Majestic Tendulkar

Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald says Sachin Tendulkar's hard work during practice showed on the first day of the third Test against Australia at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

Before the Delhi Test, Sachin Tendulkar spent hours in the nets facing a shaved and taped tennis ball fired at him by the coach. Concerned about his technique against swinging and rising deliveries, and aware that the pitch was likely to be faster than forecast, he wanted to be prepared. To that end, he ironed out the kinks that had crept into his game. Twice he had lost his wicket to loose strokes and once to an outswinger. It was not good enough.

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Tendulkar was majestic. Indeed, he has seldom batted better. Called to the crease after Rahul Dravid had indulged in an indiscretion that imperils his position, Tendulkar swiftly settled into his work. Immediately, it was obvious that his mind was alert and his feet were moving quickly into position. As usual, he broke his duck with a neat tuck to leg. Lots of players can improvise on the front foot but none are as creative as the Indian when stepping back. Several times he retreated, examined the ball and, finding nothing untoward, directed it into a gap. Often he was happy to take a single, a currency he has never undervalued. Now and then he pressed for more, once leaning back to guide the ball over the slips, a daring offering previously reserved for one-day matches. It was an astonishing stroke to play on the first morning of a vital Test, and a bad sign for the visitors.

At times you could have fooled yourself into thinking that it was the irrepressible teenager of Perth 1992 vintage batting, and not the 35-year-old veteran who was supposed to be on his last legs. Click here to read more on Tendulkar's innings.

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