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.