The Tendulkar knock was a work of genius not because it was a match-winning hundred. It was a work of genius in its first 40 runs itself, simply because of the caning India had received in the last game and the pressure of being in yet another final representing a country that has a horrid record in finals (2 won out of their last 21 appearances). And to see him and Dravid walk out against good disciplined Lankan bowling and yet look reassuring, required his dazzling strokeplay and Dravid’s self-effacing traits at their purest.
Dhoni appeared to pull off the biggest con job today – his first few shots involved him hopping down the track, and Sanga for some reason thought it was attacking-Dhoni who’d turned up. The field was spread and MS did what he loves to do nowadays – push it around. Not sure why the bluff worked, ’cause attacking-Dhoni last turned up in an IPL match in 2008. But it is this new-look game that has made him the most dependable player in the current Indian middle order and so no real room for complaint there.
The fact that Yuvraj sparkled only in bits was testament to the Lankan bowling being good for the most part, while the Lankan chase was a blur of Dilshan going bananas, the Indian players going nuts, bizarre dismissals, and Tony Grieg/Arun Lal. I’m not sure if Grieg lusting after a Yamaha or Arun Lal attempting to squeeze beauty out of a coconut is the worse sin.
It later turned out that the only time Grieg sat on a bike was when an Indian passerby gave him a drop during a tour of India in his playing days. Lal on the other hand continues unchecked with his alleged animal lover thing and life’s good only cos Sachin is in it.
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