At 3.32pm local time on Thursday,
Sachin Tendulkar trotted down the steps of the Mumbai Cricket
Association Pavilion, breathed in a scene of near-bedlam, and embarked
on the most eagerly awaited innings in the history of cricket.
Forty years old and playing his 200th Test, there is little left to surprise him. But this was something else — a wall of sound, a West Indian guard of honour and a sense of expectation that few sporting events can have witnessed.
For once, the cliche about shouldering the hopes of a billion people sounded like an understatement. The Australian all-rounder Keith Miller declared that pressure was a ‘Messerschmitt up your a***’. Had he been alive to witness this, he might have been tempted to add a caveat.
Ever since the first Test at Kolkata
finished with a three-day victory for India and one innings from
Tendulkar that produced just 10 runs, a famously religious nation has
been joined in prayer.
It’s not always been clear what exactly they have been praying for. Some of the crueller observations about Tendulkar’s recent run in Test cricket suggested it might have been for a miracle.
But by smearing the third delivery he faced for a leg-side single, he at least avoided the fate of Don Bradman, whose last Test, at The Oval in 1948, produced a second-ball duck. Tendulkar finished the day on 38.Whether this proves to be his final innings remains to be seen.
After being put in to bat by MS Dhoni, West Indies folded hopelessly to 182, like party guests determined not to offend their hosts. And with India closing the first day of this second Test on 157 for two, they could easily replicate their innings win at Eden Gardens.
The thought that this really could be Tendulkar’s 329th and final Test knock hardly dared breathe its name. Yet there it was, the Indian elephant in the room.
The mood had intensified all day. Spectators lucky enough to bag a ticket had queued from early morning. One or two had lit a flame and looked to the heavens. Most settled for donning Sachin-related paraphernalia, complete with puns about God. No one minded the blasphemy.
That Tendulkar eventually emerged in front of his home crowd with bat in hand felt like an unexpected bonus after West Indies had advanced to 140 for three. Until then, excitement had centred on his occasional appearances on the fine-leg fence in front of the stand bearing his name.
But a hopeless collapse meant India’s openers were walking out after tea. And when Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay fell in the same over to off-spinner Shane Shillingford, the scene was set.
One of the giant screens at the Wankhede flashed: ‘Don’t even blink!!’ Was it aimed at Tendulkar or a crowd that was swelling towards 30,000? It was hard to say.
Tendulkar’s first task was to negotiate a guard of honour, which he accepted with a mixture of grace and sheepishness, nodding shyly at the West Indian players.
Their captain,
Darren Sammy, offered an old-fashioned shake of the hand; his batting
partner, Cheteshwar Pujara, a more contemporary punch of the glove. Not
for the first time, he seemed to be straddling eras.
Then it was down to business. He nervously defended his first two deliveries, from Shillingford, then swept him with a hint of desperation for a single, the 15,848th run of his Test career.
As empty seats began to fill, he raised the biggest cheer of the day by cutting a Shillingford long hop for four to reach seven. ‘Ninety-three to go,’ muttered a local journalist.
Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was dispatched through the covers and the off-spin of Marlon Samuels cut and glanced for fours. But the shot of the day was an on-drive off Sammy that could have been played at any stage of Tendulkar’s 24-year Test career.
Frankly, he could have inside-edged his way to 38 and still been greeted like the demigod so many believe him to be. It spared everyone embarrassment that he was treating some friendly offerings with appropriate contempt.
There was more ear-splitting mayhem as members of his family appeared on the giant screen: his mother Rajni, attending her first Test, and his wife Anjali, whom he first bumped into at Mumbai airport in 1990. Here was a family affair of the most public kind.
Walking off to relieved roars after playing out the last few balls of the evening, Tendulkar stumbled briefly on the pavilion steps. Mercifully, it was the only foot he put wrong all day.
Forty years old and playing his 200th Test, there is little left to surprise him. But this was something else — a wall of sound, a West Indian guard of honour and a sense of expectation that few sporting events can have witnessed.
For once, the cliche about shouldering the hopes of a billion people sounded like an understatement. The Australian all-rounder Keith Miller declared that pressure was a ‘Messerschmitt up your a***’. Had he been alive to witness this, he might have been tempted to add a caveat.
Waiting in line: A huge number of fans turn up for Sachin Tendulkar final Test match
Show of support: Fans and supporters of Indian cricketer Tendulkar queue to witness his last test match
The
Daily Mail is not using live pictures from India’s Test matches because
of a dispute with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. We have
commissioned a series of drawings by legendary master of movement Paul
Trevillion to mark Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test.
It’s not always been clear what exactly they have been praying for. Some of the crueller observations about Tendulkar’s recent run in Test cricket suggested it might have been for a miracle.
But by smearing the third delivery he faced for a leg-side single, he at least avoided the fate of Don Bradman, whose last Test, at The Oval in 1948, produced a second-ball duck. Tendulkar finished the day on 38.Whether this proves to be his final innings remains to be seen.
After being put in to bat by MS Dhoni, West Indies folded hopelessly to 182, like party guests determined not to offend their hosts. And with India closing the first day of this second Test on 157 for two, they could easily replicate their innings win at Eden Gardens.
Sand star: Tendulkar is immortalised in a sand sculpture with two hundred cricket bats with a message 'The God of Cricket'
Building their tribute: Indian students of Allahabad University and make the sand sculpture of Tendulkar
Super fan: One of Tendulkar's many fans holds up a placard he made of the cricket legend
The thought that this really could be Tendulkar’s 329th and final Test knock hardly dared breathe its name. Yet there it was, the Indian elephant in the room.
The mood had intensified all day. Spectators lucky enough to bag a ticket had queued from early morning. One or two had lit a flame and looked to the heavens. Most settled for donning Sachin-related paraphernalia, complete with puns about God. No one minded the blasphemy.
That Tendulkar eventually emerged in front of his home crowd with bat in hand felt like an unexpected bonus after West Indies had advanced to 140 for three. Until then, excitement had centred on his occasional appearances on the fine-leg fence in front of the stand bearing his name.
But a hopeless collapse meant India’s openers were walking out after tea. And when Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay fell in the same over to off-spinner Shane Shillingford, the scene was set.
One of the giant screens at the Wankhede flashed: ‘Don’t even blink!!’ Was it aimed at Tendulkar or a crowd that was swelling towards 30,000? It was hard to say.
Tendulkar’s first task was to negotiate a guard of honour, which he accepted with a mixture of grace and sheepishness, nodding shyly at the West Indian players.
Message of support: An Indian cricket fan signs a giant picture of Tendulkar
Flying the flag: Supporters stand and fly a national flag in front of a huge board with a picture of Tendulkar
Then it was down to business. He nervously defended his first two deliveries, from Shillingford, then swept him with a hint of desperation for a single, the 15,848th run of his Test career.
As empty seats began to fill, he raised the biggest cheer of the day by cutting a Shillingford long hop for four to reach seven. ‘Ninety-three to go,’ muttered a local journalist.
Final time: The match will be the last since Tendulkar's debut against Pakistan in 1989
Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was dispatched through the covers and the off-spin of Marlon Samuels cut and glanced for fours. But the shot of the day was an on-drive off Sammy that could have been played at any stage of Tendulkar’s 24-year Test career.
Frankly, he could have inside-edged his way to 38 and still been greeted like the demigod so many believe him to be. It spared everyone embarrassment that he was treating some friendly offerings with appropriate contempt.
Sportsmail are offering one reader the chance to win the brilliant original artwork of Sachin Tendulkar by master illustrator Paul Trevillion, while 10 runners up will receive prints. CLICK HERE for more information and to enter the competition.
The one and only: Tendulkar will say retire after his 200th and final Test
The great entertainer: Tendulkar has been a prominent figure for India and for cricket for over two decades
There was more ear-splitting mayhem as members of his family appeared on the giant screen: his mother Rajni, attending her first Test, and his wife Anjali, whom he first bumped into at Mumbai airport in 1990. Here was a family affair of the most public kind.
Walking off to relieved roars after playing out the last few balls of the evening, Tendulkar stumbled briefly on the pavilion steps. Mercifully, it was the only foot he put wrong all day.
Hero: Tendulkar celebrates his double century against Australia in 2010
Time to say goodbye: Tendulkar waves to the crowd in 2011 and will say goodbye to cricket for the final time this week
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