For Sachin Tendulkar, its business as usual KOLKATA: Cosmologists believe that the universe, which came into being following a Big Bang about 14,000 million years ago, does not have a centre. Cricketologists are a different breed though. Their universe centres around Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, who has bedazzled inhabitants of Planet Cricket for a quarter of a century with his radiance. It was no different at the Eden Gardens on a sultry Monday morning as the Maestro from Mumbai took the field along with his Team India mates to prepare for the first showdown with the Caribbeans that gets under way on Wednesday. It was business as usual for the Little Master, who started by rolling his arm over before putting his pads on to face an odd assortment of bowlers in the nets, treating each one on merit as he looked to get into his groove for the final leg of his career. There wasnt a single false shot, no display of emotion on his boyish face as he batted for close to an hour, playing pace and spin with consummate ease even as the world around him was going crazy over his imminent retirement. After his final batting stint in the nets against three local novices, Sachin spent some time with Shikhar Dhawan. During their 10-minute interaction, the most capped player in the game answered every query from the one-match-old Dhawan. The left-handed Delhi opener, who missed the last Test against Australia in Delhi through injury earlier this year after having pulverized Clarke and Co with a blistering ton on debut in Mohali, is set to resume his Test career here. He has been in irresistible form in limited-overs cricket, but Test cricket being a different ball game, coach Duncan Fletcher, who also spent time with Dhawan before he got into the nets, clearly wanted the inspirational Sachin to put the youngster in the right frame of mind before the Caribbean test. With Indias young batting brigade burning ODI charts in an adrenaline-pumping seven-match series against Australia, the onus is on Fletcher and other seniors to cool them down for what promises to a battle of attrition against Darren Sammys West Indies on a slow turner that could well turn out to be a killjoy. The spotlight being on Sachin, the bald 22-yard strip being prepared for the match largely escaped attention. A cursory glance at the pitch - left to dry out in bright sunshine - clearly failed to enthuse managements of the two teams. Given the low morale of Indias bowling unit, which took a pasting at the hands of Australian batsmen in the just-concluded ODI series, the home team could well do with five bowlers in pursuit of victory. But with the selectors choosing to rest allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, skipper MS Dhoni will then have to sacrifice a frontline batsman -- a gamble he is unlikely to take. A split attack, comprising two pacers and two spinners, could be the preferred option for Dhoni, who will be hoping that his spinners get more help from the track as the game progresses. It would also allow Rohit Sharma to make his long-awaited Test debut. Sharma, who emerged as Indias Man of the Series against Australia, has already played 108 ODIs and amassed 3049 runs. The bowling slots pose a slight headache for Dhoni, who must choose between leg-spinner Amit Mishra and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to complement R Ashwins off-spin. Mishra could be a potent weapon against a West Indies batting lineup top-heavy with left-handers, but Ohjas experience and consistency could tilt the balance in his favour. The return of Umesh Yadav from injury makes him an automatic choice to share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is a genuine swing bowler. Local lad Mohammad Shami, who impressed all with his exploits with the white ball, may just have to wait. For, the record, Ishant Sharma looked happy to go through the motions during a facile practice session. timesofindia.indiatimes/sports/cricket/series-tournament/west-indies-in-india-2013/top-stories/For-Sachin-Tendulkar-its-business-as-usual/articleshow/25231520.cms
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 15:31:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015