India yearns for a Sachin Tendulkar special

After humiliating Ricky Ponting’s Australia last month, India will look to fly high again, this time against New Zealand.

But the cynosure of all eyes in the first match of the three-Test series, which gets under way on Thursday at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera near here, will undoubtedly be Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

The batting maestro is just one century away from a rare, rare ‘golden jubilee’ and hopes are high that he will scale yet another peak at a venue that has seen several world records topple over the years.
Sunil Gavaskar had overtaken Englishman Geoffrey Boycott as the highest run-getter in Tests here.

The Little Master had also crossed the 10,000-run barrier at this very venue. Even Kapil Dev has happy memories of this stadium. The former India skipper had gone past New Zealander Richard Hadlee’s record of 431 Test wickets at this picturesque ground.

As a matter of fact, Tendulkar had scored his first double hundred at Motera — in 1999 against the same opponents — and millions of Indian fans will be hoping that he cracks his 50th Test century during the course of the first Test. It could well be the perfect Diwali gift for India’s cricket-crazy public.

The Master Blaster had a close look at the wicket on Wednesday. And he seemed to be happy with what he saw.

“We have celebrated milestones of every player and we certainly would do it again when Sachin hits his 50th hundred,” Mahendra Singh Dhoni told reporters on Wednesday.

Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman are set to return to the side after recovering from injuries. This means India’s heroes in the last Test — opener Murali Vijay and star debutant Cheteshwar Pujara — will have to sit out.

“They (Vijay and Pujara) don’t have to feel disappointed or depressed. They had replaced respected players like Gambhir and Laxman. The newcomers got good exposure and now they should work on their strengths and weaknesses,” the captain said.

Dhoni also believes Rahul Dravid will overcome his bad patch. Dhoni said he will go ahead with seven batsmen and four bowlers. Harbhajan Singh had injured his finger a couple of days ago. On Tuesday, the offie didn’t exert himself at the nets. Dhoni, however, denied that the ‘Turbanator’ was hurt.

“I don’t know if he (Harbhajan) has any injury today (Wednesday). As far as I know, he is fit to play the match,” said Dhoni before adding, “Bowlers have to be a little careful as we have a big series in South Africa coming up. We also have the World Cup after that. Zaheer, Ishant and Sreesanth are in good rhythm and we want them to stay injury-free.”

The new ball is likely to be shared by the in-form Zaheer Khan and Sharma. On paper, India look strong, but they don’t want to be complacent.

“We are not thinking of their (New Zealand) performance in Bangladesh. We will focus on our strengths and try to win this match,” said Dhoni while referring to the visitors’ 0-4 thrashing in the ODIs in Bangladesh recently.

On the other hand, the visitors will try to come up with an improved show after the recent humiliation. It will be a big test for them. Daniel Vettori’s men will be desperate to show what they are truly capable of. It will also be a big moment for the left-arm spinner who will be playing his 100th Test — a rare feat for any cricketer — for New Zealand.