22:54
Cricket Analysis
Tendulkar's 100th 100 deserves a win
New Delhi: Yes, it was agonisingly close, but Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal on 91 on day five of the Oval Test on Monday was almost poetic justice. You could say it was cruel that his best performance in the series came on the last day of the last Test, but his hundred surely should not have come as just a footnote in a series that has been forgettable for him and for Team India.
The fans may scream that Tendulkar's hundred could have saved the game for India. But put your hand on your heart and you will know that the more important wicket on Monday was that of Amit Mishra. Great knocks that yield result need great support. They need a partnership and once Mishra departed in the second session of play, it was just a matter of time before the other Indian wickets fell like nine pins.
In the last one decade, India have pulled out hares from the hat. But the miracles haven't been created by one person alone. If VVS Laxman fought, Rahul Dravid supported him. If Rahul Dravid hit a double hundred, the others followed him to three-figure marks. If Virender Sehwag set up a chase, Tendulkar completed the task with a hundred.
Test cricket is about playing as a team. It's about winning as a team. And India were hardly the team that looked on a mission in England. So while Tendulkar missing out on his hundredth international hundred is surely a heartbreak, India losing its No. 1 Test status with consistent spineless performances is a bigger one.
There is no denying that with the amount of cricket scheduled, Tendulkar will get to the landmark figure soon enough. Not only does it need to come against a worthwhile opposition, but it needs to come in a winning cause as well. For far too long, there have been debates over whether Tendulkar's hundreds come in a winning or losing cause. The 100th hundred deserves to be spared of that debate. It should be an occasion to celebrate, and not one to find solace in when sorrow surrounds you.
Tendulkar's hundredth hundred will definitely be the pinnacle of his 21-year-old career and will bridge generations. After all hitting a 100 runs, hundred times is something special. It needs a special moment. It needs a cosmic union and the gods are waiting.
They say the gods answer prayers in three ways. They say 'yes' and give you what you want. They say 'no' and give you something better. They say 'wait' and give you the best in their own sweet time.
Tendulkar's 100th hundred is still a work in progress. It is being crafted with love and patience. It will be gilded. It will stand the test of time. And it will be unveiled when the gods think the time has come.
New Delhi: Yes, it was agonisingly close, but Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal on 91 on day five of the Oval Test on Monday was almost poetic justice. You could say it was cruel that his best performance in the series came on the last day of the last Test, but his hundred surely should not have come as just a footnote in a series that has been forgettable for him and for Team India.
The fans may scream that Tendulkar's hundred could have saved the game for India. But put your hand on your heart and you will know that the more important wicket on Monday was that of Amit Mishra. Great knocks that yield result need great support. They need a partnership and once Mishra departed in the second session of play, it was just a matter of time before the other Indian wickets fell like nine pins.
Test cricket is about playing as a team. It's about winning as a team. And India were hardly the team that looked on a mission in England. So while Tendulkar missing out on his hundredth international hundred is surely a heartbreak, India losing its No. 1 Test status with consistent spineless performances is a bigger one.
There is no denying that with the amount of cricket scheduled, Tendulkar will get to the landmark figure soon enough. Not only does it need to come against a worthwhile opposition, but it needs to come in a winning cause as well. For far too long, there have been debates over whether Tendulkar's hundreds come in a winning or losing cause. The 100th hundred deserves to be spared of that debate. It should be an occasion to celebrate, and not one to find solace in when sorrow surrounds you.
Tendulkar's hundredth hundred will definitely be the pinnacle of his 21-year-old career and will bridge generations. After all hitting a 100 runs, hundred times is something special. It needs a special moment. It needs a cosmic union and the gods are waiting.
They say the gods answer prayers in three ways. They say 'yes' and give you what you want. They say 'no' and give you something better. They say 'wait' and give you the best in their own sweet time.
Tendulkar's 100th hundred is still a work in progress. It is being crafted with love and patience. It will be gilded. It will stand the test of time. And it will be unveiled when the gods think the time has come.
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