Shuffling between the low and high

In his last four Test innings, Sachin Tendulkar averages no more than two runs an inning. Worse, not a run has come in three of these outing...

In his last four Test innings, Sachin Tendulkar averages no more than two runs an inning. Worse, not a run has come in three of these outings. That8217;s a minor irritant; that the world8217;s best batsman has been walking into the opposition trap is a worry. Roll out the action replays and look at the mode of Tendulkar8217;s recent dismissals. In the six innings on tour, he has fallen LBW four times while twice he has nicked to the wicket-keeper. He may be one of the most adequate batsman of modern times, yet not infallible: is he really picking up the line of the ball? Is he aware of where his off-stump is?

Predominently a backfoot batsman, Sachin8217;s shuffle, some say, is getting him into problems these days. Former Indian off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna, while endorsing the comments made by Sunil Gavaskar and former Windian pacer Andy Roberts, confims: 8220;Since he is mostly making sideways movements with his feet, rather than going forward or backfoot, Tendulkar is getting too much into the line of the ball. If the ball swings or cuts into him, and he tries to whip it across the line, he is a sure candidate for an LBW decision.8221;

Tendulkar: What8217;s wrong?

8220;And if the ball goes away after pitching, just the way Pedro Collins makes it move, Tendulkar is committed to playing it as he gets to the off-stump when facing it. I guess he is shuffling three-four inches too much, this way he will find it difficult to judge whether the ball should be played or left alone,8221; Prasanna reasons.

Another former player, Syed Kirmani thinks besides the shuffle, it8217;s Tendulkar8217;s pre-meditated movement which has hampered him in the series. 8220;His first movement is before the bowler releases the ball. That might work against medium-pacers on flat tracks but if the ball seams or swings, he won8217;t get much time to re-adjust,8221; Kirmani says.

In the first innings at Antigua, Tendulkar had a double movement: his right foot moved towards the off-stump before Collins could release the ball and as he did it once again, it dragged his left one too. As the ball moved further away after pitching, Tendulkar couldn8217;t quite get his bat out of the way; more or less just the way in Barbados8217; first innings. 8220;By committing himself, Tendulkar loses his nimble-footedness. His legs become heavy when he tries to transfer his body weight from one leg to another,8221; feels Prasanna.

8220;He needs a good start,8221; feels former South African quick, and a self-professed Tendulkar fan, Fanie de Villiers. 8220;Tendulkar has become a tentative starter. He should be playing more with a straight bat early on his innings but of late, Tendulkar has developed a habit of playing wristy shots with an angled bat.8221;

8220;But8221;, he adds, 8220;these so-called minor technical shortcomings go against you only when there is a slump in you form; that8217;s the main thing, even Tendulkar is going through a bad phase. If I were him I would make minor adjustments, probably move my feet more, play a lot straighter and get some time in the middle. He is just an afternoon away from another century.8221;