Sachin Tendulkar - Back from the dead!

It was interesting to see Laxman criticizing Dhoni’s decision to keep Harbhajan on the sidelines; it was silly coming from a man of Laxman’s stature. Laxman should realize that it was Dhoni who opted for Harbhajan Singh ahead of an in-form Pragyan Ojha. Therefore, suggesting that Dhoni had a hand in undermining Bhajji sounded ridiculous. Moreover, Harbhajan was clearly struggling to find a spot to bowl.

Sample this: Both Ashwin and Harbhajan were bowling in tandem before the fall of the first wicket. While Ashwin was bamboozling the batsmen with his wily deliveries, Harbhajan didn’t seem competent enough, let alone threatening. The same delivery that fetched a wicket for Ashwin was dispatched for a six in Harbhajan’s over. That should suggest the measure of Harbhajan’s mediocrity.

The first Test between India and Australia possesses enough spice as usual. Australians don’t look like they want to go down without a fight. Their skipper Michael Clarke was in full-flow yesterday. It was a treat to watch the ‘successor’ of Ricky Ponting demolish the Indian bowling attack. His nimble foot-work and the elegant timing held him in good stead against the spin trio. He was severe on Ravi Ashwin especially, for wreaking havoc on his side. No loose delivery was spared and Clarke was responsible for the fact that Ashwin gave away too many runs in the latter stages, yesterday.

The stumps were called and the balance stood at dead centre. Day two was touted to have its fair shares of battles and the Indian fans were excited to realize that they were in for a treat as India would most probably be batting within the first hour. But Clarke and Siddle had other ideas as they put up a resilient fight back to keep the Indian bowlers at bay.

The stand was broken eventually, and Ashwin walked away with the honours as he picked up seven wickets in the first essay. He was a class apart as he ripped through the Australian top order. He demonstrated their weakness against quality spin as he stepped up his own performances to put Australia under the sword. Yet, they managed to sneak 380 runs and put India in an uncertain position. The result could swing either way, for Australia’s bowling attack could be lethal on their day.

It was all inconsequential at the end of the day when the Little Master took the centre stage. Whenever he walks out to bat, the whole world blacks out and he remains the focal point of people’s attention. Speculations flow through the air and the critics are ready with the sword to maim Sachin, in case he falls short. The fans behold him with a bated breath and the score, the match and the result become a mundane matter.

People began pondering over his score even before Sehwag started walking. The stadium went mum and the prayers began. Sachin took guard and somehow it seemed like he was assured and at ease as he went about setting himself up to face an in-form bowler.

The first ball was a bowled at a fuller length as Sachin put his foot forward and drove it through the cover boundary. Loud shrills filled the air as the spectators in awe, observing the Master in action. He followed it up with a push through cover-point to make it two in a row. The stadium went berserk this time as the chorus of “Sachin” was chanted throughout the stadium. It was a gentle indication of the treatment that Sachin had in store for the Aussie bowlers.

It would be an insult to restrict his comeback within the adjectives. He was well and truly written off by the pundits and it was only a matter of time before he was given the sack. But he was not ready to forfeit yet, as he played a substantial brand of cricket, one which he was renowned for. He was sure of his stumps and the defense was rock-solid. The manner in which he middled the ball suggested that the Sachin of the old was back to the fore once more.

India was tottering at 12/2 when he walked out to join Cheteshwar Pujara in the middle. It was a precarious position since a couple more wickets could have tilted the balance in the favour of the opposition. It was critical for the pair to hold the fort. James Pattinson was in full-flow as he had rattled the stumps of Murali Vijay only a few balls earlier. Though his wicket of Sehwag could be attributed to the luck factor, the effort cannot be taken away from the bowler. That is why the boundaries seemed even classier than usual. Sachin unsettled Pattinson so much that he was taken off the attack the very next over.

Pujara and Sachin played cautiously without giving anything away. They were circumspect in their approach as they set themselves up for a long day ahead. Pujara was solid as usual and lent support to the Master. They brought up the half-century partnership without a fuss and were set for more before Pujara was cleaned up by Pattinson. But Sachin was unyielding as he strove on along with Kohli who played the second fiddle to the master.

Sachin reached his half-century with a single to the long-on. The reaction from him was touching. He took a moment to take a deep breath as he looked up towards the sky as a ‘thank you’ gesture. It indicated the amount of struggle that he has been going through for the last two years. His commitment towards the game was questioned and today’s answer befits the man who has been the symbol of excellence over the past twenty-five years.

Sachin stands tall at 71 runs and hungry for more. The fans are eager to behold him tomorrow as well. The stadium is going to be thronged by his devotees and the TRP ratings are going to rocket to the skies as Sachin takes guard tomorrow. He is back in form, a relaxing thought for us, and a nightmarish one for the opposition!