Tendulkar eyes Bradman mark in second Zimbabwe Test
N. Ananthanarayanan
Sachin Tendulkar has the chance to draw level with Sir Donald Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries when India face Zimbabwe in the second and final Test starting on Thursday.
Tendulkar's masterly 176 -- his 28th hundred -- propelled India to a crushing victory by an innings and 101 runs in the first Test in Nagpur earlier this week.
Another such knock will put him level with the prolific Australian with only compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's world record tally of 34 centuries ahead of him.
New Delhi would provide a perfect setting for Tendulkar as Gavaskar had also equalled Bradman's then world mark at the same Ferozeshah Kotla ground, against West Indies in 1983-84.
However, while Tendulkar will be playing his 91st Test on Thursday, Bradman made his centuries in only 52 international appearances. Gavaskar's 34 hundreds came in 125 tests.
After being outclassed in Nagpur, Zimbabwe face a huge challenge to lift themselves and avoid a second successive test series rout, having being crushed 3-0 in Sri Lanka recently.
Visiting skipper Stuart Carlisle believes the New Delhi pitch will again suit India's spin pair Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who bowled their side to victory by an innings and 101 runs in the first Test.
"There is even less grass than in Nagpur. It might even start turning viciously from the third day," he told reporters on Wednesday.
FLOWER DISAPPOINTS
Carlisle's biggest concern has been the recent poor batting form of 33-year-old left-hander Andy Flower. Zimbabwe's leading Test batsman managed just 11 runs in two innings in Nagpur, following 80 in six innings in Sri Lanka.
His lean patch has seen his world ranking slip to ninth, and is a huge contrast to his form during a 1-0 loss in a two-Test series in India in 2000 when he amassed 540 runs in four innings, including unbeaten knocks of 183 and 232.
India also have concerns in the batting department with skipper Saurav Ganguly and Vangipurappu Laxman needing runs ahead of upcoming Test tours in West Indies and England.
Laxman scored only 13 runs in Nagpur and his place in the middle-order is under threat from in-form Virender Sehwag.
Ganguly, having failed to score a century in his 17 Tests as captain, made just 38 runs in Nagpur after a meagre tally of 68 from four innings in the home Test series against England.
Coach John Wright is also unhappy with India's ground fielding and has given Deep Dasgupta one last chance to tone up his wicketkeeping after a series of fumbles with the gloves.
The squads:
India (from) - Saurav Ganguly (captain), Shiv Sundar Das, Deep Dasgupta (wk), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Sharandeep Singh.
Zimbabwe (from) - Stuart Carlisle (captain), Trevor Gripper, Alistair Campbell, Andy Flower, Gavin Rennie, Grant Flower, Heath Streak, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Travis Friend, Raymond Price, Brighton Watambwa, Dion Ebrahim, Craig Wishart, Mpumulelo Mbangwa.
Umpires - A.V.Jayaprakash (India) and Asoka De Silva.
Match referee - John Reid (New Zealand).
Mail Cricket Editor
(C) 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similiar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters Sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
