Kolkata(NDTV):The party at Eden Gardens came to a grinding halt when Sachin Tendulkar, despite his two confident shots to the fence was dismissed for 10 by West Indian off-spinner Shane Shillingford in the first session of play on Day 2 of the first Test in Kolkata. The dismissal had a large hint on controversy especially after TV replays showed the ball was climbing and perhaps would have missed the off-stump. There is no provision of Decision Review System in this series because India hates it.
It was a Shillingford doosra that ‘foxed’ Tendulkar. The Master Blaster, playing his 199th and penultimate Test, received a standing ovation from about 25,000 early morning fans at Eden but joy soon transformed into gloom. A forward-defensive Tendulkar played for the turn but the ball spun the other way and struck high on the right (back) leg thigh pad. Umpire Nigel Llong from England felt the ball would have hit the stumps and upheld the LBW appeal.
Spectators at the Eden Gardens were stunned into silence. A few of them mustered the courage to cheer a disappointed Tendulkar, who gingerly walked back to the pavilion. This two-match Test contest has been dubbed the “Sachin Tendulka farewell series” and the 40-year-old clearly wants to go out on a high. Tendulkar was in the middle of all the action on Day 1 on Wednesday when debutant Mohammad Shami ran through the Caribbean top order with four for 71. Tendulkar trapped Shillingford LWB with a ball that hurried off the wicket as the Caribbeans were all out for 234 after winning the toss.
On Thursday, Shillingford, who broke the back of the Indian batting with some superb spin bowling, took ‘revenge’ against Tendulkar and this wicket will certainly remain one of his most cherished scalps. As for Tendulkar, he still has the second innings to bat. The Eden Test is shaping up to be a close contest and the Master Baster’s fans won’t mind to see him bat once more. Remember, Tendulkar, after failing to go beyond 5 in the first innings against Haryana at Lahli last week, came back to score a decisive 79 as Mumbai won their Ranji opener.
