Tendulkar's scalp, Eden Gardens' gaffe
Plays of the Day from the first day of the first Test between India and West Indies in Kolkata
N Hunter
06-Nov-2013
Sachin Tendulkar's 46th Test wicket caused Eden Gardens to erupt • BCCI
The mistake
Having played their previous Test in March, West Indies were always going to struggle to adapt to the longer format right away. So it was no surprise to watch the opener Kieran Powell forget the principle of taking the shine off the new ball. His aggressive batting during the first hour seemed to suggest he wasn't playing in the first morning of a Test, but rather the Powerplay overs of an ODI. Having already lofted R Ashwin for a six and a four in his first over, Powell attempted a pull against a shoulder-high delivery pitched outside off by the debutant Mohammad Shami. He was beaten by the bounce as the ball rushed on too quickly for comfort, and the leading edge was caught easily by Bhuvneswar Kumar at mid off.
Having played their previous Test in March, West Indies were always going to struggle to adapt to the longer format right away. So it was no surprise to watch the opener Kieran Powell forget the principle of taking the shine off the new ball. His aggressive batting during the first hour seemed to suggest he wasn't playing in the first morning of a Test, but rather the Powerplay overs of an ODI. Having already lofted R Ashwin for a six and a four in his first over, Powell attempted a pull against a shoulder-high delivery pitched outside off by the debutant Mohammad Shami. He was beaten by the bounce as the ball rushed on too quickly for comfort, and the leading edge was caught easily by Bhuvneswar Kumar at mid off.
The mix-up
Shivnarine Chanderpaul is not the greatest runner between the wickets. Darren Bravo should know that more than anyone. In 2011 against England, both Bravo and Chanderpaul found themselves at the same end due to a mix-up. At that time, Chanderpaul had grounded his bat, forcing a dejected Bravo to walk back. Today, Bravo pushed a delivery from Ashwin towards square leg and set off for a risky single. Chanderpaul took a hesitant step forward before immediately backing out. Bravo was caught mid-pitch and his retreat to safety proved unsuccessful because an agile Shami had already thrown the ball swiftly back to Dhoni, who broke the stumps quickly.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul is not the greatest runner between the wickets. Darren Bravo should know that more than anyone. In 2011 against England, both Bravo and Chanderpaul found themselves at the same end due to a mix-up. At that time, Chanderpaul had grounded his bat, forcing a dejected Bravo to walk back. Today, Bravo pushed a delivery from Ashwin towards square leg and set off for a risky single. Chanderpaul took a hesitant step forward before immediately backing out. Bravo was caught mid-pitch and his retreat to safety proved unsuccessful because an agile Shami had already thrown the ball swiftly back to Dhoni, who broke the stumps quickly.
The mystery spinner
1336 hours. Eden Garden erupts. It is the loudest cheer heard on the day. MS Dhoni has thrown the ball to Sachin Tendulkar. If West Indies thought it was a benevolent gesture towards a veteran cricketer playing his penultimate Test, they were in for a surprise. Tendulkar's first ball was accurate, a legbreak, and Shane Shillingford defended respectfully. The second one, a googly, ran down leg side for four byes. Two balls later, the 40,000-odd fans yelled "Saachinn, Saachinn," as Tendulkar deceived Shillingford with his flight and dip, to trap him lbw.
1336 hours. Eden Garden erupts. It is the loudest cheer heard on the day. MS Dhoni has thrown the ball to Sachin Tendulkar. If West Indies thought it was a benevolent gesture towards a veteran cricketer playing his penultimate Test, they were in for a surprise. Tendulkar's first ball was accurate, a legbreak, and Shane Shillingford defended respectfully. The second one, a googly, ran down leg side for four byes. Two balls later, the 40,000-odd fans yelled "Saachinn, Saachinn," as Tendulkar deceived Shillingford with his flight and dip, to trap him lbw.
The blunder
Where have all the copy editors in Kolkata gone? For the second day in a row, Cricket Association of Bengal officials had to scamper to correct embarrassing spelling mistakes related to Sachin Tendulkar. On Tuesday, the famous Bengal artist Jogen Chowdhury's portrait of Tendulkar's face was stuck alongside the giant screen at the High Court End. Unfortunately, the title of the painting read: "Celebrating Sachine Tendulkar's 199th Test." The blunder prompted Dhoni to point out the error before starting his press briefing, and the CAB removed the painting later in the evening.
Where have all the copy editors in Kolkata gone? For the second day in a row, Cricket Association of Bengal officials had to scamper to correct embarrassing spelling mistakes related to Sachin Tendulkar. On Tuesday, the famous Bengal artist Jogen Chowdhury's portrait of Tendulkar's face was stuck alongside the giant screen at the High Court End. Unfortunately, the title of the painting read: "Celebrating Sachine Tendulkar's 199th Test." The blunder prompted Dhoni to point out the error before starting his press briefing, and the CAB removed the painting later in the evening.
On the first day of the match, at lunch, in his excitement to announce the arrival of Tendulkar's wife Anjali and son Arjun at the ground, one of the operators of the electronic scoreboard keyed in the following: "Welcome to Mr Anjali Tendulkar and Master Arjun Tendulkar at Eden Garden Kolkata on the occasion of the 199th Test Match of Mr Sachin Tendulkar." It was displayed for nearly 30 minutes before a furious CAB official gave an earful to the men responsible.