History gives us enough reason to believe that Dravid and Tendulkar will yet again be the scourge of the opposition
History gives us enough reason to believe that Dravid and Tendulkar will yet again be the scourge of the opposition
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Will today be the day Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar gets his 50th Test century? It is the theme around which New Zealand's tour of India was assembled. Ever since Daniel Vettori's Black Caps arrived on Indian shores last month, there's been constant talk about Tendulkar getting to this great milestone. Whether it was the local press in Ahmedabad during the first Test, or the vibrant crowds in Hyderabad. And now, the locals in the Orange City are just hours away from bracing history.
Tendulkar will resume on his overnight score of 57, and keeping him company is his oldest accomplice Rahul Dravid, who too, is batting splendidly on 69. India are already ahead by 99 runs and will push for an elusive victory at Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Ground. The venue is already famous for the retirements of legends Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly. Dhoni and Co will be hoping for a 1-0 series victory before their taxing tour of South Africa in December-January.
When stumps were drawn yesterday, Tendulkar and Dravid had brought an incredible 19th 100-run partnership ufffd the most by any pair in the history of Tests. Also, with 6282 runs, Tendulkar and Dravid are now second in the list of highest partnership runs by a pair, only 200 runs behind Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.
It is a testament to both their longevity as well as their prolific skill in scoring runs that these two batsmen have scored so many runs together.
Back to basics
Opener Gautam Gambhir, who top-scored with 78 yesterday, revealed that partner Virender Sehwag gave him confidence during a testing phase. "I was under some pressure in Hyderabad. Sehwag spoke to me after every over. That gave me tremendous belief," he said.
"Sehwag plays the same game in all three formats of the game, puts the bowlers under immense pressure. There is nobody else like him," Gambhir added.
The southpaw said he was looking forward to the milestone that awaits Tendulkar: "It will be a phenomenal achievement," he said.
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