Sachin special: A hundred without a 'drive'
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
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Sachin Tendulkar's hundred - his 46th overall - in the second innings of the Nagpur Test, says Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times, could have been remembered as one of his most meaningful knocks ever but this would also hurt him the most.
Consider the backdrop to his second innings arrival at the crease. He had looked in good nick in the first innings, till Steyn foxed him with a disguised outswinger, lulling him into repeating a drive, which Tendulkar had played successfully in the previous over. The consequences this time around were fatal for the batsman.
What was Tendulkar's response in the second innings? He just refused to take the bait and cut out the drive completely from his shot selection. He had done a similar thing in the 2004 Sydney Test, refusing to play one of his most productive strokes, which on that tour had led to his demise a few times. The amazing part is that despite imposing this severe restriction on himself, which curtailed his run-making ability, he went on to score a double hundred then.
Forget the past and the statistics. India needs VVS Laxman at No.3 because he's currently the best man in a crisis. Essentially, he is a batsman of adversity. Whatever be its shape or place or canvas: Australia anywhere or Pakistan in a foggy, muggy, moth-covered evening in Lahore, writes Sharda Ugra in India Today.
Laxman is one of those cricketers who always seems above the averages, beyond the numbers. He’s a stylist in strife: like one of those Impressionists who stuck their heads out of a train in a monstrous storm to check out the view while painting with one hand.
Jamie Alter is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo