Sachin’s ‘circle of life’

Sachin Tendulkar’s incredible journey hasn’t been without roadblocks. He has been through phases of failures, threat from injuries and the pressures, but he has overcome them with poise.

Even the greatest of them learn and evolve; Sachin Tendulkar has been no exception. He calls his journey the “circle of life.”

In his ride of miles and milestones, there have been roadblocks too — phases of failures, threat from injuries, the scrutiny and the pressures. He has conquered them all.

It was a momentous 50 minutes for the maestro in the middle at Mohali before he steered Aussie paceman Peter Siddle and went past Brian Lara’s mark of 11953 to become Test cricket’s highest run-getter. He celebrated the moment even as a display of fireworks marked the extraordinary occasion on the first day of the second Test — a sunny Friday.

The sun shone on Tendulkar. His strokeplay lighted up the arena as well. He also kept his date with history. The Aussies walked up to him in a display of genuine appreciation even though he had tormented them for most part. True greatness cuts through barriers.

During his strokeful 88, Tendulkar breached the 12000-run barrier in Tests. It was a giant stride for batsmanship by a little man. It has been a great story. And every tale has a beginning.

Tendulkar remembers his early days for India — he took on the fast bowlers from Pakistan on a green-top as a 16-year-old, bled after being struck by a short-pitched delivery, but continued batting. It was evident that this boy had a heart larger than his frame.

The significance of those early efforts in Test cricket is not lost on Tendulkar. He recalls his maiden Test hundred in Manchester (1990) where India found itself in a pressure situation; the conditions were conducive to swing and the pitch offered seam movement. That exceptional seamer Angus Fraser was at the peak of his abilities but Tendulkar displayed considerable judgment in the corridor, was judicious in strokeplay off either foot, displayed temperament that belied his age.

Tendulkar rightly employed front-footed play to counter the swing. His balanced stance and a still head told him where his off-stump was. And he relished challenges, looked forward to duels under the sun or clouds.

India’s tour of Australia in 1991-92 tested the resolve and technique of the prodigious teenager. Tendulkar was up for the challenge. Craig McDermott, a powerfully-built paceman with bounce and movement, and Merv Hughes, a bustling, hustling, fast bowler, were the principal threats.

Tendulkar made two hundreds in the series, on a sluggish pitch in Sydney and on a fast and bouncy track in Perth. The technical adjustments made on different wickets by someone so young was remarkable.

Allan Border, who led Australia in the series, still talks of “Tendulkar’s stunning proficiency off the back-foot.” On seaming tracks with bounce, Tendulkar’s strong back-foot play, in both offence and defence, has been his greatest ally. Like most great batsmen, he picks the length early and is ready with his response.

Against a paceman as menacing as McDermott, Tendulkar displayed a wide range of strokes off his back-foot — he could drive on the up, harness the pace of the ball square off the wicket, cut and pull. He could rise on his toes and keep the rising deliveries down with soft hands. Tendulkar also had this precious ability to sway away from the line of a short-pitched flier, keeping his eyes on the ball.

For someone so young, his use of the width of the crease was exemplary. The lad was special. “Those two innings, on contrasting pitches and conditions, gave me the belief. It gave me the confidence that I could deliver in international cricket,” says Tendulkar.

Tendulkar’s face-offs with the Aussie bowlers stoked his combative instinct. His contests with Glenn McGrath were high on octane and skill.

McGrath’s machine-like precision on or just outside the off-stump, the bounce, the high-arm action, the exemplary wrist and seam position and the deadly and precise movement on either side probed the champion batsman’s resolve. Being short in stature, he was at an advantage since he did not always have to play at shoulder-high deliveries. But then, McGrath is a clever bowler and made subtle adjustments in length.

Tendulkar finished second best on some occasions and won on a few. He employed the horizontal bat shots to disrupt McGrath’s rhythm. However, his attempts to drive on the rise cost Tendulkar his wicket on a few critical situations against this crafty paceman.

Combats against Australia got the best out of Tendulkar. The Tendulkar–Shane Warne match of wits and skill will not be clouded by the mists of time.

During his immortal 155 against Australia at Chepauk in 1998, Tendulkar pulled Warne when the leg-spinner got his deliveries to jump out of the rough out-side the right-hander’s leg-stump. It was high-quality batsmanship by Sachin. He, importantly, got on top of the ball and employed his shoulder and wrists to keep the ball down. Warne was forced to switch his line and Tendulkar, then, brought his entire range of strokes into play.

Like most Indian batsmen, Tendulkar used his feet against the spinners, milking the bowlers for singles between long-off and long-on and launching into bigger blows once he gauged pace, length and spin.

Apart from the odd failure — the recent away Test series against Sri Lanka being one of them — he has been mostly comfortable against right-arm spinners. The left-arm spinners have troubled him though in the latter stages.

Tendulkar has been bogged down by left-arm spinners bowling from over-the-wicket and spinning it in from out-side the leg-stump. A reluctance to make adjustments in his stance, and play the inside-out stroke through covers, sweep, or work the ball off his hips proved his undoing. Otherwise, he has been outstanding. Creditably, he averages 53.70 away from home in Tests with 23 centuries. On pitches with seam movement and bounce in Australia, he averages 58.53. In the swinging conditions of England, Tendulkar’s average is even better — 62.00.

These figures reflect the purity of his technique and his ability to adapt. His classical driving in the ‘V’, left elbow high, head still and weight beautifully balanced, has been the cornerstone of his efforts in the Old Blighty. The distribution of weight is the key aspect of his batsmanship.

Even as the debate on the weight of his willow and the state of his back raged on, he conquered searing pain during an epic innings of 136 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999.

Tendulkar has taken on the quicks from Pakistan, the left-arm genius Wasim Akram, the fast and furious Waqar Younis and the West Indian greats, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, during his journey. He countered them well, with subtle adjustments in his stance, back-lift, the initial movement and his choice of shots.

Incredibly, his incredible journey continues.