A pretty face stops play

Each match has its unique way of making you rise to the occasion, said Sachin Tendulkar at a press conference before the Irani Cup at Chennai. As it turned out, it was Sourav Ganguly who provided him with the necessary inspiration, by putting Mumbai in to bat when he had the strongest batting line up in the country - save for Tendulkar's absence - at his disposal. What little green there was in the wicket, was matched only by the look in the eyes of Rest of India's batsmen as Tendulkar and Sairaj Bahutule ground a tired attack into the damp Chepauk dirt.

There's no doubt that people pay to watch Tendulkar bat, and the best value for money is available at the MA Chidambaram stadium. In six Tests at the ground Tendulkar has failed to score a century only twice. He's scored more Test runs here than at his home ground, the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, and his average at Chennai is a better-than-Bradman 102.

No wonder then that the green seats of the pavilion terrace had enough bottoms on them to raise a steady din all day. Clattering away on bucket-seats with an old pair of drumsticks, an irritatingly energetic young supporter made it amply clear that he cared not a damn what happened to the game. He merely wanted to watch Tendulkar bat all day.

That Tendulkar was nowhere near his best had no effect on the enthusiasm of supporters. Every defensive push to mid-off was cheered, every clip off his ample thigh was watched all the way to the fine-leg fielder and every boundary was roaringly acknowledged. Overwhelming support notwithstanding, all was not well with Tendulkar. He cursed himself for repeatedly failing to make contact with his favourite paddle sweep. Even as he sailed passed the milestone of 17,000 first-class runs, this was nowhere near vintage Tendulkar.

The Chennai crowd didn't care though. Sections of the stands were actually packed, waiting for the Tendulkar hundred. If he reached the landmark before stumps, another would follow the next day, they reckoned. When he survived two vociferous shouts for lbw off successive Zaheer Khan deliveries, the crowd booed Zaheer for appealing and one cynic suggested that the lbw rule did not apply to Tendulkar on this ground.

For most of the day Tendulkar was pleased as punch with the crowd. But there was one period shortly after tea that tested his patience. Every little flutter of cloth, every old man walking around looking for coffee, every flag-waving lout, every tiny thing in the crowd caused him to stop play. When a nattily dressed woman in a bright pink top and the latest fashion in sunglasses walked across to the press box to have a word, Tendulkar backed off. Not because she was a pretty face, which she is, but because Meena Dalal, treasurer of the Women's Cricket Association of India, was distracting him.

"The women's season is just about to kick off," said Dalal. "But equally importantly, talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India are going well and our association is likely to merge with them by 2005. That's just what women's cricket needs." Not minutes after she'd said that, the Rest of India side got what they needed. A quick delivery from Zaheer reared off a length, surprised Tendulkar and kissed the outside edge of the bat on the way to Rahul Dravid behind the stumps.

He had spent over four and half hours at the wicket for 94, but Tendulkar was finally gone. All at a sudden, Ganguly's decision to field did not look so bad. As if someone had pulled the plug at the cinema, the stands emptied out. "The story's over, what's left now? You guys might as well pack up and leave," said one man as he walked past the press box. Not the most appropriate thing to say, but then again, not too far from the truth either.