Tendulkar, Giles look
for an encore

After scoring his 27th Test hundred, Sachin Tendulkar stated the obvious when he said his knock in the second innings would be crucial to the team's prospects in the second Test against England.

Tendulkar, who has single-handedly won - and saved - many a match for India, produced yet another great knock on Thursday, scoring 103 to pull his team out of trouble after they had been reduced to 93 for four in reply to England's first innings total of 407.

However, India still fell 116 runs short, being bowled out for 291, and by the end of the third day's play England had scored 15 without loss in their second innings to extend their lead to 131.

"I would like to think that my efforts in the second innings would be much more important than the century today," Tendulkar, whose knock took him to joint third position in the overall list of highest number of Test hundreds, told reporters after the day's play.

"I think we have to play really tough over the next two days to come back into the match. If we apply ourselves well we can do it," he said.

Tendulkar joined Australians Allan Border and Steve Waugh, who too have 27 centuries each to their credit, and only Sunil Gavaskar (34) and Sir Donald Bradman (29) have scored more Test hundreds than him.

"It is a great feeling to score a Test hundred especially under difficult circumstances. We had lost early wickets today and England quickies were bowling pretty well," he said.

Analysing India's performance on day 3, Tendulkar said the main problem was the lack of a good partnership.

"Except for my fifth wicket association with (V V S) Laxman which yielded 118 runs, we failed to get the big partnerships going. I think even England were in a similar position in their first innings but were saved by Craig White's century."

England's star of the day Ashley Giles, who produced his best Test figures of five for 67, paid rich tributes to Tendulkar.

"He is an awesome cricketer. I find him as the all-time great," he said.

Giles, who recorded his second five-wicket haul on Thursday, said he had deliberately employed the ploy of packing the off-side field while bowling to Tendulkar. "It was a ploy which worked quite well. I had seven fielders on the off-side and attacked his off-stump to curb his intentions of going over the top. I think it worked to a great extent as I managed to tuck him up."

Giles, who missed the first Test at Mohali due to a foot injury, did not agree with the suggestion that the selectors had taken a gamble by including him despite having not recovered fully.

"I am fully fit and there was no question of the team management taking a gamble by including me.

"It is nice to be a part of the team which has come back well after losing the first Test by ten wickets," he said.

And like Tendulkar, Giles too is looking forward to the second innings.

"The match is not over yet and the Indians can come back with a bang in the second innings. Let's hope I can bowl as well as I did in the first innings," he said.

Mail Cricket Editor