Sachin’s Svengali: He’s letting his elbow get to him

If there’s one man in India who can rightly claim to know the workings of Sachin Tendulkar’s cricketing mind, it’s Ramakant A...

If there’s one man in India who can rightly claim to know the workings of Sachin Tendulkar’s cricketing mind, it’s Ramakant Achrekar. His coach since schooldays, Achrekar — on a private, health-related visit to the city — was unhappy about Tendulkar’s sudden loss of form.

And, though Achrekar wasn’t at the ground, Tuesday was one more example of how the little champion is struggling to display his old flourish. he had an explanation for it. ‘‘Sachin’s problem today is his lack of concentration. He is getting just a bit too conscious about his tennis elbow injury,’’ Achrekar told The Indian Express. ‘‘And, with that, the bowlers are also targeting his elbow.’’

Is there a way out? ‘‘He just has to shut out the injury from his mind and play freely and that would be the best way to come back into form,’’ reckoned Achrekar.

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For the length of his innings today, Tendulkar lacked the usual flourish as he just couldn’t execute the classic drives. The South Africans had planned for him as they just didn’t give him any room to play his shots, instead concentrating on and around the off-stump.

He left quite a few half-volleys alone, preferring to just pat them back rather than making the bowler pay. Of the three boundaries that he scored today, one of them summed up his struggle: He just nicked the ball between wicket-keeper Thami Tsolikele and first-slip Graeme Smith as it raced away to the boundary.

And he was dismissed when playing a loose shot away from his body; a batsman usually plays away from the body when he is off-form.

Tendulkar has now spent close to eight months without a hundred and close to two years without a hundred at home (the last, incidentally, was at Eden Gardens against West Indies in 2002-03).

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The record-equalling 34th hundred has eluded him once again but coach Achrekar has a remedy. ‘‘He just has to cut out on a few matches and get back to practice. The schedules have not made it easy for him to go and do just that.’’

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