Not that this World Cup needs lighting up, but the rare genius of Sachin Tendulkar came ablaze at SuperSport Park on Saturday as India swept aside Pakistan by six-wickets in the great Pool A sub-continental showdown.
Widely regarded as the best batsman of the modern era and almost certain to become the most acclaimed Indian batsman of all time, Tendulkar demolished one of the most feared fast bowling attacks in the tournament. At times a leg muscle sprain hindered his running between the wickets, but if his mobility was restricted, his timing and vision remained unimpaired as he carved out a quite breathtaking 98.
It was an extraordinary day which, happily, passed off without serious incident. Politics separate India and Pakistan, but the World Cup enabled the two teams and 20 000 ardent fans to use SuperSport Park as a stage for celebration. If India’s supporters celebrated somewhat more enthusiastically, who could blame them in an electric atmosphere for what, in many ways, was the biggest game of the tournament.
Two more runs would have given Tendulkar his sixth World Cup century and his second in this tournament. As it was, his innings guaranteed India a place in the Super Six stage. Pakistan, however, now have to scrap it out with Zimbabwe to stay in the tournament. And even this may depend on the outcome of England’s match against Australia in Port Elizabeth on Sunday, although an England victory would constitute as great an upset as Kenya’s win against Sri Lanka last week.
The Indian win was set up by Tendulkar in the first 15 overs of his team’s innings as Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis were, by turns, torn to pieces. Pakistan had given themselves every hope of victory by building a total of 273 for seven, but from the off India went after it with Tendulkar sharing partnerships of 53 for the first wicket with Virender Sehwag and 102 for the third wicket with Mohammad Kaif. In between, Sourav Ganguly came and went, adjudged leg before to Waqar off the first ball he faced.
The carnage began in the first over of the innings as Tendulkar and Sehwag each helped themselves to a boundary off Wasim, nine runs coming off the over. Shoaib went for 18 off his first over, Tendulkar carving the world’s fast bowler for a pair of fours and a six, slashed high into the crowd at backward point.
Waqar whipped Shoaib out of the attack after his opening over, replacing him with himself at the Hennop’s River end. It made little difference to the Indians with Sehwag greeting Waqar with his own version of Tendulkar’s six, this one landing a little further up in the crowd.
The 50 was raised in the fifth over, but then Waqar accounted for Sehwag, snaffled at backward point for 21 off 13 deliveries, and Ganguly went first ball to have India 53 for two. If this constituted a wobble, Tendulkar did not appear to notice. After 10 overs India were 88 for two and at the end of the 15th over they had rocketed to 120 for two.
Understandably, it all calmed down a little with the fielding restrictions lifted. Kaif, who had wisely opted to play a supporting role, was bowled by Shahid Afridi for 35, but the spotlight was firmly on Tendulkar who seemed certain to reach three figures.
All the Pakistan fast bowlers had suffered, but none more so than Shoaib who conceded a further 18 runs off two overs in his second spell. He simply had no idea how or where to bowl to Tendulkar and there were moments when he seemed about to dissolve into tears.
It was not a faultless innings. On 32 Tendulkar had lifted a drive off Wasim to mid off, but Abdur Razzaq could not hold a one-handed leaping catch and on 89 he offered a return catch to Afridi that the legs-spinner should have accepted.
But with the Indian fans about to erupt with joy upon Tendulkar’s century, Shoaib at last found the right length, kicking one up at the Little Master for Younis Khan to take the catch in the gully. Everything afterwards seemed an anti-climax, but the impetus given the innings by Tendulkar enabled Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to ease India into the Super Sixes amid a clamour of which Eden Gardens would have been proud. Dravid finished on 44 with Yuvraj making 50 not out in an unbroken partnership of 99 as India won with 4.2 overs to spare.
He had scored his runs off just 75 balls, hitting 12 fours and a six. There was also a second six which contained four overthrows as Pakistan became ragged in the field. In the circumstances this was hardly surprising.
In the excitement of the afternoon, Saeed Anwar’s well-crafted 101 in the Pakistan innings was all but forgotten. There had been tension aplenty as the two teams shook hands before the start, but nerves seemed to affect the Indian bowlers rather more than the Pakistan batsmen. Zaheer Khan gave up seven extras off his first over including two wides and two no balls, but gradually the shape of the game began to emerge, with Saeed playing his first significant innings of the tournament.
Which is rather more than can be said for Inzamam-ul-Haq who went into the game with just 10 runs from four innings. He made six on this occasion before being run out when Saeed failed to respond to his call. Inzamam may have lost weight, but his turning circle remains as stately and as slow as ever.