An unmistakeable scent of retribution was in the air yesterday and Sachin Tendulkar, habitually and idealistically extolled by India as a flawless cricketing being, was England's chief target as a tense final Test threatened to spill over into acrimony.
With England still smouldering over the dismissal of Michael Vaughan for handling the ball on the opening day, match referee Denis Lindsay warned coaches on both sides to calm their players to prevent a trouble-free Test series becoming inflamed at the last.
England, persisting in their over-emotional and misguided belief that India's appeal against Vaughan for handling the ball was against the spirit of the game, have privately identified Tendulkar as the culprit in an incident that left the umpire, AV Jayaprakash, with no choice but to give Vaughan out, a decision that could yet tip the series in India's favour.
The fact that Tendulkar was perfectly entitled to appeal, and that Vaughan's smothering of the ball would have been regarded as a brainstorm in a local club match, never mind the deciding Test of a series, is a truth that many England players, in a siege mentality that has developed out of an honest desire to succeed, have so far largely refused to countenance.
This lingering resentment became the source of a finger-wagging exchange between England's captain Nasser Hussain and Tendulkar as the most revered batsman in Indian history seemed to take issue at the final drinks interval of the day with the negative bowling tactics employed against him. The general impression was that he was advised to keep his opinions to himself.
England's bowling tactics against Tendulkar could hardly have been uglier. All but a few deliveries from Ashley Giles, the left-arm spinner, were deliberately speared a foot outside leg-stump, to his evident frustration.
If it was a ploy that England had used throughout the series, they had never adopted it quite so blatantly. With the crowd chanting with excitement every time he was on strike, and scores of Tendulkar photographs brandished in the air, England were more intent than ever upon spoiling the show.
The belief was that eventually Tendulkar's patience would crack, although, as he reached an unbeaten 50 from 103 balls by the close, there was precious little to support the theory. Perhaps England - who had India 99 for three by the close of the second day, in reply to their 336 - just intend to dismiss all the rest? Tendulkar is a special talent, and that talent can demand from put-upon bowlers, or captains, an extreme response - just as the brilliance of Don Bradman was the reason behind England's Bodyline theory 70 years ago. Tendulkar was also in particularly immaculate form yesterday, cracking the pace bowlers through the offside with wondrous timing.
England could justify their method tactically, and they felt they could justify it emotionally. But if the umpires did not feel themselves empowered to penalise Giles's persistent deliveries way outside leg stump by ruling them no-balls then perhaps the laws need to be amended.
James Foster, the wicketkeeper, routinely took guard a foot outside leg stump. No one can say that the young Essex player is not getting an education, although it is hardly an accepted part of the national curriculum.
Questioning Tendulkar's integrity is not the most obvious route in India to a long and happy life. It was Indian fury over initial suggestions (belatedly withdrawn) that Tendulkar had been ball tampering, more than the punishment that the International Cricket Council match referee, Mike Denness, handed out to five Indian players, that was the catalyst behind the Indian board's rebellion last month against ICC authority.
Tendulkar's god-like status in India is such that it would have been no surprise if England had been instructed to worship at his temple by bowling at him in bare feet.
Until his alleged central role in Vaughan's dismissal, England's players routinely lauded Tendulkar as a great talent; of that there is no doubt. In the past 24 hours, some have come to regard him as a tarnished idol, a professional with a professional's integrity, only with a much higher batting average. If there is an element in all this that it is time for India to "get real" then it is with some justification.
India will not be listening, not after Anil Kumble became the second Indian (after Kapil Dev) and fourth spinner (after Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lance Gibbs) to reach 300 Test wickets. It took him until his 30th over, a leg before decision as Matthew Hoggard attempted to sweep, the final wicket in an England innings that, 255 for six overnight, had extended until five overs after lunch.
Foster followed his 40 in Ahmedabad with an assured 31/2-hour 48 yesterday, before the impressive Javagal Srinath had him caught at the wicket; he will make plenty of England 50s in the future.
India's innings was then assaulted by the herculean frame of Andrew Flintoff, who found steep bounce to remove Deep Dasgupta for nought, and then summoned inswingers to remove Shiv Sunder Das, to an inside edge, and VVS Laxman.
He is handling the new-ball with heart and developing skill. When had he last imagined, before this tour, that he might take the new ball for England? "When I was 11," he said.
Overnight: England 255-6 (M P Vaughan 64, M R Ramprakash 58).
ENGLAND First Innings (cont)
C White c Das b Srinath 39
J S Foster c Dasgupta b Srinath 48
A F Giles lbw b Sarandeep Singh 28
R K J Dawson not out 0
M J Hoggard lbw b Kumble 1
Extras b8 lb9 nb3 pens 0 20
Total (123.3 overs) ... 336
Fall: 1-21, 2-68, 3-93, 4-206, 5-206, 6-219, 7-271, 8-334, 9-334.
Bowling: Srinath 29- 9-73- 4; Ganguly 13- 3- 39- 0; Kumble 29.3- 6- 74- 1; Harbhajan Singh 27- 7- 59- 0; Sarandeep Singh 21- 5- 54- 3; Tendulkar 3- 0- 19- 0; Sehwag 1- 0- 1- 0.
INDIA First Innings
S S Das b Flintoff 28
D Dasgupta c Trescothick b Flintoff 0
V V S Laxman b Flintoff 12
S R Tendulkar not out 50
R Dravid not out 1
Extras b4 lb3 nb1 pens 0 8
Total 3 wkts (43 overs) ... 99
Fall: 1-8 2-22 3-88 To Bat: S C Ganguly, V Sehwag, A Kumble, J Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh.
Bowling: Hoggard 6- 3- 16- 0; Flintoff 15- 4- 30- 3; Giles 16- 8- 25-0; White 6- 2- 21- 0.
NEW ZEALAND V BANGLADESH
(Hamilton )
NEW ZEALAND First Innings
M H Richardson not out 124
L Vincent c & b Mortaza 0
M S Sinclair c Mashud b Manjural Islam 7
S P Fleming c Mashud b Mortaza 4
N J Astle c Sahariar b Manjural Islam 5
C D McMillan c Manjural Islam b Mortaza 106
C L Cairns not out 40
Extras b2 lb10 w5 nb3 pens 0 20
Total 5 wkts (68 overs) ... 306
Fall: 1-1 2-19 3-29 4-51 5-241 To Bat: A C Parore, D L Vettori, S E Bond, C S Martin.
Bowling: Mortaza 23- 3- 82-3; Manjural Islam 18- 5- 66- 2; Mohammad Sharif 16- 2- 87- 0; Khaled Mahmud 8- 0-34-0; Mohammad Ashraful 3- 0- 25- 0.
