CRICKET:SACHIN TENDULKAR'S sparkling 76 secured India's five-wicket victory in the first Test against West Indies yesterday while prolonging his agonising wait for his 100th international century.
Statistically the greatest cricketer with 33,000-plus runs in international cricket, Tendulkar, who passed 15,000 Test runs on Tuesday, looked set for the triple digit mark before leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo trapped him leg before.
The 38-year-old batsman departed after a fluent 148-ball knock, studded with 10 crisp boundaries, but not before laying the foundation for a much-needed win for India, who lost their top Test ranking after a 4-0 whitewash in England.
Vangipurappu Laxman (58 not out) also chipped in with a half-century as India, resuming on 152 for two wickets, chased down the 276-run victory target just after the lunch break with the loss of five wickets.
Laxman made sure India scored the 124 runs they needed on the fourth day to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was named man of the match for his nine-wicket haul in his debut Test, while left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha finished with seven wickets.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was delighted with the performance of the team’s relatively inexperienced bowling unit. “It was not an easy wicket to get the batsmen out. Ojha bowled really well in the first innings and Ashwin in the second,” he said.
