The first ball after tea saw Sachin Tendulkar deftly guide Peter Siddle towards the point boundary to move from 13 to 16, and go past Brian Lara’s record for most runs in Tests — the milestone makes him the owner of the four big batting records in cricket
MOHALI: Records are not new for Sachin Tendulkar, but this one was important because it helped the indefatigable batsman complete a set of marks that even the best and most ambitious of players can only dream of.
Getting past Brian Lara’s Test aggregate of 11,953 runs, Tendulkar became the highest scorer in Tests as well as One Day Internationals (16,361). With the world records for maximum centuries in Tests (39) and ODIs (42) already under his belt, the 35-year-old is now the undisputed emperor among batsmen in terms of feats.
Walking out to bat with India looking to consolidate on a fine start, Tendulkar had to turn cautious with the dismissals of Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman, but was still in no mood to let go of scoring opportunities. A juicy half-volley from Mitchell Johnson was put away for a boundary through the covers. He was on 13, two runs short of equalling Brian Lara’s mark. It was tea and Tendulkar and the whole of India had to wait now.
In the first ball after the break, the master batsman deftly guided Peter Siddle towards the point boundary to move from 13 to 16, ending the wait for the milestone that had been impending since the tour of Sri Lanka.
Tendulkar was relieved after getting past the mark, looking up towards the sky and then raising his bat and helmet even as he looked towards his team-mates in the Indian dressing room as if silently thanking them for all the support over the years.
It was quite appropriate that Tendulkar’s batting partner at the time was Sourav
Ganguly, with whom he has had many fruitful partnerships as opener in ODIs and under whom he contributed immensely in both forms of the game. The former skipper scurried across to congratulate his mate and hugged him warmly.
Tendulkar may have been a scourge for the Aussies over the years, but even they were quick to run across and congratulate the hero, skipper Ricky Ponting being among the first ones to shake hands with him.
If there was something missing from the memorable moment, it was a rapturous applause from the stands, because the crowd was a sparse one consisting mostly of school children. However, that was more than made up with colourful fireworks that showed different hues despite a brightly shining sun, even holding up the game for a few minutes in the process. As it turned out, it gave Tendulkar the time to soak in the moment in the company of Ganguly, and he was back to what he has done with style since his debut as a 16-year-old on the tour of Pakistan in 1989 — score runs.
Tendulkar went on to show two attributes that have helped him build a career that is envied by all, that is concentration and hunger for runs. Milestones may not matter to him, but he surely knew where he stood because he raised his bat once again as he reached 12,000 runs even before the giant screen flashed its customary congratulatory message. He was eventually out after scoring a stroke-filled 88, the disappointment of falling close to yet another ton writ large on his face.
The only problem that the great man may face henceforth will be motivation, because all major records now belong to him. However, being the champion that he is, the latest record may only increase his appetite for runs.
