Sachin Tendulkar Misses his 100th 100 by 9 Runs at the Oval; Perhaps for the Best

Sachin Tendulkar missed his 100th 100 by a whisker on the fifth day of the fourth Test of the India England series at the Oval. However, it may not be altogether a bad thing in hindsight given that only more flak could have come his way in a dying cause.

Sachin Tendulkar

Unless Tendulkar’s 100th international century would have saved India from losing the fourth and final Test, there was little point in analyzing the significance of Tendulkar’s individual milestone in the midst of India’s dismal position demoted from the no.1 Test team rank and having to swallow a 4-0 whitewash added out by a superior England team.

Sachin Tendulkar though did come close to virtually helping India avoid the whitewash. There were indications overnight that perhaps Tendulkar and Oval may form an indelible partnership. Indeed his century odd partnership with Amit Mishra frustrated England, something that has not happened too often in the series which has caused India to be in this unenvious situation.

Sachin Tendulkar even tasted a bit of good luck when Matt Prior dropped him when the former was batting on eighty-five. England, who had relied on the use of mathematics to keep the batting maestro quite through the series, must have been left pondering how the series would have shaped had Tendulkar shown this kind of resolve and form much earlier in the series.

On a day when perhaps only the ardent Indian fans believed in turning up at the stadium or turning on television sets hoping for the avoidance of what seemed to be the inevitable, the reason crowds came to see cricket was because of those who wanted to see England crowned or those that hoped that Sachin Tendulkar would convert his overnight score into the incredible milestone.

Tendulkar, however, was out to a dismissal that would have been more controversial had it not been for Hawk Eye proving that the ball trajectory did suggest that the ball would hit leg stump. The India England series though do not have the ball tracking technology as part of the UDRS which has meant that Tendulkar could not have appeal the lbw decision given in favour of Tim Bresnan and the Hawk Eye would not support him either.

On ninety-one, Tendulkar was only nine runs shy of a milestone that would be hailed the world over. But perhaps in an ironical sense, it was better that the milestone eluded Sachin Tendulkar at the Oval. Tendulkar has copped plenty of flak in the past, which some of the contention that Tendulkar’s centuries have not always resulted in a favourable result for India. Furthermore, given the cynicism that surrounds Indian cricket’s pathetic performance in the series, there was also the odd chance that criticism would be leveled at Tendulkar that now that the pressure of the series was off the team, Tendulkar could score the magical triple digit figure.

Perhaps it would be more fitting if Tendulkar’s 100th century comes when he is the architect of India’s winning success, not at a time when even such a milestone could plausibly have been a case of too little too late to be truly appreciated.