The 30th ton: Sachin surpasses Don

Sachin Tendulkar hammered a majestic 185 not out and put on 249 runs with century-maker Saurav Ganguly as they demolished England’s att...

Sachin Tendulkar hammered a majestic 185 not out and put on 249 runs with century-maker Saurav Ganguly as they demolished England’s attack in the third Test on Friday.

The pair gorged themselves in a runs frenzy in the final session, refusing to accept the light in murky conditions as India raced on to 584 for four by the close.

THE BIG THREE-OH!

Sachin Tendulkar after completing his 30th century. Reuters Picture

SCOREBOARD

India (1st Innings)
S.Bangar c Stewart b Flintoff 68
V.Sehwag c Flintoff b Hoggard 8
R.Dravid st Stewart b Giles 148
S.Tendulkar batting 185
S.Ganguly b Tudor 128
V.Laxman batting 0
Extras (b14, lb13, w5, nb15): 47
Total: (for 4 wkts): 584
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-185, 3-335, 4-584
Bowling: Hoggard 36-12-102-1, Caddick 37-5-139-0, Tudor 32.1-10-113-1, Flintoff 27-6-68-1, Giles 39-3-134-1, Butcher 1-1-0-0, Vaughan 1-0-1-0

The final session was so spectacular that Rahul Dravid’s 148 earlier in the day — and Tendulkar’s 30th Test century to overtake Don Bradman’s career total — was almost forgotten.

At the height of the carnage, Ganguly smashed left-arm spinner Ashley Giles for four, six, six, four off consecutive balls, 23 coming off that over, before he was finally bowled for 128 in the twilight by Alex Tudor.

With that, the umpires decided the conditions were unplayable and halted the violence. England had taken the new ball shortly before the end and conceded 91 off 10 overs.

England traipsed off at the close looking dejected and weary, having conceded 348 runs in the day for just two wickets and knowing they faced a marathon battle to save the game against India’s spinners.

India’s ‘Big Three’, in England captain Nasser Hussain’s words, had “come to the party” to save the second Test at Trent Bridge, Tendulkar then making 92, Dravid 115 and Ganguly 99. They returned to the festivities on Friday, only India will be pressing for victory this time to level the four-match series.

Tendulkar, an adopted Yorkshireman after becoming the county’s first overseas signing a decade earlier, had been level with Australian Bradman in the all-time list of Test century makers at the start of the day.

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Only India’s Sunil Gavaskar, with 34 Test hundreds, has scored more. The 29-year-old right-hander has always argued that Bradman was beyond compare. History, however, will surely be more generous one day in mentioning the two in the same breath.

As he walked off, his former Headingley fans rose to him as one. The touring side had resumed on 236 for two, Tendulkar on 18, after the first 55 minutes were lost to rain. They quickly upped the pace after a pedestrian first day.

Dravid, ‘The Wall’, clipped Andrew Caddick’s first delivery, an inviting half-volley, through the leg side to the boundary for the opening runs. He then played down on a delivery outside off stump, running it through the slips for four more.

Tendulkar, ‘The Little Master’, responded in kind, smashing the subdued Matthew Hoggard through extra-cover before turning the next ball off his leg stump to the boards. England, castigated for bowling too short and wide by coach Duncan Fletcher on Thursday, were now overpitching. (Reuters)