Sachin Tendulkar’s Batting Is Still Amazing : Mark Taylor

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor revealed the ecstasy that he and his colleagues felt in the commentary box when Sachin Tendulkar played his signature on-drive off Ben Hilfenhaus en route his imperious 73-run knock here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday. Tendulkar's hundredth international ton was imminent, a historic Wednesday in the offing.

Soon, the master, caught on the front foot, was dismissed by a pearler from Peter Siddle that reversed a bit before clipping off and middle. Tendulkar played down the wrong line -- the only error in an otherwise flawless innings. But, it was a ball that would have got most."He's looked amazing, hasn't he? I heard he's been playing the upper cut a lot of late, and he surely showed that today. He didn't put a foot wrong, it has been an absolute treat for us. When he played that on-drive off Hilfy (Ben Hilfenhaus), we all stood up and couldn't stop applauding the little genius. What a treat for cricket lovers, it doesn't matter which team you're supporting," Taylor told MiD DAY.

Taylor felt that Tendulkar's greatest ability is to evolve as a batsman. "Some of those shots he's playing here, like the upper cut, he didn't play during the 1991 tour. He just seems to keep evolving as a batsman, changing with times. That's an amazing quality to have," he said.

'Tubby' felt that India were in a position to go one-nil up in the four-Test series. "Definitely, India seem to have the upper hand at the moment. It's probably theirs to lose from here on, unless something drastic goes down tomorrow. But, cricket's a funny game," he said. When asked if Peter Siddle bowled too short for most of the day, indicated by his pitch map, Taylor said: "Yeah, perhaps, he did. But, he's a much improved bowler this year. I still think he can do something good for Australia this summer.

"I'd still play him. Even Hilfenhaus has come back strongly after last year's Ashes series. The comebacks of Ryan Harris and Shane Watson should help Australia in the latter part of the series."

Courtesy : Ndtv.com