: The Indian team arrived here on Friday,two days ahead of the sixth ODI,to be played at the Nehru Stadium. Down 3-2 in the series,India need to win both games now to avoid a series defeat against a depleted Australian side.

The pitch and the teams batting form suggests another run-feast is on the cards. The wicket is hard and true and will encourage strokeplay, BCCIs East Zone curator Rahul Das said,adding that 300 would be par score. Das,along with the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) groundsman Sunil Barua,is in charge of the 22 yards at the Nehru Stadium. The outfield is fast but morning dew could be a problem with the early start. With the ball expected to dart around in the morning,both captains might be tempted to chase.

Srikkanth lauds Tendulkar

Chief selector K Srikkanths is still struggling to come to terms with Indias defeat in Hyderabad. After Sachins (Tendulkar) heroics,we should have won the match, Srikkanth said. It was one of the greatest one-day knocks I have seen. It was a privilege to watch his innings…he honoured the game with his 175, he added. Every cricketer should take a leaf out of Sachins book, he said.

Shamik Chakrabarty

More hits than misses

There were serious doubts whether the seven-match India-Australia ODI series would create too much interest in an era when the very future of 50-over cricket is discussed so openly. While two of the games have gone down to the last over,the momentum has shifted from one team to the other on a regular basis in the last two weeks. The pitches have varied and the unpredictable nature of the two teams has only added to the excitement.

Vadodara

Australia seemed to have posted a challenging total after Ricky Ponting,Tim Paine and Cameron White propped them up to 292 for eight. India started poorly,regained control in the middle with Gautam Gambhir leading the way,before collapsing again. Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh had an inspirational partnership,but India blew it away and were beaten by four runs in the last over.

nagpur

The second match had few twists and turns as India dominated from the start,Virender Sehwag and Gambhir providing the perfect platform for MS Dhoni to smash the Australians to smithereens and set up a 355-run target. The visitors never really got going and succumbed to pressure. Ravindra Jadeja impressed with three wickets.

delhi

The pitch at the Ferozeshah Kotla may have been the slowest one ever to be used in an ODI but the match itself had a lot of excitement. The Aussie top-order posted a reasonable 229 for five. India lost three early wickets,leaving Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh to seal the deal with a 148-run partnership.

mohali

The Aussie top-order combined to give a decent platform. Ponting,Hussey and White were among the runs and a big score looked in the offing. India fought back,led by Ashish Nehra and poor Australian running. A target of 251 was achievable but none of the Indian batsmen managed to convert their starts,and the visitors ended up victors.

hyderabad

Australia dominated from the start with their openers posting a huge partnership. Shaun Marsh scored his maiden ton while Michael Hussey and Cameron White cut loose to reach 350 for four. Sachin Tendulkar smashed a 141-ball 175 to bring India within touching distance of a win but Indias lower order imploded and it was heartbreak for the home side again.