Will 42 get better of 41?

Before hitting my laptop’s keys today, I thought why I should write about this man when the whole world has written millions of good words about him already and are still writing. I could have easily chosen not to write yet relish another magnificent innings by recalling those wonderful shots in my mind and sharing my views on them with my friends like most fans do. But I just couldn’t hold myself. I decided to punch in the words about this genius and his never ending batting brilliance. This is what he does to people. He makes people take note of him every time he bats and he is doing that consistently for the last 20 years. I am talking about Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Sachin Tendulkar is a “once-in-a-hundred-years-batsman” whose durability and skill have for many years uplifted Indian cricket team. Ever since he first appeared as a gifted teenager, Tendulkar has known nothing except exorbitant expectations.

Even in this test which is his 157th, the expectations from his bat was the same as it was 20 years back. He didn’t disappoint his fans and scored a ton and was still unbeaten at the time of writing this article and hopefully it helps in India winning its first test in NZ soil after 33 long years.

What a journey this man has had. He became a public property at 16. He still has no place to hide. Every time he leaves his home it is an appearance; he loves his swanky cars but can drive only in the dead of night. He is god fearing but can only visit the temple in the middle of the night when his city sleeps. These difficulties have never hindered his game. He has remained on top of his game despite this abnormal and insane lifestyle.

For most part of yesterday and this morning, what we got to see at Seddon Park was a vintage Sachin. He scored his 42nd test hundred in his 157th test and in the process of this fantastic innings, shots came from his blade as if it came from a young batsman who was making his arrival. Not for a moment he appeared lazy. Those cover drives and those powerful cuts had his signature all over them. Those flicks off the pads and those elegant off side punches on the back-foot reflected his class. That sumptuous back-foot cover drive for four to bring up his half century yesterday is the shot I will cherish for a long time to come.

Dravid missed out yesterday again in converting his 66 into what could have been a classy hundred. That said, during this innings, he proved that the cement in “The wall” is still strong. Dravid brought up his 54th Test fifty soon after Tendulkar's arrival, cracking his 10th boundary before a superb Iain O'Brien delivery dissected his bat and pad to give him the sound of timber.

Will this 42nd ton from the genius get better of India’s 41 year-old series win drought in NZ? Well I guess we will have to wait and see in the hope that Sachin’s hundred proves vital in ending what has already been a really long wait for the Indian Cricket Team.