Focus Shifts from Losing to Winning; from Sehwag to Sachin

Cricket is a funny game. That was once again brought to the fore as India created dramatic history, chasing down the highest total ever in the Indian sub continent to win the first Test against England.

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While India made history on this day, it was also rather amusing to watch how mindsets change, how loyalties, how players themselves make it difficult for their own mates in the dressing room from sharing the honours.

When Andrew Strauss scored that century in the first innings, he remained the sole hero of that innings. It was good for him after being away from the spotlight for quite some time. Another man who fell in that bracket was Paul Collingwood and though he staged another glorious comeback of sorts himself into form, once again Strauss was the man to whom the toasts ran high as he notched his second century in the span of a single Test!

India face something similar in their own den. Virender Sehwag banished doubts that India could find it hard to save this Test, let alone win it. The afternoon of the fourth day turned matters a little more exciting after Sehwag came into his own. Before that it was looking like England had enough in the bag to go for a win. Coming out thinking they could bowl their best and get into the Indian line up, England were in for a rude shock as Sehwag went hammer and tongs, caring little for the position of his team or perhaps, knowing fully well what an innings like that could do not only for his team, but also for the opposition.

After all England had done most things right since that first innings with a lead to go into the second innings. Then they piled on the runs, enough to make India chase history to secure this win at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

As India looked more like winning this Test rather than England winning it, all and sundry were effusive about how Sehwag had set the tone and pace of the Indian innings from which England simply failed to come back.

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But that was before people truly realized that Sachin Tendulkar had set up his winning booth long enough to earn himself a century. Sorry, that should read his forty-first Test century!

After that colossal effort and his 150 plus run partnership with Yuvraj Singh, the lasting memories have been those of Tendulkar…

… just like the lasting memories will be those of thinking India can win this one as opposed to a day ago when it seemed far more likely that England had worked out India over four days only to be sent into submission by an extraordinary exhibition of batting from India.

India Go 1-0 Up!

India Sight Victory

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