Rising from the horrors of Mumbai
Sachin Tendulkar's epic century in Chennai coincided with the fourth-highest successful chase in Test history
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Sachin Tendulkar's epic century in Chennai coincided with the fourth-highest successful chase in Test history. It will also go down as among the most significant victories for India in the context of the terror strikes which nearly forced an abandonment of the tour.
In the Guardian, Mike Selvey writes that it was karma that Mumbai's most celebrated figure should secure a famous win for his nation in the first Test. He adds that the result was simply meant to be and England should not be disgraced in defeat.
It could not have been scripted more perfectly: a boundary to win the match and complete a century. It had to have been preordained. Had to be. And Tendulkar's articulate, measured summary of what it all meant, even as the euphoria reigned all around him and the adrenalin still coursed through his veins, placed it all into a proper context.
Tendulkar and India's masterclass in Chennai won't just bring smiles to a country shocked by terror strikes, but it will also go a long way in preserving the sanctity of Test cricket, writes Stephen Brenkley in the Independent.
But what then ensued represented the very best of a brand of the game which has been besmirched by a series of cut price offerings parading as the real thing and remains under constant pressure from shorter forms, which are in truth merely quick fixes. Those among us who counselled further delay before resuming this tour were wrong.
During the climactic moments of the Test, the horrors of the Chennai defeat against Pakistan in 1999 weren't forgotten so easily. Tendulkar tells Clayton Murzello of Mid-Day what went through his mind and what he told Yuvraj Singh to make sure history didn't repeat itself.
"Yuvraj played a shot to Monty Panesar which landed in between short mid-wicket and long on. I told him not to do that"
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo