The events surrounding the tea interval were ironical. Sachin Tendulkar finally broke the much anticipated record of Brian Lara’s. But this was perhaps time when it could have been postponed further still.
The wait had been to long for Sachin to go past Brian Lara’s record of 111,953 Test runs in international cricket. Even since India embarked on the series to Sri Lanka, the focus on Sachin’s runs and the impending record was phenomenal.
In the first Test against Australia in Bengaluru earlier in the week, Sachin fell fifteen shy of the mark and hence, Mohali felt certain that it would play host to one of the most glorious moments in Sachin, India and world cricket’s history.
However, in hindsight, the Indian dressing room would not have wished ill for Sachin but would have wanted that Sachin came in to bat much later in the innings than he did in order to overhaul Lara’s record.
That was because India were going great guns post lunch with even Rahul Dravid relishing hitting the Australians for boundaries at will. The Gambhir-Dravid partnership raised another seventy-six runs and the Australians appeared to be wilting under the heat.
The Australians decided to tighten up the singles and the Indians appear impatient to wear out the Australians with a patient plan. The breakthroughs came in unfortunate circumstances and India lost quick wickets perhaps at a time when they should have really rubbed it into the visitors under sweltering conditions.
Dravid’s impetuosity got the better of him and he edged one onto his stumps to give Brett Lee an unexpected wicket. Gambhir followed soon after, edging Johnson to Brad Haddin behind the stumps. V.V.S. Laxman did not last long with Sachin either. A faint edge on the leg side accounting for a caught behind.
Sourav Ganguly once again walked into a situation that was not very flattering on the Indians. It was a disappointing end at the tea interval as India managed only seventy runs and paid the price of three precious wickets that were not necessary prized out.
Sachin stood on the verge of the record before tea and it was not long after that the crackers burst to signal Sachin’s achievement.
One could only say that while the felicitation was well deserved, whether it was necessary to break the concentration of the batsmen, especially that India were in such dire straits after making such a glorious start. Another disappointment was the lack of spectators at the ground at a time when this is a moment in history that people would recall having been there.
