Sri Lanka fail to win the unwinnable as Sachin Tendulkar passes 30,000
After fully two months without a Test match being played anywhere, the pyjamas have been placed under the pillowcase and the whites have been donned for the first of 15 winter Tests worldwide. A dying pitch in Ahmedabad ensured that any inroads made by either side were in vain as bowling became more and more of a toil as the match progressed to its inevitably anticlimactic conclusion.
Unfortunately this is becoming a regular sight to viewers of the five day game, with pitches flattening out as games advance. Whilst the pitch did offer some turn for the prodigious spinners on both sides, it was slow and cumbersome and offered easy pickings for the proficient batters.
Dravid showed the way with a determined 177 on day one, supported by captain Dhoni who notched his second Test century. Whilst the ball had nipped around and swung early on, any optimism that the seamers on either side may have had was quickly quashed after only 30 minutes.
With India reeling at 34-4, Dravid and Yuvraj Singh dug in and thwarted the inexperienced Sri Lanka attack. Whilst the Sri Lankans struck early and decisively on day two, India amassed 426 runs in their first innings. Any side that accumulates 400 plus runs in the first innings should find it difficult to lose.
The Indian bowlers fared worse than their counterparts. Dilshan continued his impressive form in 2009 with a belligerent 112 at a barnstorming strike rate of 84.21. Whilst the limited overs versions of the game have been put on ice, the impact and need for aggressive batting has had a profound effect on the overall sport.
Even Dravid scored his 177 at 67.81, a positively lightning knock compared to his career strike rate of 41.73.
Once India had removed Dilshan the mantle was taken by Mahela Jayawardene. The former captain indulged himself on a feast of overly negative field settings by Dhoni and a dying track. His first hundred runs were effortless as he nudged the ball around without much pressure being applied, and it wasn’t until he was in the nineties that he was made to work for his singles.
Once three figures arrive for Jayawardene, he tends to make them count. And make them count he did here, batting on into day four for a superb 275, 99 runs shy of his career best against South Africa. He was ably supported by Samaraweera (70) and namesake but no relation Prasanna Jayawardene who amassed a Test best 154*. Sri Lanka accrued their highest ever total in India, reaching 760-7 declared on day four.
India fared much better against the new ball in their second innings. Sehwag prattled along to a smooth 51 and opening partner Gambhir helped himself to 114. Dravid made sure of 200 runs in the match with 38 and then it was all eyes on man of the week Sachin Tendulkar. His 43rd Test hundred arrived to celebrate his 20 years playing at the very top of the international game.
They don’t call him the little master for nothing and his record is one of the very best the game has ever seen. He continues to defy his critics and manages to score important runs when his side needs him. Whilst this was another match saving innings it was an innings of serenity and grace. His application to the cause is insurmountable at times and if ever India needs anyone who can guide them through stormy weather, Tendulkar is continually that man. This game was even held up by him, with the close of play being delayed until he had completed his century.
And so the game ended where it kicked off. Everyone had been talking about Tendulkar going into the game and everyone will be talking about Tendulkar after it. 30,000 international runs is a figure worth much pondering – is it a figure that can ever be replicated? For all the graft of the other six centurions over the course of this game, Tendulkar reigns supreme.
Sri Lanka’s wait for a maiden Test victory in India goes on, despite the Man of the Match performance from Mahelha Jayarwardene. The less the wickets break up, the fewer results we are going to see. There were only 21 wickets in this fixture, the bowling being deposited for seven centuries in reply. Put simply, this wasn’t an even contest between bat and ball. It was unwinnable.
By Miles Reucroft
