Rahul Dravid, who looked totally out of sorts as opener at the MCG, was slowly but steadily batting himself into form at the SCG and today at Perth, back at his usual no.3 spot, he finally found his groove and hit some glorious shots - especially through covers, on his way to a composed 93 that helped India reach 297 at the end of day 1. Though, a loss of quick wickets towards the end means Australia holds a slight advantage in the contest.
But, it was Tendulkar's innings of 71 that set the match up for India. Coming in with the score reading 2-59, he showed urgency in running, looked composed, and generally showed positive intent from the beginning. But, the way he adjusted his game to the Australians' tactics of bowling short to him was the highlight of his innings. He stayed well balanced and swayed out of the short balls on the middle and leg; but, anything short and wide was cut fiercely over gully and the slip region. One shot in particular stood out - in the 32nd over, Lee bowled a short one at 145km/hr, Tendulkar swayed out of the way, and as the ball was about to pass him over, gently guided it over slips for four. An exquisite shot, minimal in effort, and delightful to watch!
Contrast this with his innings in the 2nd test match in the series against England last year, where not in the best of form, he still managed to score a very useful 91, which along with contributions from the openers and a very good spell of fast bowling from Zaheer Khan helped India secure a win. Then, unsure of his form, he handled the short pitched bowling very differently - he swayed, ducked or left the short balls and many times took blows to his body rather than trying to pull or hook. He showed great humility and determination not to fall prey to England's tactics, eschewing shots he wasn't confident of executing right. And, of course when the ball was full, he dispatched it magnificently through covers.
This ability to adjust his game to different situations is what makes him a true master.
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