Nightmare of a tour

Tendulkar and Indias poor show continues as hosts dismiss half the side in 33 overs.

Not once during his 34-ball stay on the pitch on Saturday did Sachin Tendulkar face James Anderson,the bowler who has got him out eight times before this Test. But even keeping a distance from his nemesis couldnt ensure a comfortable stay at the crease,despite the shortness of the duration. Such are the times the situation of the series and the contrasting mindsets of the two teams that merely being English was enough for a bowler to outplay the most distinguished batsman in Indian cricket.

All that the home bowlers did was to make sure that the trend started by their batsmen continued in good tradition that of tightening the lasso around India’s neck. The Indians were a distant second in both departments of the game,as they crawled past the three-figure mark for the loss of five wickets by stumps on Day Three. Earlier in the day,and thanks to Ian Bell’s maiden double hundred,England declared at 591/6. The only time the visitors got a reprieve of punishment all day from the all-conquering English was during the rain break shortly after lunch.

Tendulkar’s struggle symbolised how reputations based on staggering Test experience and mammoth run counts have mattered little against a side who had their eyes set on No.1,and who are now placed at that position. On Saturday,Tendulkar was someone who gave a chance to every bowler he faced Stuart Broad,Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann moments to cherish and brag about for a long time.

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Broad will surely boast endlessly about the mean short ball that he bowled to Tendulkar,one that smacked him flush on the helmet. The pacer has the right to exaggerate about that delivery that climbed sharply and,in a rare cricketing moment,caught the batting legend by surprise. It’s not every day that Tendulkar turns his head away from a bouncer,squeezing his eyes shut.

Broad probably won’t be able to massage his ego all evening in the dressing room,for Bresnan will surely need to have his say. The Yorkshireman though will rue the fact that he couldn’t latch on to the return catch on his follow-through. Tendulkar had played an uppish drive that rushed to the right of the bowler,but Bresnan was unable to change direction quickly enough.

Swann on song

But eventually,it had to be Graeme Swann who would lend the punchline to the Tendulkar tales on Saturday evening. The off-spinner could very well start with his second ball to Tendulkar,one that was paddled away for a four. The stroke may have been a perfect,middle-of-the-bat hit,but that’s when Swann saw a window of opportunity that no one else did. Sweeps,by nature,are risky shots,and Swann a cut above the average joe in cunningness is too sly to miss such signs.

In the next over,Swann tempted Tendulkar to repeat the sweep. With a hunch that it could be a premeditated paddle,the ball was released with a heavier tweak. This resulted in the ball dipping shorter than what Tendulkar expected,and bounced more than he anticipated. As it turned out,the dummy was sold. The sweep brushed the glove and lobbed into the hands of James Anderson (can’t keep him away from a Tendulkar dismissal) at slips. In the process,Swann became the third England bowler to go home with a Tendulkar wicket to his name on this tour.

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No one,not even the harshest critic,could have imagined such a miserable tour for Tendulkar,especially since it began in a cloud of hype around his hundredth 100. The hundredth sure has remained elusive,but what is more disillusioning is the fact that when scoring double tons has become the norm for the English batsmen this series,Tendulkar has a sum total of 182 runs,in seven innings.

But Tendulkar’s dip in form has seen Rahul Dravid get his due. Finally. Once again,he stayed afloat despite opening the innings (again) and the crumbling chaos around him. During his 108-ball unbeaten 57,Dravid proved that his technique is by far the most suited for tough conditions among Indian batsmen,and also that he was more prepared than the rest.

Dravid’s defence wasn’t as loose as Virender Sehwag’s,who was lbw after hitting two fours in the first over of the innings (for the third consecutive time). Unlike VVS Laxman,Dravid could withdraw the bat away from outswinging balls. He could keep his foot behind the crease when playing a forward defensive stroke,something Suresh Raina couldn’t. Dravid could also keep the ball down while sweeping.

On this tour,merely being English may be enough to snuff out the legends,but clearly not enough to dismiss Rahul Dravid.