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 Sachin Tendulkar kept India afloat in the third and final Test against West Indies with a timely century as the hosts recovered from early losses to take a 56-run lead with six wickets in hand on the fourth day here today. Tendulkar struck his 31st Test century and remained unbeaten on 114 as India reached 195 for four in their second innings when play was called off due to bad light 18 overs before schedule. V V S Laxman, who added 108 runs for the unfinished fifth wicket partnership with Tendulkar, was the other not out batsman at stumps, having scored 30 runs. West Indies, who were all out for 497 in their first innings to take a 139-run lead earlier in the day, were in complete command of the match when India had been reduced to 87 for four at one stage.
But Tendulkar and Laxman batted sensibly after that to deny any further success to the West Indies. Tendulkar, who had been lying low for some time, shrugged off his poor record at the Eden Gardens to notch up his first century at this historic ground. The duo, who came together midway into the second session, batted for the remainder of the day with Tendulkar doing the bulk of the scoring. Tendulkar played an array of delightful strokes
his wristy steers, majestic drives and powerful pulls executed with impeccable timing leaving the West Indian bowlers, who had their tails up after their early successes, totally exasperated. The master batsman reached his century half an hour into the last session when he hit Darren Powell through covers to take two runs, which received a loud applause from a big weekend crowd. Tendulkar has so far faced 195 balls and hit 17 boundaries in his sterling innings.
 Laxman, whose epic 281 at this ground against Australia last year is still fresh in the memory of the locals, played a supportive role to carve out a patient 30-run knock which came off 105 balls and included four fours. India's second essay started on a highly inauspicious note with first innings top-scorer Sanjay Bangar being dismissed off the very first ball of the innings. India could not even recover from that loss when Dillon gave another jolt to the hosts by sending back dashing batsman Virender Sehwag. Both Sehwag and Bangar were caught by Shivnarine Chanderpaul and India had lost both its openers with just 11 runs on the board. Then came two controversial leg before decisions against Rahul Dravid and skipper Sourav Ganguly which left India panting at 87 for four.
Dravid was at the receiving end of a rough decision for the second time in this match. Like in the first innings, he was adjudged leg before wicket against Powell by umpire Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka who failed to notice an inside edge off his bat. He was given out in a similar fashion in the first innings too by the other umpire, David Shepherd of England. Dravid made 17 and India had lost their third wicket at 49 just before the lunch break. The lanky Cameron Cuffy struck again for West Indies 38 runs later when Ganguly, who scored 16, was adjudged leg before wicket to a delivery that TV replays showed had pitched outside the leg-stump. West Indies were all fired up at this stage and sensing victory before Tendulkar and Laxman poured water over their hopes. Earlier, West Indies’ first innings folded with the addition of 51 runs to their overnight 446 for five with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh coming up with his 11th five-wicket haul.
Marlon Samuels duly completed his maiden Test hundred but Chanderpaul could only equal his previous Test best of 140. Chanderpaul, who resumed at his overnight 136, could score just four runs this morning before falling to Virender Sehwag who surprisingly opened the bowling for India today, in his first over itself. The left-handed Chanderpaul, who had driven Sehwag for a boundary of the opening delivery of the day, was caught by Harbhajan Singh at point. He faced 258 deliveries and struck 17 fours and a six. Samuels, whose sixth wicket stand with Chanderpaul yielded 195 runs for West Indies, reached his century in the fourth over of the day with a single to long-off against Kumble. Samuels fell in the very next over, snapped up by Sehwag at forward short leg while playing forward to Harbhajan Singh who returned figures of five for 115. Kumble then trapped Powell leg before wicket with a delivery that straightened after pitching on the leg stump. The leg-spinner dismissed Jermaine Lawson in a similar fashion to finish with figures of three for 169. |
