Tendulkar strikes back for India

Sachin Tendulkar
12 April 2012

England drew a blank at The Oval on Monday morning as Sachin Tendulkar set his sights on an unprecedented 100th international hundred.

The hosts had obvious prospects on the final day of the fourth npower Test to close out victory and therefore inflict their first 4-0 whitewash on any opposition since the West Indies seven years ago.

Instead, they endured two hours of good reason to regret Sunday night's generosity - Tendulkar would have been stumped on 34 had Matt Prior appealed off the bowling of Graeme Swann - as the Little Master and Amit Mishra took their unbroken stand to 98 out of a lunchtime 216 for three. India were therefore only 75 runs short of making England bat again.

A sell-out crowd had assembled for the chance to pay homage to Tendulkar, in what may be his last Test innings in this country, and witness England's coronation as the world's number one team.

They seemed set to get value for their money on both counts too, because England will receive their International Cricket Council mace as current world-beaters whatever the outcome here - and Tendulkar (72no) was not going to let another shot at that century of centuries slip easily from his grasp.

Mishra (57no) appeared at least as comfortable as his illustrious partner, however, confirming the impression of the first innings that he is far from flattered by a first-class average under 20.

Tendulkar passed his second 50 of the summer in 74 balls, and Mishra followed to the second of his career from 103.

The nightwatchman was struck a painful early blow on the left thigh by James Anderson, and required on-field treatment for several minutes, but he was otherwise untroubled by everything the England attack could muster, striking six fours to Tendulkar's seven in their respective half-centuries.

Swann had a second piece of misfortune against Tendulkar just before lunch, when Alastair Cook dropped a bat-pad catch at short-leg to reprieve him again on 70.

For the first time in an unexpectedly one-sided series, it seemed the force was with India.

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