Sachin Tendulkar played anchor and mentor

Sachin Tendulkar played anchor and mentor

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PERFECT PARTNER: Sachin Tendulkar (right) guided Yuvraj Singh all along during their match-winning partnership.

It turned out to be one of the best Test matches Chennai has ever seen. The tied Test against Australia might be the most memorable because of the rare result but this encounter will be remembered for the fantastic run chase and brilliant performances by the Indian heroes.

For Sachin Tendulkar, this match was a final answer to his persistent critics who have always insisted that he gets cold feet in the fourth innings. In the Chennai Test, he played not just as an anchor but also as a mentor. Holding the innings together at one end, he was also a calming influence on Yuvraj Singh.

The Test also witnessed a powerful statement from Yuvraj whose suitability for the five-day version was doubted by almost everyone. With Tendulkar’s calm and restraining influence, Yuvraj refused to be baited by Andrew Flintoff in the second innings.

Displaying maturity

By doing this, Yuvraj showed his maturity as a player and his ability to learn from his earlier error. Their partnership made the almost impossible run chase a reality, especially after Virender Sehwag set it up so brilliantly.

If the thrilling run chase made the match exciting, the abysmal spin bowling made me cringe. While it augurs well that the Indian pace attack looks in good health, it is alarming to find that the spinners are unable to make the necessary adjustments.

Harbhajan Singh looked lost without Anil Kumble to support him at the other end. He needs to realise that it is up to him now as a senior player to guide novices like Amit Mishra. The Indian spinners were unable to even extract as much spin as Greame Swann.

The biggest mistake Harbhajan committed was in trying to bowl quicker through the air. The batsmen were able to take advantage of the pace, and simply guided the ball through the gaps for runs. Harbhajan was not willing to flight the ball much either.

Main weapons

When India was bowling in the second innings, the spinners also failed to take advantage of the foot marks. By doing this, they negated the two main weapons a spinner has in his arsenal —deceiving a batsman through flight and bamboozling him with spin.

The Indian spinners need to understand that as the wicket slows down, the length needs to be fuller to compensate for the slowness of the wicket.

A little retrospection is always good even after such a historic win. What we take away from the field after a game is sometimes more important than what happened on it. Our strengths have to be applauded and weaknesses analysed. Only through this can we build a team that will win consistently.

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