Australian idol-Sachin Tendulkar

Just what is it that endears Sachin Tendulkar to crowds and cognoscenti alike Down Under? We asked a selection of Australia's great and good for their opinion January 29, 2008

Loved to bits: the SCG gives Tendulkar a standing ovation after his 154

Back in Melbourne, "Aussie Ana" was adding to her ratings. Twenty-year-old Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, the 2008 Australian Open finalist, endeared herself to sports fans Down Under thanks as much to her knockout good looks as for her tennis skills. A nation that feeds off the deeds of its sportspersons, Australia has always welcomed the talented with open arms. It was the same 16 years ago, when another youngster, the 18-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, arrived on his maiden voyage and returned with two spectacular centuries, leaving behind impressions that still endure in the minds of the natives.

Now, nearly two decades on, it is almost as if they have adopted him as one of their own. There have been other visiting champions during this age, such as Brian Lara of the West Indies, but none has attracted quite the sort of rapturous applause that has greeted Tendulkar every time he has walked out onto a cricket ground in Australia during this series. Yes, much of it has to do with this tour probably being his last, but it was much the same in the 2003-04 series, and in 1999-2000.

Just what it is about Tendulkar that the Australians so love? The reasons have as much to do with Australia as with the man himself.

Bill Lawry, the former Australian captain, points out that Australians have always had time for champions. "We've always enjoyed champions and they could be in any sport." Peter Roebuck, who captained Viv Richards and Ian Botham at Somerset, and enjoys something approaching Tendulkar-like status in cricket writing himself, reckons it has to do with the sentimentality of Australians. "It's a new country, and its people get excited when they see great innings like Tendulkar's." He goes on to stress that the likes of Lara and Shane Warne were "mixed blessings", while Tendulkar is not.

Gideon Haigh, historian and cricket writer, agrees that his countrymen admire anyone who does well against them, but presents a unique point. "It is partly a mark of respect, partly a symptom of national narcissism. I think Australians are also fascinated by Tendulkar's status in India. Australian cricketers are hugely popular in their own country, but they do not need protection from their fans in the fashion Tendulkar does. His fame, to us, makes him an emblem of Indian extremity and exoticism."

There is also the matter of two ringing endorsements, delivered by Australian greats.

When Tendulkar was at his peak in the mid-to-late-1990s, one day Sir Don Bradman called his wife Jessie to the television set and said how he could see himself in the young man he was watching play on the screen. Then Warne, talking about his contests with the Indian, said Tendulkar gave him "nightmares".

Mark Taylor, another Australian captain who played against Tendulkar and has been an admirer from the day he first watched him play, thinks the Bradman compliment was a major head-turner. "Suddenly people thought, 'Hold on, you don't have the greatest batsman saying things just like that.'"

Taylor also points out that part of the admiration has to do with the sheer amount of runs Tendulkar has made in Australia. Six of Tendulkar's 39 Test centuries have come in Australia, each worth its own photo album. Haigh's personal favourite was the MCG Test of 1999. "The Indian batsmen struggled awfully. [Rahul] Dravid was lifeless, inert," he remembers. "But Tendulkar was so immediately at home that it was almost like the Aussies just gave up trying to get him out and decided to work around him." Haigh calls Tendulkar not just a great batsman but a fascinating batsman: "so correct, so compact, as intricate and exquisitely functioning as a Fabergé egg."

Tendulkar came to Australia for the 1991-92 series as a impressionable youngster. His legend was already on the way to being established, thanks to the world record he had set with Vinod Kambli in school cricket. When he arrived in Australia, people wanted to see the young phenomenon. "People loved him then because he seemed to be still a boy but played brilliantly," recollects Mark Ray, a senior Australian journalist.

Ray, the author of Cricket Masala, a brilliant photographic travelogue of his various cricketing tours, touches on another aspect of Tendulkar's appeal. "His modesty is a bit old-fashioned these days and appeals to many Australians. We have an image of being tough, very self-confident sportsmen, but most of the public here still prefer the modest champion. He stands out in that regard." Jim Maxwell of ABC Radio believes it's Tendulkar's flawless character that has defined him. "Australians like the humble, the laconic, no-complaining types, which Tendulkar is."

Mike Coward, the eminent cricket writer, says: "Humility and civility have followed him all his life." For Coward it is Tendulkar "who has raised awareness about Indo-Australian cricket, given it a profile more than anyone else. He is someone people can relate to."

'Australians like the humble, the laconic, no-complaining types, which Tendulkar is'

Tendulkar for his part has valued the importance of gaining the respect of the most feared opponents around. Ravi Shastri, a team-mate at the time, recalls how Tendulkar, even on his first Australian tour, wanted to take the fight to the Aussies. "We were at the SCG and the contest was getting heated. Both of us were batting well and the Aussies were shooting sledges from all directions. I told him that I would take care of them while he focused on his batting. He was mentally charged. I still remember him saying, 'Let me get past my 100, then I will give it back', in Marathi. Let me point out again that he said he wanted to get to the century and only then would he distract himself."

When asked recently if Australia ever felt like a second home to him, Tendulkar said, laughing: "I only have one home. But it's truly a special feeling to walk in to such a reception, when I don't know if I am batting on zero or on 100."

In private conversations with friends Tendulkar has talked about his appreciation for the respect he has been accorded in Australia. He told a senior Indian journalist friend how satisfying it was to score his 39th Test hundred at the Adelaide Oval, the home of Bradman, who would have been close to a hundred years old if he were still alive. Tendulkar wouldn't admit that in the public lest it was mistaken for false modesty, but thereby he adds another layer to his greatness.

General Peter Cosgrove, a former head of the Australian Defence Force, delivering the 2008 Sir Donald Bradman oration at the University of Western Australia two weeks ago, said, "Australians are among the most overtly competitive people on the planet. Cricket defines our approach to competition: it has rules and teams, it demands focus and self-confidence. It entails an intense desire and will to win; it needs an abundance of skill, stamina, courage and perseverance." Indeed, these are the qualities Sachin Tendulkar has come to define for Australians among others. And in so doing, he has come to represent an unreachable ideal.

Greg Baum, columnist at Melbourne's Age, wrote in Wisden Asia Cricket magazine a few years ago: "Here is a man not susceptible to human failing in any endeavour, a man not so much invincible as invulnerable." He ended his appreciation by calling Tendulkar "the game's secular saint".

Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test century

Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test century carried India to 309 for 5 by the close of day one in Adelaide

Tendulkar hundred caps India's day

India 5 for 309 (Tendulkar 124*, Sehwag 63, Laxman 51, Dhoni 6*) v Australia

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Sachin Tendulkar batted with confidence and posted his 39th Test century

It was less than two years ago that a small minority booed him off at the Wankhede Stadium in his home town. On Thursday at the Adelaide Oval, he replicated his feats as an 18-year-old, scoring his second century of the series as India endeavoured to take advantage of winning the toss. Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test hundred was one of his finest, and it rescued India from the tight corner they found themselves in when Sourav Ganguly was given out midway through the afternoon.

Tendulkar's 126-run partnership with VVS Laxman wrested the initiative, but a superlative spell of old-ball bowling from Brett Lee righted the balance on a surface where even totals in excess of 550 haven't been enough to guarantee victory in the recent past. Having batted in fairly circumspect fashion immediately before and after tea, the batsmen went on the offensive against Brad Hogg, selected ahead of home-town hero, Shaun Tait, for this game.

Laxman started it with a elegant drive, and a six and a four either side of the sightscreen from Tendulkar in the same over forced Ricky Ponting to reassess his bowling options. Off went Hogg and on came Lee, with Michael Clarke pressed into service at the Cathedral End. Laxman greeted Lee with a delighful cut past gully for four, but he should have gone two balls later when a careless waft flew to Adam Gilchrist's right. He fumbled it, and Laxman, then on 37 and with the score at 240, would go on to add another 42 with Tendulkar.

By then, the master was in rampant mood. He had taken 77 balls for the half-century, but he needed just 56 more to reach a unique landmark. A powerful straight hit for six off Clarke got him to 98 and when he threaded a drive beyond mid-off's despairing dive, the crowd rose as one to acknowledge a fantastic effort. Soon after, he survived a half-shout when he tried to run a Hogg delivery down to fine leg and the ball might have gone off the face of the bat into Gilchrist's gloves. But so mild was the appeal from behind the stumps that Billy Bowden wasn't convinced.

Across the 22 yards, Laxman had been largely stifled by Lee's pace, but Hogg's left-arm spin was much more to his liking. Two swats through midwicket took him to 50 (95 balls), but Gilchrist redeemed himself for his earlier lapses soon after, holding on to a simple chance down the leg side after Laxman got himself into a terrible tangle against a Lee bouncer.

Unsure of whether to pull, he ended up taking his eyes off the ball, and it merely lobbed up off the glove to end what had been the defining partnership of the day. It was some reward for Lee, who steamed in at close to 150kph on a hot afternoon, reverse-swinging the ball at will to find a way back into the game for his team.

Tendulkar's innings had started in inauspicious circumstances after he walked out just before lunch following the dismissal of Dravid. It took him 18 balls to get off the mark but when he did, it was worth waiting for, a magnificent on-drive off Lee. That seemed to lift an invisible weight off his shoulders, and Mitchell Johnson was then taken for three fours through the off side in an over that saw India go past 100. Lee did strike him a painful blow in the ribs, but the real alarm came when an attempted cut off Hogg fell just short of Clarke at backward point.

It helped India that Tendulkar found his rhythm just as Virender Sehwag was losing his. With the bowlers maintaining tight lines and Ponting setting astute fields, his scoring was restricted, and the frustration finally got the better of him when he had a statuesque flirt at a Lee delivery that thundered down at 149.1kph. Too late on the shot, he could only find the edge through to Matthew Hayden, restored to first slip after missing the defeat in Perth.

	Mitchell Johnson picked up a couple of early wickets but needed more help for Australia to halt India's progress

Tendulkar's intent against Hogg was unmistakable, with cuts, sweeps and a huge shot that soared over midwicket for six. Stuart Clark came on to try and prise out another wicket, but it was to be Hogg that got lucky, as Asad Rauf upheld an appeal after Ganguly had been struck in line a long way forward. At 4 for 156, India were in danger of squandering the advantage.

Earlier, with a perfect blue sky overhead and a great batting surface underfoot, India had rattled off 51 in the opening hour, only to be reeled in before lunch. Dravid's wicket, on the ground where he inspired an Indian victory in 2003, was a big blow, but it also vacated the stage for Tendulkar to arrive to another standing ovation.

With Wasim Jaffer dropped so that Harbhajan Singh could be accommodated, the decision to open with Irfan Pathan was only a moderate success. He clipped the first ball he faced from Johnson for four through midwicket, but then played and missed a few times before sparring at one that just left him a touch. By then, India had 34 on the board, with Sehwag making a typically brisk start.

There were a couple of fortuitous edges through the slip cordon and an inside edge off Johnson that flew past off stump, but those were counterbalanced by two contemptuous flays through the covers when Lee erred in length. Clark came on in the tenth over, and Australia managed 14 before drinks, just a reminder that teams can do it when faced with the threat of fines or suspensions. He and Johnson stemmed the tide somewhat, and the Indians made up for the lack of boundaries with some aggressive and purposeful running between the wickets.

Dravid survived an excellent leg-before shout from Johnson when he was on 3, and the Indian masterplan was being implemented beautifully until a Johnson delivery that slanted across Dravid took the edge through to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Sehwag reached his half-century from just 68 balls, but it was Australia that inched ahead in the afternoon until Tendulkar flipped through his back pages and came up with the sort of innings that had 1992 or '98 stamped on it.

Hayden dropped Dhoni off Johnson just before stumps to complete a pretty ordinary day in the field for the world's best side. Lee and Johnson had been outstanding at times, but others needed to step up if they were to deny Tendulkar a triumphant Australian swansong.

I was determined to get a big one here - Tendulkar

Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 1st day

'I was determined to get a big one here' - Tendulkar

January 24, 2008

	Sachin Tendulkar savours his first hundred at the Adelaide Oval while VVS Laxman looks on

Sachin Tendulkar said he was happy to have notched up his first hundred at the Adelaide Oval, one where he hadn't made much of an impact earlier. Returning to the city where he met Don Bradman in 1998, he brought up his sixth hundred in Australia and second of the series.

"I knew that Adelaide hasn't been a great ground for me," he said after his unbeaten hundred at the end of the first day. "In 1999 I scored 65 runs here and that was my best, so I was determined to get a big one here. It also happens to be Sir Don's home ground. I wasn't thinking about that while batting out there but am very pleased to have got a hundred at this venue."

Tendulkar admitted that this was one of his most complete innings, talking about how certain balls went exactly where he intended. "The first straight drive off [Brett] Lee gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "I middled it and the shot went exactly where I wanted it to go. In the next over I repeated it [against Mitchell Johnson]. So I took it from there.

"There are days when you are moving well, days when you're not. There are also days when you middle the ball and days when you don't. You need to wait for that moment. I've felt those moments off and on in my career. Any hundred is special but when the team really needs one, it means more. Today there were big shots in between and defensive ones too. It was important we [Laxman and him] just stayed there and played according to the merit of the ball. We needed to play out the good spells properly."

Tendulkar has received an overwhelming reception in Australia, entering to standing ovations and being cheered throughout. No other Indian batsman has been accorded such a warm applause. "It's truly special," he said, "and sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out whether I'm 100-plus or zero. It means a lot to me and would like to thank each and every person for treating me like this. It makes every trip of mine very special."

Like in the first two Tests, Tendulkar was particularly severe on Brad Hogg but denied having "targeted" him for punishment. "Any bowler can get you out, you don't want to take anyone for granted," he said. "It all depends on the flow of my innings. If I pick the ball early enough, I will put it away. There were patches when he bowled well and patches when I felt I could put the ball away. Whenever I got the opportunity I made it count. That was my strategy."

Tendulkar went from 86 to 100 in a sequence that read 4,2,6,2, smashing the part-time spin of Michael Clarke. "I thought the wind was behind me and wanted to use it," he said. "I knew if I middled the ball, it would clear the field. Even if I don't middle it the wind would work.

"I was very positive at that stage and if the ball was there to put away, I was prepared to do that again," he said off the six that took him to 98. "When I played that off-drive [to get to 100], I played inside out, though it was not a half-volley. I had that chance to force the ball. I got the time to force it a little bit."

He was pleased to have weathered the old-ball burst from Lee - "he has been their stand-out bowler" - and thought India would need to bat as long as possible to increase their chances of leveling the series. "I think to put up a big total in the first innings would be the key. Later on I think the wicket might have some big cracks. Ideally we would like to score as many runs tomorrow. The first session will be very important."

Tendulkar does a Don in Adelaide

Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 1st day

Tendulkar does a Don in Adelaide

January 24, 2008

	Tendulkar brought out his signature shot that he hasn't played in recent Tests: the charge against the spinners to launch them back into the stands

There's a statue of Don Bradman at the Cathedral End of the Adelaide Oval, where he appears to be dancing down the track and lofting the ball straight over the bowler's head. The bat is above his left ear, his knees are bent and the eyes are looking upwards, watching the ball soar into the horizon of his home ground. It was fitting that Sachin Tendulkar chose the venue to bring up an immaculately-crafted hundred, the kind which is said to have put Bradman so far ahead of the rest.

If anyone missed Tendulkar's innings in the first three Tests they should have simply landed up here. He was attacking in Melbourne, authoritative in Sydney, and innovative in Perth but this was the combination of them all. It had the moments of adrenaline-fuelled strokeplay, a hint of chance, a dash of inventiveness and tons of intelligence. Bringing out his percentage game against a high-quality bowling attack, he stood alone.

It wasn't an innings with any distinct shade, rather one that covered the entire spectrum. Walking in to a standing ovation, he didn't score off the first 18 balls. Soon after he had eased into first gear, he set the stage with a flurry of fours. The first was a simple, yet glorious straight drive off Brett Lee; the fourth was hammered past Mitchell Johnson, the bowler. The skies were clear but it would have been fitting if a rainbow hung over the arena.

Bradman rated his 254 at Lord's as his finest innings, simply because each stroke went exactly where he intended. It was interesting to hear Tendulkar talk about the first couple of straight drives here, saying how the ball travelled precisely where he wanted it to go. "These are phases which come and go," he said, "and you know when you're hitting the ball well. You need to wait for that moment."

It wasn't a flawless innings. He was in trouble against Brad Hogg, padding up without offering a stroke, and had his nervy moments while facing Lee and Johnson. A few moments before tea, with Johnson bowling the 53rd over, he was bounced twice before being beaten on the move. The next ball, pitched on the same length like the previous one, was left alone. The final ball, straighter and swinging away, was edged short of first slip.

Through the innings, he showed the ease with which he could adjust. By paddle-sweeping Hogg, he altered his line towards the off stump. Soon he tapped it away to the off. Against Lee, while facing a brilliant late-afternoon spell, Tendulkar subtly changed his stance after each miss, shifting an inch or so either way. Good balls were followed by a little nod, as if to suggest that he was enjoying the battle.

	Through the innings, he showed the ease with which he could adjust. By paddle-sweeping Hogg, he altered his line towards the off stump. Soon he tapped it away to the off. Against Lee, while facing a brilliant late-afternoon spell, Tendulkar subtly changed his stance after each miss, shifting an inch or so either way.

It was an innings where the good balls were put away, amply illustrated when Hogg said his "best ball of the day" had been struck for six. Stuart Clark saw a good away-goer race past gully, simply because Tendulkar had known exactly when to open to the face of the bat.

What he also did was to bring out a shot that he's rarely played in recent Tests: the charge against the spinners to launch them back into the stands. It used to be one of his signature strokes and often came with an air of dominance, dismissing the good balls with quicksilver footwork. Twice he stepped out and smashed the spinners over their heads, revealing yet again how he could change his game depending on the situation. He signed off with a cheeky ramp over the slips, making full use of Lee's pace and bounce, and rounded off an innings which had almost everything.

Tendulkar scores 38th century

Tendulkar ton guides India past 400

India 8 for 500 (Tendulkar 145*, RP Singh 13*) lead Australia 463 by 37 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
How they were out

Sachin Tendulkar made his 38th Test century and India took the lead on Australia's total on the third day in Sydney

	After several nineties in 2007, Sachin Tendulkar got a century at the earliest opportunity in 2008 © Getty Images

The century that eluded Sachin Tendulkar repeatedly in 2007 came at the earliest possible opportunity in 2008 as he helped India negotiate a post-lunch wobble and reduce the deficit to just 39 runs in the company of a feisty Harbhajan Singh. Australia sniffed a chance of gaining a sizeable lead when they snapped up two quick wickets immediately after the lunch break, but Tendulkar then took over.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni let Australia get a foot in the door, trying to play a forcing shot off the back foot against Brett Lee and only managing a catch to Adam Gilchrist. When Anil Kumble, usually good for some stodgy resistance, fell to the same combination soon after, with India still trailing by 118, they were in serious trouble.

But Tendulkar deftly shifted gears, sensing that it was important that runs came quickly and was helped along by an adventurous Harbhajan. While Harbhajan's hitting, unorthodox and improvised, over the slips cordon and through the on-side, was a major bonus for India, it was Tendulkar who made the big difference.

Up until the lunch break Tendulkar had played a battling innings, getting to a half-century but not really attacking the Australian bowling. After lunch, with quick wickets falling, Tendulkar signalled his intentions with an upper-cut four into the vacant third-man region.

From there on the strokes were a treat to watch, and this Sydney crowd, perhaps watching Tendulkar play his last Test at the venue, applauded warmly even as Australia's bowlers were denied results. When he drove Stuart Clark through cover off the back foot and ran the brace that took him to three figures, there was no wild celebration for Tendulkar, rather an understated taking off of the helmet and acknowledgement of the crowd's cheers.

While Tendulkar's hundred provided the backbone, Harbhajan's unbeaten 41 proved invaluable as the two put on an unbeaten 79 runs going into the tea break. India were in with a good chance of wiping out the Australian lead, but it was not always that way.

The first session of the third day was hard work for India's batsmen. Ganguly continued his recent good run with some gorgeous strokes through the off side. The timing was impeccable and he started the day with a couple of caressed boundaries off Lee. He used his feet well to the spinners and made his own length by going either back or forward.

He heaved Brad Hogg over mid-on, lofted Michael Clarke over the straight boundary and cut when the spinners corrected the length. It was a soft dismissal at the end, as he fell trying to clear mid-off with Hogg getting a crucial wicket once more. The disappointment on missing out on a century was evident as he smashed his bat in the ground before walking off.

Meanwhile, Tendulkar was circumspect. He chose to defend against the seamers, taking care not to push outside the off stump and concentrated on staying out there in the middle. It was not a completely monk-like effort like 2004 as he played a few forcing strokes against the spinners. He swept and lofted Hogg and cut Clarke but it was clear that it was a day where he was going to embrace caution over bravado. Clarke troubled him on a couple of occasions with his floaters - Tendulkar survived a confident shout for lbw - but he battled on.

The momentum changed completely with Ganguly's fall. Yuvraj Singh never looked in. Never a confident starter against spin, he struggled against Hogg. He failed to pick the turn, lunged forward uncertainly and was hurried on by the occasional flipper. And the struggles continued when Lee returned with the second new ball. Lee tucked him up with well-directed short ones at his ribs before trapping him with a full one that held its line.