Worrying signs for Tendulkar?

Three different bowlers bowling near-identical deliveries over a period of two interesting Tests resulted in one very dis­ap­pointing conclusion for India: the fall of Sachin Tendulkar.

The 39-year-old was dismissed by Trent Boult for 19 runs in the first Test in Hyberabad after the ball pitched on middle-and-off and went on to find the stumps. In the first innings of the second Test, he tried to push a ball from Doug Bracewell down to mid-on and left a huge gap between bat and pad to be dismissed for 17.

Coming in to bat in the second innings after India had lost two crucial wickets in quick succession, the pressure was on the ‘Little Master’ to stick around and carry the home team to safety. Seventy eight minutes later, he fell to Tim Southee after the ball clipped his pad and then went onto strike down the middle stump.

This time, however, Tendulkar was visibly angry with himself. He raised his bat almost as if to hit the stumps or his pads before walking towards the dressing room. He may have calmed himself down in front of a stunned crowd at the M Chinnaswamy stadium but the Mumbai legend will be upset, and one could very well expect that anger to fuel him iron out this ‘flaw’ as he has done on several occasions in the past.

Tendulkar may be the owner to most batting records on the planet but he is not without chinks in his well-adorned armour. What, however, sets him apart is that he makes sure he gets it fixed before bowlers begin to exploit his weakness.

With a good chunk of time between now and the next Test (Nov 15 against a visiting England), Tendulkar can come out stronger.

“The good thing is that whenever people talk about Tendulkar’s form, he comes up with a brilliant performance and I’m waiting for that,” said skipper MS Dhoni when asked if the Mumbaikar’s form was a cause for concern with tough series against England and Australia coming up. “I don’t really get worried about that,” he added with a smile.