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Tendulkar lifts India
with 31st Test century

Faisal Shariff

India vs West Indies: 3rd Test: Day 4 Kolkata, India

Scorecard

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 31st Test hundred and his first in six Tests at the Eden Gardens and, in the process, inched closer towards saving the Test for India as well as to Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test tons.

With the openers gone for 11 runs on the board, Tendulkar witnessed Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly depart, with India yet to reach the three-figure mark. Relentless in his pursuit of leaving his mark on a poor series, he refused to trudge on mediocrity and batted for most of the day to save his team’s pride. Tomorrow he will endeavour to save the game, which still hangs in the balance.

India’s lead is a mere 56 runs, after ending the fourth day on 195 for 4, with Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, the last recognised batsmen at the crease.

If the Windies get through Tendulkar and Laxman, they could still win the Test and end the series on a respectful 1-2 score line.

As for now, Kolkata is Tendulkar’s Eden.

Morning session

Eight wickets fell in an exciting morning session as India bowled out the West Indies for 497 and were struggling at 51 for 3 in dull conditions.

Harbhajan Singh picked up his 11th five-wicket haul to wrap up the innings, as the last five West Indies wickets fell for 51 runs.

At lunch, India were struggling after Sanjay Bangar, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid dismissed cheaply.

There is little that Virender Sehwag does wrong these days. This morning with two well-set batsmen at the crease and a lead of 88, the 24-year-old part-time offie was asked to begin the day's proceedings.

After smashing a four off the first ball of the day, Chanderpaul, with 140 runs, shaped to play the cut shot, checked his shot and saw the ball loop to Harbhajan Singh at backward point. (450-6)

Skipper Ganguly breathed a sigh of relief at the end of Chanderpaul's marathon innings, which also broke the record 195-run partnership with Marlon Samuels for the sixth wicket.

Samuels ran a quick single to Ganguly at mid-on to get his maiden Test hundred off 180 balls.

Every member in the West Indies dressing room stood up to applaud the feat, just days after the team management had voted to send Samuels back home for breaking the team curfew rules. It was redemption for Samuels -- who had a grim, determined look on his face -- as he showed his bat to the dressing room.

Ganguly swapped Sehwag for Harbhajan and struck gold as Sehwag, at forward short leg, took a sharp bat-pad catch to see the back of Samuels. The Windies were 469-7 at that point.

Kumble trapped Darren Powell in front, and the Windies had lost three wickets in six overs for the addition of just 20 runs.

Ridley Jacobs played a few thumping strokes through mid-wicket to add some invaluable runs and inch the score closer to 500.

Kumble had Jermaine Lawson trapped in front with a yorker-length ball, while Harbhajan Singh completed his 11th five-wicket haul when he surprised Cameron Cuffy with a ball that kicked at him after pitching.

The West Indies failed to reach the 500-run mark, being bowled out for 497. The last five wickets fell for 51 runs and though India came back well in the morning session they will be disappointed with their performance.

India, without Zaheer Khan, struggled in the pace department. Javagal Srinath's return to the side added no weight, while Ashish Nehra struggled to find his rhythm.

Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding felt that the sporting wicket at Kolkata played a part in the West Indies' performance. To allow a side that has lost the series to pile up a total like that showed that the Indians seemed to have relaxed a bit after the series win. Anil Kumble gave away 150 runs for the first time in his career in a single innings.

The West Indies had a crucial lead of 139 runs despite the late order collapse.

Indian innings:

Mervyn Dillon was unhappy with the new ball given to him and asked for it to be changed. The first delivery of the game with the changed ball had Sanjay Bangar swishing at it, getting an edge that flew to Chanderpaul at third slip. Diving to his left, Chanderpaul made no mistake this time, having dropped the same batsman in the first innings.

In Dillon's next over Virender Sehwag drove him to the cover fence and when Dillon bowled one drifting down leg, Sehwag flicked it to the fine leg boundary.

Hooper immediately employed a leg slip and Dillon banged the ball in short again towards Sehwag's ribcage. The batsman walked into the trap and gave Chanderpaul his second catch of the match.

India were 11 for 2, and for the first time were under pressure against the Windies onslaught.

The Eden Gardens wore a stunned silence as Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar found themselves facing a stiff challenge for the first time in the series.

Hooper brought Jermaine Lawson into the attack and his raw pace unsettled the duo before they settled down to play their strokes. Tendulkar released the pressure valve, cover-driving Dillon on the up.

Dravid, who suffered a bad decision by David Shepherd in the first innings, was sent packing by Asoka DeSilva, who ruled him out a LBW. The ball had taken an inside edge on to the pads, and all that an infuriated Dravid could do was walk back to the pavilion

India were tottering at 49-3 at that point, and at lunch were 51-3, trailing by 88 runs, with skipper Ganguly and Tendulkar at the crease.

Post lunch session:

Tendulkar scored his first half-century of the series as India were tested for the first time in the series. With Dravid, Bangar and Sehwag –- the star performers of the series so far -- back in the hut, Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly found themselves at the crease, which has not been too kind to them. Both don’t enjoy a good record here and had not done much in the series to inspire much hope.

Tendulkar drove with authority, looking to score runs and overtake the first innings lead. With single-minded focus, he blunted the Windies attack, well aware that India’s fortunes revolved around him; it hasn’t been like that of-late.

Today, the stage was set with Dravid and Sehwag gone and the possibility of a defeat looming large.

The focus suddenly shifted to Ganguly and his mysterious relationship with umpire DeSilva. For the third time in the series, he was the victim of a glaring umpiring mistake when the ball seemed to have pitched outside off-stump. The delivery from Cuffy would have missed off-stump as well.

The extended use of technology now seems imperative with the increasing frequency of human error in LBW decisions. One-day rankings and other frills can wait; it is time that the ICC looks at the decision early.

Ganguly’s 55-minute stay at the wicket for 16 was authoritative and he seemed set for a huge score on his home ground until DeSilva decided otherwise.

Tendulkar sauntered through for a single to register his half-century in only 85 balls soon after and in the company of VVS Laxman, whose last knock here was easily the best ever by an Indian, set about rebuilding the innings.

Laxman, though batted with caution letting Tendulkar handle the run-making business. Barring an easy straight drive for four, his innings was devoid of the patent stroke-play.

India went into tea at 141 for 4, with Tendulkar approaching a coveted hundred at Eden. Ninety runs were scored in the post-lunch session for the loss of Ganguly’s wicket.

Post tea session:

Tendulkar’s urgency to score runs was Hooper’s only cause for concern. The Windies skipper was well aware of the fact that another wicket would tilt the game in his team’s favour.

The master batsman's stay at the crease brought up each fifty in about 95 balls, which was brilliant for Test cricket. Playing a shot over the point fielder Tendulkar reached 89; then followed it up with another straight four to get into the nineties.

Flicking Powell to the square-leg fence, he was one short of a special hundred. Running a couple after driving Powell on the up past the cover fielder, he achieved his 31st Test hundred.

His hundred, off 159 balls, had wiped out the deficit but the job was still unfinished, as India’s lead was marginal and another wicket could turn the game on its head.

As the day got duller and the light faded quickly, the chances of a result in the game seemed distant. Laxman played a game contrary to his instinct, eschewing the free-flowing strokes and settling to just hold one end up while Tendulkar lit the fireworks.

The duo brought up their 100-run partnership off 184 balls as the umpires pulled out the light meters and called off play with another 18 overs to be bowled.

India had managed 195 for 4 and taken a slim 56-run lead. Tendulkar was unbeaten on 114, off 195 balls, and Laxman was undefeated for a 105-ball 30.