Marathon man at it again
It was surely not as authoritative a century as many of his others, but still a brilliant one considering the attack and in the context of the match. Subhash Rajta reports.Scorecard|Sachin's ton | 51 tons and rising | Sachin unplugged
It was surely not as authoritative a century as many of his others, but still a brilliant one considering the attack and in the context of the match.
The Cape Town crowd couldn't have asked for more. The Test has barely moved beyond the halfway mark, and they have already seen performances that they will remember and cherish for their lifetime.
A day after their beloved Jacques Kallis and Sreesanth --- the one they love to hate --- regaled them with extraordinary efforts, they were in for a treat with Sachin Tendulkar and Dale Steyn dishing out spectacular stuff.
The Indian maestro raised the mountain of his centuries a notch higher by adding one more to it, even as the South African paceman came up with an astonishing display of swing bowling. Steyn breathed fire all day and swung the ball so menacingly that India should consider themselves lucky to have finished at 364, two runs ahead of South Africa. The hosts, in reply, were 52 for 2 at stumps.
It was the gruelling contest between the two that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. The face-off started the moment Steyn beat Tendulkar with the very first delivery of the morning. Even as the South African charged in liked an enraged bull, Tendulkar soaked in the pressure and treaded on.
If the first encounter between the two in the morning session was intense, the one on either side of lunch was classic. Tendulkar, by then, had quickly moved to 94 from 59.
|
|