Cricket: Smooth Sachin runs into form

Sachin Tendulkar is in doubt for tomorrow's fourth one-dayer in Hamilton. Photo / Getty Images

Regardless of whether Sachin Tendulkar graces Seddon Park with his presence tomorrow, the Indian batting maestro has already treated New Zealand cricket followers to an enduring reminder of his class.

In only three innings on tour, Tendulkar has atoned for what was, by his exacting standards, a galling experience the last time he visited here in the summer of 2002-03.

Tendulkar, who rolled an ankle in training back then, had only a limited role in the seven-match one-day series won by 5-2 by a Shane Bond-inspired New Zealand.

In the three matches he was fit to play in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton, one of modern day cricket's greats managed only a duck and two singles.

Tendulkar fared little better in two test match defeats, a 51 at the Basin Reserve his biggest contribution as India's batsmen were woefully exposed on green, seaming pitches under leaden skies.

Unusually for a batsman who has proved adept at adjusting to any conditions, New Zealand has not always proved a reliable source of runs for Mumbai's favourite son.

He made a duck in his test debut against New Zealand at Lancaster Park in February 1990 and the following month Tendulkar, still secondary school aged, also failed to score in his first ODI on New Zealand soil at Carisbrook.

Those tours apart the bowlers have generally suffered though - and no more so than in Christchurch on Sunday night when Tendulkar conjured a sublime 163 from 133 balls, his first ODI century on New Zealand soil.

It took a bruised abdominal muscle - which threatens his participation in game four - to curtail what might have been a unique ODI double hundred.

Instead he was satisfied with India's commanding 58-run victory, an unbeatable 2-0 series lead, his 43rd ODI ton and a record 58th man-of-the-match award to go with it.

Finally making a ODI hundred on this his seventh, and likely final, tour of New Zealand was also satisfying though as he pointed out, the 19-year wait was not as pronounced as it appeared.

Tendulkar has played only 18 of his 425 ODI matches in New Zealand and from those matches had a respectable 635 runs at 38.35.

"I got close to a hundred in the period around 1992-94 and the next tour was in 2002-03. I missed a few matches with my ankle injury, so I've not played that many games."

Tendulkar sat out the Twenty20 matches last month and since then has steadily got into the groove in the ODI arena.

He made 20 from 23 in Napier in his acclimatisation innings and then cooly collected 61 from 69 before the Wellington match was washed out.

However, the pointers to a substantial knock were unmistakable and it duly arrived on the drop-in pitch at Christchurch.

The batting conditions have certainly warmed his heart, though New Zealand bowlers obviously don't share his enthusiasm.

"Last time we came here it was sort of a disaster for both the sides," he said.

"The bowlers got false confidence and the batsmen were looking for technical problems where they didn't exist. I've never played on tracks like those."

And by the looks of it, never again.

- NZPA