Sachin resuscitates a tottering India

Yet, it needed a Tendulkar to script a decent reply to a bits and pieces English outfit called England Lions on the second day of the three-day warm-up match here today.

The Lions chalked up 413 for eight and were at the crease till half an hour into the second day before declaring.

India were down to 14 for three before rearguard action came in Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. And then the Tendulkar century. Sample these: “He’s still the best in the world,” said one blogger, and to contest it, the other cricket fan posted, “no he’s just a flat track, minnow-bashing bully.”

On Saturday morning in England, the moment Sachin Tendulkar had caressed a Graham Onions delivery straight down the wicket for a boundary, they knew the day was in for something special.

For a neutral with no baggage of the past and no apprehensions about the future, the signs were already there that entertainment was on the cards. The way Tendulkar had managed to middle the delivery, connecting it to the sweet-spot and nudging it effortlessly down to the ropes, comments starting getting posted thick and fast.

140 deliveries later, 12 boundaries more and a straight six off leg-spinner Adil Rashid, Tendulkar reached his century here at the County Ground in Chelmsford, signalling a warning of sorts to England who prepare to bowl to him in the first Test at Lord’s starting 19th and wiping off his two-match trail of succumbing in the nervous nineties.

To the eternal cynics though — and there are many in England — the innings remained more of a mystery than fulfilment. If Tendulkar can bat the way he did here at Essex then why has he made millions of his fans round the world wait in such desperation to watch him in full flow? Tendulkar’s last three innings, if one has to leave out the final game against South Africa in Belfast, have seen him in magical form, fetching 93 and 99 in the first two one-dayers, in testing conditions. But more importantly, it has been about the way he has gone about with his batting that calls for a mention. At the County ground on Saturday, like he did against South Africa, the 34-year-old played his shots all round the park with swagger much like the days of the young Sachin.

More than just batting or rather some exceptional display of it, Tendulkar’s innings marked the composure with which he was ready to take on the responsibility after India were left tottering early. Yuvraj Singh was the second highest scorer with 59 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is batting on 44, India on 336 for seven at stumps.

Scoreboard

England Lions (1st innings overnight 379 for eight) : A Strauss b Khan 1, J Denly st Dhoni b Powar 83, O Shah c Khan b Sreesanth 11, I Trott c Ganguly b Khan 46, R Bopara c Karthik b Tendulkar 29, T Ambrose c Dhoni b Khan 4, A Rashid c & b Powar 0, T Bresnan not out 126, SC Broad c Yuvraj Singh b Sreesanth 50, C Tremlett not out 32; Extras: (b-8, lb-2, nb-21) 31; Total: (for 8-wkts, dec; 97 overs) 413

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-62, 3-142, 4-174, 5-184, 6-185, 7-225, 8-354

Bowling: Khan 22-5-119-3, Sreesanth 21-0-76-2, Ganguly 6-2-16-0, Sharma 12-1-61-0, Powar 25-1-96-2, Tendulkar 9-0-24-1, Yuvraj 2-0-11-0.

Indians (1st innings): D Karthik c Ambrose b Broad 5, W Jaffer lbw b Onions 1, VVS Laxman c Ambrose b Onions 0, S Tendulkar c Shah b Onions 171, S Ganguly c & b Tremlett 14, Yuvraj c Strauss b Broad 59, M Dhoni batting 44, R Powar b Bopara 4, Zaheer Khan batting 18; Extras: (b-4, lb-4, w-2, nb-10) 20; Total: (for 7-wkts; 80 overs) 336

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-14, 4-65, 5-205, 6-304, 7-317

Bowling: Broad 16-2-54-2, Onions 17-3-68-3, Tremlett 13-4-40-1, Rashid 12-0-90-0, Bresnan 16-2-46-0, Bopara 6-1-29-1.