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This is an archive article published on October 15, 1999

We will wait for our day, says Tendulkar

SAS NAGAR (MOHALI), OCT 14: Nobody was smiling at the end of five days of topsy-turvy cricket today. Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming was rel...

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SAS NAGAR (MOHALI), OCT 14: Nobody was smiling at the end of five days of topsy-turvy cricket today. Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming was relieved for having saved the game with his obdurate batting, while Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar was disappointed at not being able to pull it off, especially after a 360-degree Indian turnaround.

“Yes, I am not satisfied with the end result. Still, I am happy with the efforts the guys put in. They tried their best. There were some half chances but…We will wait for our day,” Tendulkar said after the match.

“The New Zealanders batted well under the circumstances. There was not as much turn as we had expected on a fifth day pitch,” he added.

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Indian coach Kapil Dev echoed Tendulkar’s sentiments but felt “it could have been better. We made silly mistakes (batting) on the first day, allowing New Zealand to take a firm grip. But the boys fought back and that is a good sign. I am impressed with the newcomers in the side. It’s not a bad start.”

There was somesuspense over Tendulkar’s handling of left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi today. Asked why Joshi was “underbowled”, Tendulkar said: “You have to take it spell by spell. There are times when you are not bowling well in a particular spell. Anil Kumble bowled better.”

Fleming, while giving full credit to Srinath’s burst in the first innings and Rahul Dravid (“I would love to have him in the New Zealand team”) and Tendulkar’s batting in the second, felt his side gained a lot from the Test. “We played the spinners pretty well under pressure. That’s a good sign. We worked on our defence before coming here and cut down on unwanted aggresiveness. Also the wicket here was a slow turner. We are actually grateful for that,” Fleming jokingkly remarked.

Meanwhile, there will be no changes in the team for the next Test. “Was Azhar discussed in the meeting? asked a scribe. “No. We are happy with the new comers and want to give them a longer run,” chief selector, Chandu Borde informed.

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