The farewell series of Sachin Tendulkar was a 2 match Test series with the 1st one being played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata from November 06-10, 2013 and the 2nd one being played at his home ground, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from November 14-18, 2013. The hosts made a complete mockery of the series whitewashing the visitors, thereby providing a fitting farewell to their master
664 International matches; 782 Innings; 24 years
34,357 runs @48.52; 7 200's; 100 100's; 164 50's; HS 248*
201 wickets @46.53; 2 5-wicket hauls; Economy 4.55; Best 5/32
1st Test Match, India v West Indies, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
664 International matches; 782 Innings; 24 years
34,357 runs @48.52; 7 200's; 100 100's; 164 50's; HS 248*
201 wickets @46.53; 2 5-wicket hauls; Economy 4.55; Best 5/32
1st Test Match, India v West Indies, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
India 453 (Rohit 177, Ashwin 124, Shillingford 6-167) beat West Indies 234 (Samuels 65, Shami 4-71) and 168 (Shami 5-47) by an innings and 51 runs
Day 1: Debutant Shami puts India ahead
India 37 for 0 trail West Indies 234 (Samuels 65, Shami 4-71) by 197 runs
Post-lunch session. A big partnership getting bigger. Suddenly, the game turns on its head. How often has reverse swing done that to a match on the subcontinent? How often have West Indies self-destructed? The umpires changed the ball after 40 overs at Eden Gardens, the replacement reversed appreciably, and the debutant Mohammed Shami bowled Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin in successive overs. In between those dismissals, Darren Bravo ran himself out and Darren Sammy torpedoed his own counter-attack, and the promising advantage of 138 for 2 lay squandered. Soon, Shami uprooted fellow debutant Sheldon Cottrell's off stump to end the innings on 234 and finish with four wickets.
Shami was the form bowler from the recent ODI series against Australia, and was handed a debut ahead of the experienced Ishant Sharma - who ironically presented Shami with his Test cap - and the quicker Umesh Yadav. And how he repaid his captain's faith. Shami bowled consistently in the late 130s on a slow pitch, and was a different proposition with the ball scuffed up, finding movement that had not been there for him with the new one.
It was a proper bat-first pitch at Eden Gardens, slightly uneven and expected to deteriorate later. There was little threat from the new ball and the lack of pace also hampered the spinners. The West Indies openers, however, failed to capitalise on favourable conditions and departed within the first hour. A tentative Chris Gayle succumbed to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's away-swing, and the solid Kieran Powell was done in on the pull by Shami's pace.
Samuels and Bravo put on 91 for the third wicket to bring West Indies back. Bravo came in to defend and defend, while Samuels took care of the scoring, hitting 56 of his brisk 65 in boundaries before his dismissal sparked the collapse. Every now and then both batsmen attacked the spinners, who were not much of a worry despite the odd delivery turning or kicking or keeping low. Samuels continued to pierce the off-side field against the quicks.
It was Samuels' desire to keep hitting off the back foot that gave India the opening. Even as Samuels set himself up for a punch through the off side, Shami swerved one through the gate from good length. In the next over Bravo, having resolutely blocked his way to 23 off 96, decided now was the time for a casual single to square leg, even though there was a fielder there and though Shivnarine Chanderpaul wasn't interested. Suicidal was the only word for it. In the next over, with so much reverse happening, West Indies realised having a keeper batting at No 6 wasn't ideal. Feet not moving, Ramdin was caught on the crease as another one zipped in late. He belatedly tried to chop it, but it had sneaked through by then.
At the other end, Pragyan Ojha was cursing his luck. He'd had Samuels, on 60, dropped by Dhoni, then had a close leg-before shout turned down against Sammy. But Ojha did not have to wait for too long because the West Indies captain gave it away. With long-off on the boundary, Sammy tried sending Ojha over, only to find the fielder with precision.
In his 199th Test, Sachin Tendulkar gave a disappointingly moderate Eden crowd another reason to cheer at the stroke of tea. Landing his legbreaks and googlies with control in his opening over, Tendulkar trapped Shane Shillingford - also dropped by Dhoni off Ojha - in front for his 46th Test wicket. Chanderpaul, playing his 149th Test, was left to survey and salvage something from another familiar West Indies collapse. He tried to do it his way, turning the strike over and trusting the tail. But R Ashwin eventually sneaked an offbreak past his back-foot defence to end his resistance on 36.
India's openers brought the deficit below 200 in the 12 overs they faced. Tino Best and Sheldon Cottrell, in particular, worked up plenty of pace but did not make the batsmen play enough. They also overdid the short ball, which, despite their speeds, was safely defended or avoided on this pitch. Shillingford sent down a few steady overs, but India's real test will come when the ball starts to reverse.
Day 2: Rohit debut ton, Ashwin fifty lift India
India 354 for 6 (Rohit 127*, Ashwin 92*, Shillingford 4-130) lead West Indies 234 by 120 runs
In his first Test, Rohit Sharma walked in at the early exit of Sachin Tendulkar, playing his penultimate and 199th Test. Two overs later, 82 for 4 became 83 for 5, with offspinner Shane Shillingford on a roll. Rohit, who five days ago made a double-century in an ODI against Australia, buckled down to become the 14th Indian to make a century on Test debut. He put on 73 first with his captain MS Dhoni, but it was his association with R Ashwin that transformed the game completely. India ended the day with a lead of 120, the unbroken seventh-wicket stand worth 198, and No. 8 Ashwin eight short of his second Test hundred.
This was a different version of Rohit from what has been on display over 108 ODIs. There were no cute strokes, there was no hitting his way out of pressure, there was plenty of leaving outside off. This was sensible batting, respecting the demands of the situation India had landed in against Shillingford. Ashwin, who came in at 156 for 6, matched his specialist batting partner on every count, be it solidity, strokeplay or elegance. The partnership visibly deflated West Indies, who would have rightfully eyed a sizeable lead in the morning.
Rohit took 13 deliveries to get his first runs in Test cricket, and they came via a pull to the long-leg boundary off a 145 kph short ball from fellow debutant Sheldon Cottrell. As he grew in confidence, there were glimpses of the touch he possesses. A back-foot drive against the pace of Tino Best, a cover drive against the turn of Shillingford. But what stood out was his back-foot defence against the spinners. The preceding India batsman had found dealing with spin tough, but Rohit had time to adjust. Shillingford's doosra, which had claimed Tendulkar and M Vijay, was dealt with calmly from deep in the crease, and barring an over after tea, Rohit was hardly bothered by the offspinner.
Barring the sweep against Shillingford, Rohit was unwilling to be too aggressive, and a nervous stay in the 90s beckoned. But Cottrell offered him a freebie on the pad, which was flicked for four. On 98 now, Rohit had some luck on the next ball to reach the landmark - a thick edge of an attempted drive flying to the third man boundary between slip and gully. There was no change in his approach after reaching the milestone as he batted safely till stumps.
Ashwin once again showed why he has such a high Test batting average for a No. 8. His shots would have done specialist batsmen proud. He was also absolutely certain about his defence, whether forward or back. He drove confidently against the spin without fuss, and used pace to steer and cut. He whipped the fast bowlers effortlessly through square leg, and towards the end, even walked down the pitch to casually slap Darren Sammy down the ground.
Before this partnership, Dhoni's 42 was crucial in breaking the hold Shillingford had gained. He drove the offspinner for successive fours before lunch the over after being put down on 12 by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off Sammy. Dhoni hustled between the wickets like he does in ODIs, converting ones into twos and racing back for an overthrow. Sammy chose to give himself a few overs immediately after lunch instead of one of his quick bowlers, and West Indies, despite having sent back half the side, were not able to tie India down. Dhoni fell as soon Best was brought back on in the 52nd over with the changed ball, edging a clumsy drive to the keeper.
For a side that still had the upper hand, West Indies went flat quite soon, with the ball and in the field. Shillingford, who sent down 37 overs in the day, kept pegging away despite his workload, but the other spinner, Veerasammy Permaul, could not remotely trouble the batsmen. The replacement ball, a rather shiny one, also did not reverse as much as Mohammed Shami had managed with the changed ball when West Indies batted. The second new ball, taken after 87 overs, only came on better.
It was quite a comedown from the highs of the morning, when Shillingford rudely reminded India that there is more to this series than Tendulkar's farewell. In a versatile display of offspin bowling, Shillingford dismissed four batsmen, including Tendulkar for 10, albeit with some help from umpire Nigel Llong.
Often bowling with a scrambled seam, Shillingford got variable bounce and turn. India's batsmen were tentative, not sure what the ball was going to do. Shikhar Dhawan prodded casually from his crease and inside-edged Shillingford on to his stumps in the third over of the day. Vijay walked cluelessly past a doosra and was stumped. Cheteshwar Pujara fell trying to ramp the sharp Cottrell, who was to slow down considerably in the evening.
Tendulkar was uncertain against Shillingford as well, even though he drove him for two boundaries past midwicket. He was soon hit on the back thigh pad as he failed to read a doosra. Umpire Llong raised the finger after some thought, even as side-on views showed the ball would have gone over, something Tendulkar indicated to his team-mates as he walked into the dressing room.
In Shillingford's next over, Virat Kohli was given out caught at forward short leg. India were 83 for 5 now, but Rohit and Ashwin weren't about to give in.
Day 3: Shami's nine give India innings win
India 453 (Rohit 177, Ashwin 124, Shillingford 6-167) beat West Indies 234 (Samuels 65, Shami 4-71) and 168 (Shami 5-47) by an innings and 51 runs
West Indies collapsed from 101 for 1 to 168 all out, plummeting to an innings defeat inside three days at Eden Gardens. R Ashwin, who completed his second Test hundred in the morning, made key incisions in the West Indies top order before Mohammed Shami blew the rest away with another controlled display of reverse swing. Shami took nine wickets in the game, the most by an India fast bowler on debut. Six of them were bowled, all with the old ball.
Ashwin ended with five wickets to go with his hundred. The batting landmark came in the first session when he and debutant centurion Rohit Sharma stretched the lead past 200. West Indies had nearly halved the deficit for the loss of only Chris Gayle when they were demolished either side of tea by Ashwin and then Shami.
West Indies lost their last nine batsmen in 23.3 overs, a reflection of how quickly a Test can turn on the subcontinent with reverse swing and spin. West Indies would have been eyeing a decent lead when Kieran Powell and Darren Bravo put on 68 for the second wicket. The new ball did little and the spinners were toiling without too much bite and luck.
Powell took 31 deliveries to score his first run and on 7, became the third West Indies batsman in the game to be dropped off the luckless Pragyan Ojha. Gayle was beaten and edged outside off, but responded in the manner he knows, hitting seven fours in his 33. In exactly the same manner that Powell had thrown it away in the first innings, Gayle tried to pull Bhuvneshwar Kumar from way outside off, and top-edged to square leg.
Bravo and Powell could not match Gayle's pace, but they also cut down on risk. Unless the spinners bowled too full or short, they defended carefully, mostly off the back foot. The turn was largely slow, but invariably one would kick from the rough or stay low. To their credit, Bravo and Powell did not panic and try to hit out.
Playing back to spin was getting increasingly dangerous, though, and Powell found that out when an Ashwin delivery pitched on a good length and hit him on the shin with tea only two overs away. Marlon Samuels fell to Shami for the second time in the match, but this time with help from umpire Nigel Llong, who gave the batsman lbw even though the reversing inswinger was headed down the leg side.
A shocked West Indies went to tea on 112 for 3 but the real panic set in after the break. Bravo became the third West Indies top-order batsman to fall in the thirties. His partner Powell had gone to low bounce, but Bravo departed to extra lift. In the second over after tea, Ashwin got a wide one to kick, Bravo still went for the cut and could not keep it down. That was the one shot he had been eager to play in an otherwise cautious stay, and he fell by it.
Shami had developed some serious rhythm by now. Denesh Ramdin was again found short at No. 6, inside-edging a reversing short-of-a-length delivery to short leg. Darren Sammy following Ramdin has to be one of the weakest batting combinations in Test cricket. The West Indies captain tried to hang on, but soon had his middle stump uprooted by another reversing delivery. Like in the first innings, Shivnarine Chanderpaul watched the meltdown, his propensity to take a single off the first ball of an over with the tail only hastening the end.
The tail fell apart in no time, handing India their fifth successive win, and West Indies their first loss after six consecutive wins against New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. It was a gutting end to the match for Shane Shillingford, who laboured through 55 overs to pick up six wickets.
Shillingford had lacked support from the second spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who could not trouble the batsmen. There was reverse available in the morning with a 16-overs old ball but unlike Shami, Tino Best had little control over it. To add to his limited batting, Sammy could not do anything with the ball.
Rohit and Ashwin looked set to make West Indies toil into the second session when umpire Richard Kettleborough ended Rohit's innings on 177. He had padded up to Permaul but replays showed the ball would have missed off stump. Shillingford bowled Ashwin on 124 to claim his fifth wicket, but like his fellow bowlers, the West Indies batsmen failed to back their offspinner's efforts.
2nd Test Match, India v West Indies, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
India 495 (Pujara 113, Rohit 111*, Tendulkar 74, Shillingford 5-179) beat West Indies 182 (Ojha 5-40) and 187 (Ramdin 53*, Ojha 5-49, Ashwin 4-89) by an innings and 126 runs
Day 1: Tendulkar 38* after West Indies fold for 182
India 157 for 2 (Vijay 43, Tendulkar 38*) trail West Indies 182 (Powell 48, Ojha 5-40, Ashwin 3-45) by 25 runs
Rarely have fans of a team in as dominant a position as India were at the Wankhede Stadium felt this tense. In the first two sessions, West Indies had served up another dose of inept batting to roll over for 182, and then India's openers battered 77 at nearly a run-a-ball. That's when Shane Shillingford struck twice in an over, to the delirious cheers of the home fans, and brought Sachin Tendulkar to the batting crease, perhaps for the final time.
The knowledge that one false stroke could mark the end of the career of India's best-loved cricketer made it a nerve-wracking experience, even for the lucky few who had managed to wrangle hard-to-find tickets. Whether Tendulkar felt a similar anxiety or not, he produced an innings of such composure that some fans wondered why he had announced his retirement. In about 80 minutes in the middle, he showed off some of his signature strokes including the classical cover drive and the effortless punch down the ground.
The day began with a series of tributes to Tendulkar - the BCCI president N Srinivasan handed him a memento, a painted portrait was presented to him, the West Indies side gave him a framed autographed shirt, the coin at the toss was specially minted in his likeness - and ended with fans euphoric over having watched him bat one more time. And, as has always been the case with Tendulkar, they were hoping for one more century from the man who already has 51 of them in Tests.
West Indies were hoping for a century from at least one of their batsmen as well. Every Darren Sammy press conference is littered with talk about sensible batting, the need to shelve rash strokes and for the team to grind out overs. No one seems to be getting the message, least of all the captain himself, as for the third innings in a row this series, West Indies made a reasonable start before utterly collapsing.
After being asked to bat by MS Dhoni - a decision that surprised the experts - West Indies had progressed to 93 for 2 at lunch, and having played out the traditionally difficult early hours and the new ball, should have been looking for a substantial score. Instead, they slid from 140 for 3 to 182 all out as India's spin pair of R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha ripped through the batting.
It wasn't an easy surface to bat on, with Ashwin extracting bounce and turn in the first session itself. The new-look opening pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami constantly attacked the stumps and had the ball swerving both ways. Still, it doesn't excuse a shocking batting display from the visitors though the fans absolutely loved it and the chants of 'We want Sachin' became deafening as the wickets tumbled.
Though Chris Gayle was undone by a rearing delivery early, Kieran Powell survived a nervy start and a straightforward chance at slip and put together the only substantial partnership of the West Indies innings with Darren Bravo. Bravo had a torrid time against Bhuvneshwar, nearly lbw twice after not offering shots to successive deliveries. He decided the best way out was to attack, and produced a couple of gorgeous hits off Ashwin, but the bowler won their battle with a delivery that spun and bounced which had Bravo caught-behind.
After lunch, there were a couple of rare sights. First, an Indian quick was operating with four slips and a gully as Shami tried to induce Marlon Samuels to drive outside off. Samuels played a bunch of loose strokes, eventually nicking a flighted delivery from Ojha to slips.
Then, in another surprise, Chanderpaul - the man known more for his crease-occupation skills than his big hitting - came out looking to attack. He slammed his second ball for six over midwicket, and was always on the lookout for the quick single. He was dismissed by perhaps the ball of the innings from Bhuvneshwar, who got it to pitch around middle and zip across, forcing Chanderpaul to play, resulting in a nick to the slips.
That was followed by the worst shot of the innings. Sammy, already facing plenty of criticism over his place in the side, tried to slog across the line on his second delivery to hole out for a duck. After that, it was only a matter of time as Ashwin and Ojha made use of the helpful conditions to slice through West indies' brittle tail. The only blemish in the innings for India was the three regulation chances put down at slip.
M Vijay made amends for one of those misses with a stroke-filled innings. Shikhar Dhawan continued to find international cricket easy, hitting boundaries at will as India's openers made the pitch and bowling look docile. Dhawan holed out attempting to sweep a ball from outside off and two balls later Vijay was caught at bat-pad - cue possibly the loudest cheer for a home team losing a wicket, as Tendulkar walked out to a guard of honour and events of the first five hours of play were largely forgotten.
Day 2: India's next generation thrives after Tendulkar 74
West Indies 182 and 43 for 3 trail India 495 (Pujara 113, Rohit 111*, Tendulkar 74, Shillingford 5-179) by 270 runs
India's next generation of batting talent flourished as West Indies were pummelled into submission but even the delectable strokeplay of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli couldn't wipe out the anti-climactic feel of much of the second day's play.
During the first hour, however, Test cricket had rarely felt so alive. With Sachin Tendulkar playing what could be his final Test innings, his legion of fans were put through the emotional wringer. This whole series has been drenched in Tendulkar nostalgia, and every vintage shot he played today only highlighted what fans are going to miss in the days ahead. Every mis-step - like two attempted upper cuts off Tino Best - caused massive anxiety. Fans were uncertain whether they wanted Tendulkar to be on strike - so they could lap up a few more of his shots - or at the non-striker's end as the tension was close to unbearable when he batted.
The assuredness with which Tendulkar played had made it seem inevitable that there would be a fairytale century in his final Test. You'd think the year-long wait for the 100th hundred would have taught Indian fans to be wary about expecting fairytale Tendulkar centuries. Clearly they hadn't, and like at the Wankhede in 2011, a slip catch from Darren Sammy cut short Tendulkar's innings on 74 and stunned an expectant crowd into silence. The mute-button was on only for a few moments though, as the crowd regained its voice to appreciatively roar Tendulkar off the field. Tendulkar muttered a few words to himself, but as has been the case over virtually his entire career, he maintained his poise after being dismissed, acknowledging the adoring crowds as he trudged off.
His partner for the entire innings was Cheteshwar Pujara, who perhaps would have been more worried about making a wrong call to run Tendulkar out and risking the wrath of Wankhede than about the challenge posed by the ineffectual West Indies attack. Pujara's every single was cheered with the fervour that usually accompanies centuries, and he remained mostly under the radar. When he played the straight drive for four, you were reminded - unfairly for Pujara - about how much more pristine and non-violent the shot was when Tendulkar played it.
Still, it was a cracking innings, full of controlled aggression. He pounced on the width routinely provided, adroitly playing the cut past point, as he kept he run-rate brisk. His one moment of fortune - thanks to a frankly awful decision from the third umpire - was when he was adjudged not out on 76, though replays clearly showed Kieran Powell's fingers under the ball as he grasped a chance at short leg.
Pujara wasn't perturbed by all the emotion over Tendulkar's dismissal, and continued his march towards his fifth Test century, underlining his reputation as a man for the big score. Of the eight times he has reached fifty in Tests, he could have converted seven of them into hundreds, but two of those innings were unbeaten half-centuries in successful chases. He was scratchy against the tireless offspinner Shane Shillingford after reaching triple-figures today and a leading edge resulted in a caught-and-bowled chance that ended his stay on 113.
Kohli, the man tipped to take over Tendulkar's No. 4 spot, began with a series of boundaries to help Pujara maintain the momentum. Like in his one-day innings, where his high scoring-rate surprises given the lack of big shots, he zipped to his half-century at nearly a run a ball almost unnoticed. He was looking untroubled but he too perished to a Sammy slip catch, undone by a straighter one from Shillingford.
If the first half of Pujara's innings was overshadowed by one Mumbai batsman, his innings will recede further in fans' mind due to an astonishing century from another Mumbai batsman. Rohit began his long-awaited Test career with a game-changing 177 in Kolkata, but there seemed little chance of him making another century in Mumbai as he was only on 46 when the No. 11 Mohammed Shami walked in.
By then Shillingford had taken his fifth successive five-for, matching a feat last achieved by Alec Bedser in 1952-53, and Sammy had equalled the record for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper, snapping up five. India had lost three wickets in two overs either side of tea, and West Indies looked likely to have to bat almost an entire session.
Instead, Rohit scripted a masterclass in batting with the tail to inflate the total by 80 runs, and joined an exclusive club with two hundreds in their first two innings. Shami is not the worst No. 11, but Rohit skilfully farmed the strike, so much so that in the first seven overs Shami only faced seven deliveries. Even when the partnership was close to 50, Shami was still on 0.
West Indies were desperate to get Rohit off the strike. In the 99th over, when Rohit gently tapped the final ball past the closely packed field for a single, West Indies' dispirited fielders weren't keen on chasing it down though it wasn't going to reach the rope. Briefly, Rohit contemplated whether he had time to take three.
In between protecting Shami, Rohit unleashed a blizzard of strokes which he commonly shows off in limited-overs matches. His one moment of panic was when he holed out to deep midwicket when on 85, only to be reprieved when the replays showed Shillingford had overstepped. Soon after, he reached his hundred with a six over long-on - it had taken him only 118 deliveries, and Shami had only made 1 in a 64-run stand.
The innings finally ended on when Shami whipped a catch to deep square leg, and the lead was a massive 313. West Indies had about an hour to bat out, but even in that short space lost three wickets to the spinners. Once again, R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha had the ball spinning and turning, and on the evidence so far, West Indies will do well to stretch this game as long as the end of the third day.
Day 3: Tendulkar era ends with 2-0 sweep
India 495 (Pujara 113, Rohit 111*, Tendulkar 74, Shillingford 5-179) beat West Indies 182 (Ojha 5-40) and 187 (Ramdin 53*, Ojha 5-49, Ashwin 4-89) by an innings and 126 runs
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The curtain came down on Sachin Tendulkar's storied Test career with one of India's most comprehensive victories, as a hapless West Indies crumbled on the third morning in Mumbai. Tendulkar walked off the field with a tear in his eye and to a fluid guard of honour from his team-mates, soaking in the cheers of the Wankhede crowd one last time.
Pragyan Ojha took his second five-for of the match, and Ashwin finished with seven in the match, but the only spin bowling Indian fans wanted to see was the all-sorts of Tendulkar. Ten minutes before the scheduled close of the first session, by when West Indies had lost eight wickets in another inept batting performance, Tendulkar was brought into the attack. Though the crowd was desperate for a wicket, Tendulkar's final two overs produced no breakthrough. MS Dhoni brought back his main bowlers and within a handful of overs, the Test was brought to an end with Mohammed Shami flattening the middle stump of the West Indies No. 11 Shannon Gabriel.
West Indies' batsmen hadn't shown much aptitude for a fight earlier in the day either, as the spinners enjoyed the bounce and turn on offer. In the sixth over of the morning, Marlon Samuels charged out to Ojha, was nowhere near the pitch of the ball, and was yards out of the crease when Dhoni took the bails off. Soon after, another player who has had a rough series, Chris Gayle, was caught-behind for 35 off Ojha and West Indies were five down. With those two big wickets, the question was whether West Indies would last the session.
The man brought in to strengthen the batting in this Test, Narsingh Deonarine, fell for a duck, bringing in another player whose critics will only get louder after this game. Darren Sammy had played an atrocious shot in the first innings to bag a duck and he nearly fell first ball this time, a leading edge just landing short of mid-off. The relief for Sammy didn't last long, though, as after an over in which he was tormented by Ojha, he missed an arm ball to be trapped lbw.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the only West Indies batsman to have shown the wherewithal to grit it out consistently this series, resisted with 41, and Denesh Ramdin went on to a half-century but given the mammoth lead India had, it was only a matter of time. Chanderpaul was the man to depart, with Ashwin getting him lbw and running off in celebration.
West Indies may have come into the series on the back of six victories, but the pitiful challenge they put up shows that they have regressed in the last two years. In those two years, the Indian team has undergone a major overhaul, and while the verdict on their performance will have to wait till they are tested overseas, they have done enough to send off Tendulkar with a record six Test wins.
The Farewell Speech
Sachin Tendulkar: 'All my friends, settle down. Let me talk, I'll get more and more emotional.' The crowd goes berserk out there. 'My life, between 22 yards for 24 years, it's hard to believe that the wonderful journey is coming to an end. But I would like to take this opportunity to thank people who have played an important role in my life.
Also for the first time in my life I am carrying this list in my hand to remember all the names. In case I forget someone, I hope you understand. It's getting a little difficult to talk but I'll manage. The most important person in my life, and I've missed a lot since 1999 he passed away, my father. Without his guidance, I don't think I would have been standing here in front of you. He gave me freedom at the age of 11, and he told me, chase your dreams and make sure you don't find shortcuts. The path might be difficult but don't give up, and I've simply followed his instructions. Above all, he told me to be a nice human being which I've continued to do so, I've tried my best. Every time I've done something special, whenever I've shown my bat, it was for my father. So I miss him today.
My mother, I don't how she dealt with such a naughty child like me. I was not easy to manage. She must be extremely patient. For a mother, the most important thing is that her child remains safe and healthy, and fit and that's what she was most bothered about and worried about. She took care of me. For the first 24 years that I've played for India, but even before that, she started praying for me the day I started playing cricket. She just prayed and prayed and prayed and I think her prayers and blessing have given me the strength to go out and perform. So a big thank you to my mother for all the sacrifices.
In my school days, for fours years I stayed with my uncle and aunt because my school was quite far from my home and they treated me like their son. My aunt, after having had a hard day's play, I would be half asleep and she would be feeding me food so that I could go and play again tomorrow. I can't forget these moments, I'm like their son and I am glad that it has continued to be the same way.
My eldest brother Nitin and his family have always encouraged me. My eldest brother doesn't like to talk much. But the one thing he always told is that whatever you do, I know you would give 100% and I have full confidence and faith in you. It is that encouragement that meant a lot to me.
My sister Savita and her family was no different. The first cricket bat of my life was presented to me by my sister and it was a Kashmir Willow bat. But that is when the journey began. She is one of those many who continues to fast when I bat. So thank you very much. Ajit my brother, now what do I talk about him? I don't know really. We've lived this dream together. He was the one who sacrificed his career for my cricket. He spotted the spark in me. It all started from the age of 11, when he took me to Achrekar sir, my coach and from there on my life changed.
You will find this hard to believe that even last night he called me and we were discussing my dismissal. Knowing that there was a remote chance of batting again, but just that the habit which we've developed and the rapport we've developed since my birth, it has continued and it will continue. Maybe even when I am not playing cricket we will still be discussing technique. Various things we agreed upon, my technique and so many technical things which I didn't agree with him, we've had arguments and disagreements. But in the end when I look back at those things, if that hadn't happened in my life I would have been a lesser cricketer.
The most beautiful thing happened to me in 1991 when I met my wife Anjali, Those were special years and it has continued and it will always continue that way. I know Anjali being a doctor, there was a wonderful career in front of her. When we decided to have a family, Anjali took the initiative to step back and say that you continue with your cricket and I'll take the responsibility of the family. Without that I don't think I would have been able to play cricket freely and without any stress. Thanks for bearing with all my fuss, all my frustrations and all sorts of rubbish that I've spoken, I normally do. Thanks for bearing with me and always staying by my side through the ups and downs. You are the best partnership I've had in my life.
Then the two precious diamonds of my life, Sara and Arjun. They've already grown up. My daughter is 16 and my son is 14, time has flown by. I wanted to spend so much time with them on special occasions like their birthdays, annual days, sports days, going on holidays, whatever. I've missed out on all those things. Thanks for your understanding. Both of you have been so, so special to me. You cannot imagine. I promise you, for 14 years and 16 years, I've not spent enough time with both of you. But the next 16 years or even beyond that, everything is for you.
My in-laws have been so, so supportive, loving, caring. I've discussed on various things in life generally with them and taken their advise. You know, it's so important to have a strong family who's always with you guiding you. Before you start clapping, the most important thing they did was allowing me to marry Anjali, so thank you very much.
In the last 24 years that I've played for India I've made new friends and before that I've had friends of my childhood. They all have had terrific contributions. Right from you know, as and when I've called them to come and bowl to me in the nets, they've left all their work aside and come and helped me. Be it joining me on holidays or having discussions on cricket, when I was a little stressed and wanting to find a solution so that I could perform better. All those moments, my friends were with me. Even whenever I was injured I would wake up early in the morning because I could not sleep. I thought my career was over because of injuries. That's when my friends have woken up at 3 AM to drive with me and just make me believe that your career is not over. Life would be incomplete without all those friends. Thanks for being with me.
My cricket career started when I was 11. The turning point of my career was when my brother took me to Achrekar sir, my coach. I was extremely delighted to see him up in the stands. Normally he sits in front of the television and he watches all the games that I played. When I was 11, 12, those were the days where I used to hop back on his scooter and play couple of practice matches a day.
First half of the day I would be batting at Shivaji Park, the second half, some other match at Azad Maidan. Sir would be taking me all over Mumbai to make sure that I got match practice.
On a lighter note, in the last 29 years sir has never ever said 'well played' to me because he thought I would get complacent and I would stop working hard. Maybe he can push his luck and wish me now well done on my career because there are no more matches sir in my life. I would be just witnessing cricket and cricket will always stay in my heart. But you have had an immense contribution in my life. Thank you very much.
'I know when MS Dhoni presented the 200th Test match cap on Day 1 morning, I had a brief message for the team. I would like to repeat that. I just feel that all of us are so, so fortunate and proud to be part of Indian cricket team serving the nation. Knowing all of you guys, I know you will continue to serve the nation in the right spirit and in the right values. I believe, we've been the lucky ones to have been chosen by the almighty to serve this wonderful sport.
Each generation gets this opportunity to merely take care of the sport and serve it to the best of our abilities. I have full faith in you that you will continue to serve the nation in the right spirit to the best of your ability and bring all the laurels to our country. All the very best. I would be failing in my duties if I didn't thank all the doctors, the physios, the trainers who've put this difficult body together to go back on the field and to be able to play.
The amount of injuries I have had in my career, I don't know how you've managed to keep me fit. But without your special efforts, it would never have happened. The doctors have met me at weird hours. I mean I've called them from Mumbai to Chennai, Mumbai to Delhi wherever. I think they've just taken the next flight and left their work, they've come, they've treated me which has allowed me to play. So a big thank you to all of you for keeping me in good shape.
My dear friend, late Mark Mascarenhas, my first manager. We unfortunately lost him in a car accident in 2001. But he was such a well wisher of cricket. My cricket and especially Indian cricket. He was so passionate. He understood what it takes to represent a nation and gave me all the space to go out and express myself and never pressurised me to do this ad or a promotion or whatever my sponsors demanded. He took care of all of that and today I miss him. Thank you Mark for all you contributions.
My current management team WSG for repeating what Mark has done, because when we signed the contract I exactly told them what I want from them and what it requires to be representing India. They've understood that and respected that. So thank you very much WSG. Someone who's worked closely 14 years with me is my manager Vinod Naidu, He's more like my family. And all the sacrifices spending time away from his family for my work has been special. So a big thank you to your family as well for giving so much time for Vinod. In the school days when I performed well, the media backed me a lot. You continued to do that this till morning.
Thank you so much to all the media for supporting me and appreciating my performances. It surely had a positive effect on me. Thank you so much to all the photographers as well, where those wonderful captured moments will stay with me for the rest of my life. A big thank you to all the photographers.
I know my speech is getting a bit too long, but this is the last thing I want to say [the crowd don't want Sachin to stop and were chanting no, no, no, suggesting him not to stop talking]. I want to thank all the people here who have flown in from various parts of the world and supported me endlessly whether I scored a 0 or 100 plus. Your support was so dear to me and it meant a lot to me. Whatever you've done for me, I know, I've met so many guys who've fasted for me, prayed for me and done all sorts of things for me. You know, without all that life wouldn't have been like this for me. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and I also say that time has flown by rather quickly.
But the memories that you've left with me will always be with me forever and ever. Especially, the chants of 'Sachin... Sachin..' [the crowd roar the famous chant again] That will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing. Thank you very much. If I have missed out on saying something, missed out a few names I hope you understand. Goodbye.'
'My cricket for Mumbai started right here on this ground. MCA, which is so dear to me, I remember landing from New Zealand at 4 AM and turning up for a game at 8 here just because I wanted to be part of Mumbai cricket. Not that anyone forced or MCA pressured me to be here but that was for the love of Mumbai cricket. The president is here and I thank you very much along with your team for taking care of me and looking after my cricket.
The dream was obviously to play for India and that's when my association with BCCI started. BCCI was fantastic right from my debut, believing in my ability, selecting me in the squad at the age 16 was a big step. So thanks to all the selectors for having faith in me and BCCI for giving me the freedom to express myself out in the middle. Things would have been different if you had not been behind me and I really appreciate you support especially when I was injured, you were right with me making sure that all the treatments were taken care of and I got fit and fine, playing back for India.
The journey has been special in the last 24 years. I have played with many senior cricketers and even before that there were many senior cricketers whom I watched on television, they inspired me to play cricket and play the right way. So thanks so much to all those senior cricketers, unfortunately I've not been able to play with them but I have high regards for all their achievements and their contributions.
We see on the mega screen, Rahul, Laxman, Sourav, Anil is not here and my team-mates right here in front of me, you are like my family away from home. I've had some wonderful times with you. It is going to be difficult, not be part of that dressing room, sharing those special moments. All the coaches for their guidance. It's been special for me.'
Anjali Tendulkar: 'The retirement decision was his own. Firstly, taking the decision to retire or not to retire took a long time. It took a long time for all of us to process the decision. The response from the entire country, not just Mumbai, has been overwhelming. He belongs to the country first, then to Mumbai and then to me. He has always said that the minute he feels that he cannot give 100 percent, he will decide to retire. One day he came to me and said that he had taken the decision as he felt it was the right time. I told him, its ok, you don't have to feel sorry or guilty about it. Everything fitted in perfectly as the West Indies tour was announced and his farewell match was at Mumbai. I will be happy to hand over some family responsibilities now after he retires. All through the years, Sachin has done well to hide his expectations and not let the emotions affect him. He wanted his mother to come and see the game. He would have loved his father to be here too, but knows that he is watching from wherever he is. I think Sara has taken it in, just like Sachin she does not show her emotions. It is all sinking in. Our kids will realise what he has done today or tomorrow. Tendulkar wanted Arjun to play a shield game on the 2nd day, even though Arjun wasn't too keen. For the shield game, the opposition did not turn up, then Arjun took a taxi and rushed to the ground. Sachin saw him on the big screen, was delighted to see his son. He was doing the ball boy duties. I can imagine cricket without Sachin, but not Sachin without cricket.'
Coming back to the presentation ceremony, even Ravi Shastri was emotional. He misspelt a few words and then corrected them later. Even though he finished talking to Sammy, he called him again after having a chat with Dhoni and then realised that the interview was already done. Dravid and Ganguly were also emotional and it was such a sight to see grown up people break down in tears. People were wearing dark glasses and it was difficult to make out their emotions. Such was the occasion. Wife Anjali broke down as Sachin was speaking and she hugged her daughter. Arjun couldn't control himself as well. It was such a sight to see Sudhir (Sachin's fan) jumping up and down as he was allowed to step out on the outfield. One has to give it to the Wankhede crowd. They were absolutely electrifying and they never stopped the Sachin.. Sachin.. chants.
Sachin Tendulkar goes all the way to the pitch and touched it to his eyes. He is walking back in tears again. He opts for privacy and heads away to the dressing room. He salutes the crowd by waving the Indian flag. MS Dhoni and the Indian team join him. And here we go, Dhoni and Kohli carry the Master on their shoulders. Sachin.. Sachin... doing the rounds. The family takes the back seat and lets the team enjoy the moment. Now Dhawan takes the responsibilty from Kohli. Sudhir, Sachin's fan has been allowed on the outfield and he's blowing the conch while waving the flag. He leads the battallion now. The march is over and the Master on the ground now.
The Tendulkar family is very emotional. Tendulkar now has the Indian flag in his hands. He's going to do a lap of honour. Not one person has left the ground. The photographers surround Tendulkar. Rahul Bose and a lot of people in the crowd break down in happiness. This surely has to be the greatest farewell to a cricketer.
The final hours
At 9.05am, Sachin Tendulkar scored a goal in the warm-up football teams play before the start of a day's play. This was the final day of his international cricket career. A healthy crowd had already entered through the gates. This was no mundane warm-up. They were all watching, and cheered Tendulkar on. Tendulkar, who has shed a lot of his restraint over the last week, waving to crowds at every boundary he goes to, now removed his hat and took a bow. That's about as much showmanship as Tendulkar has ever exhibited. It also began the first round of "Sachiiiiiin, Sachin" for one final day, although people still hoped that West Indies would make India bat a second time and take two early wickets so they could watch Tendulkar bat again today. And tomorrow.
At 9.12am, Tendulkar walked towards the steps to go back up into the dressing room and change into India whites for one last time. What was he feeling? He possibly wouldn't remember, because people on either side asked him for autographs, and Tendulkar didn't turn them down. The staircase has 34 steps. It took him three minutes to finally make it to the top. Over the next few minutes he would have changed into his match whites, taped his fingers - disfigured from 29 years of non-stop competitive cricket, during which time one by one his team-mates kept walking out.
Finally, at 9.26am, out he came with a confident walk, that white hat on, not perfectly stiff - it's probably his lucky one, and he has been wearing it soon after he washes too - the right hand pushing the bracelet up. The Wankhede Stadium came back to life as soon as the left foot touched one of the 34 steps. After a team photograph was taken, MS Dhoni took the team off the field and let Tendulkar lead them back on. Tendulkar walked in for what could be his last session, surveyed the Wankhede Stadium, his Wankhede Stadium, even as two cameramen walked in front of him and Dhoni to his side.
Tendulkar took his position at short-fine leg as R Ashwin began the overnight over at 9.31am. Before the next over started, Tendulkar was sent back to long-on. Pragyan Ojha could have bowled right-arm legbreaks and would have gone unnoticed. Tendulkar was not only at the boundary, he was waving to his fans. This is a bond difficult to thoroughly explain. Suffice to say Tendulkar has been the most popular personality across all parameters in independent India. The rest of the cricket didn't matter once again.
On his final day of international cricket, in front of his home crowd, Tendulkar did let himself go a bit. Off the third ball of this over, he didn't take a start towards a ball hit between him and deep midwicket, and let the other fielder field it. But he was back to full attention now as he raised his arms and wanted to know where to field - on the boundary or up at mid-off - for the other batsman, Marlon Samuels. He was asked to stay back at long-off, much to the crowd's joy.
People in the stands either wanted Tendulkar to bowl or West Indies to score a lot of runs so they could see Tendulkar bat. Before the start of the 17th over, it seemed they had had their first wish. Tendulkar went from short-fine leg towards the umpire, the crowd left their seats and began to applaud, only to see he was taking R Ashwin's cap over to the umpire. What a tease. What a ritual, though - one he had going with Anil Kumble. During Kumble's perfect ten, Tendulkar insisted he hand the bowler's cap over to the umpire. He did so before Kumble's last over in Test cricket too. Now he was beginning to do the same for Kumble's successors.
Before the 18th over, Tendulkar went to do the same for Ojha. The idea there is for Tendulkar to give advice to the bowler, which Ojha took although he went ahead and handed over his cap himself. The Wankhede crowd didn't like it, and let it be known. Never has a Test so one-sided been so keenly watched in India. Three balls later, Samuels lost his mind, and was stumped by a mile. Tendulkar jogged in from long-off, Ojha broke the huddle next to the stumps and ran to greet Tendulkar. Who knows, it might have been something that Tendulkar pointed out?
It is difficult to imagine what Tendulkar would have been going through. This was turning out to be a perfect end for him. He had had a good innings while he batted - not a hundred, but still fluent, delightful even. Now there was no pressure as West Indies never really challenged India with the bat. The innings win looked certain, and Tendulkar could now just savour his last day in Test cricket. He would also have wanted wickets, but with every wicket that final moment would come closer. That final moment that you know is inevitable, but still want to avoid as much as possible. "Save tonight/From the break of dawn/Come tomorrow/Tomorrow I'll be gone."
So Tendulkar saved tonight. He would look back into the stands, he would smile, and every five minutes or so he would wave to the crowd. The crowd of course would go mad. They, too, were in a quandary. They wanted India to win, but they wanted them to drag this out as much as possible.
This, though, was ending fast. Chris Gayle and Narsingh Deonarine fell in the 22nd and 24th overs. Things were happening too fast to process. People were happy for Tendulkar and India, but they weren't quite prepared for the end yet. You can never be. What they wanted, though, was a bowl for Tendulkar. About 48 minutes into the day's play, Dhoni did remove Ojha. Tendulkar wasn't too far out of sight, but the 30th over went to Mohammed Shami and the whole Wankhede booed. Dhoni is the best captain to have at such times. He doesn't get swayed by emotion, and while he is a bit of a showman, he waits for the right time. That wasn't the right time.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin now built up a partnership. The crowd quietened down a bit. For about 19 minutes more, because that's when they sensed another bowling change. Ojha, who had got a change of ends, was now being taken off. Another massive "boo" arrived as the ball was thrown to Ashwin. "Dhoni hai hai [Down with Dhoni]," went round the stadium. Dhoni didn't care. You sensed he would give Tendulkar a bowl after the eighth wicket had fallen.
The bowling change worked as Ashwin trapped Chanderpaul. Soon Ojha removed the clueless West Indies captain, Darren Sammy. There were eight minutes to go to lunch. "We want Sachin." A minute later, between over breaks, Tendulkar began to remove some of the strapping on his fingers as he stood next to the pitch. The crowd leaned forward, but they knew they had been teased before. So they waited. Then Virat Kohli left him alone at the pitch, and clapped as he walked off. Here it was. Tendulkar removed his hat, and switched the electricity in the crowd on.
There were only about 20,000 people in the stands, but as they all stood up they became the loudest 20,000 people you could imagine. As he corrected his hair, pushed the bracelet up, twirled the ball and set the field - two slips, gully, short leg, long-on, long-off - the sound built and built. The batsman, Ramdin, waited for the 41st over to begin. He must have thought he was facing Lillee and Marshall combined. The first ball was a legbreak, landed on middle and leg, but was too full, and was defended easily. Tendulkar sent out a full toss next ball. Were those palms sweating?
Tendulkar looked up at the big screen for a replay. Big screens were not even thought of when Tendulkar started bowling in Tests. They showed Ajit Tendulkar - dada to the younger Tendulkar - after the replay. It had been three minutes since he was given the ball, and he had bowled only three balls. The googly didn't arrive in that over. At 11.27am, the over finished, and this meant the last over for him before lunch unless Ojha took the ninth wicket in the next over.
Ojha didn't, but he sped through the over. There were a few seconds left. The leg umpire began to walk to the stumps, at his normal pace, but halfway through the clock turned over. He then spoke on his walkie-talkie, and it turned out we were extending this. So Tendulkar got a bowl again. "Thank you, Sachin" chants now. The second ball of this over was meant to be an offbreak but it turned out to be a generous full toss. The fourth was a googly, but too short and too straight, although that extra bounce could not be missed.
The over ended, and Tendulkar went back to his fielding position at the boundary. The next over ended too. Dhoni looked towards Tendulkar at long-on. Tendulkar raised his hands to tell the captain he had had enough. It was time to go for the kill. Immediately Ashwin was brought back, and four balls later the wicket was delivered. Now the last man was in. It could be any moment now. This was the end, my friend. Hey there, lady, don't bend to pick up the ball of wool, you might miss the moment.
There was a huddle after Ashwin took that wicket, but Tendulkar left it prematurely. Presumably the captain and the team were rehearsing their plans as to what to do after the last wicket was taken. For half a minute they discussed, even as Tendulkar stood at the boundary.
Eleven minutes later, at 11.50am, the moment arrived. Tendulkar had just been moved to square leg. Shami bowled Shannon Gabriel through the gate. Tendulkar raised his arms in joy. It was all over. Tendulkar was a former professional cricketer now, after 29 years of his 40-year-old life. He ran towards the stumps. Players were already there to hand him those. The extras came out, everybody formed a guard. Tendulkar walked through it, but the players formed a fresh guard as soon as he reached the end. This was supposed to happen till the end of the ground, but they couldn't keep pace with him. Did he wipe a tear off as he approached the dressing room?
For the next one hour, nobody sat, nobody moved, nobody left. They waited patiently for all the awards to be given before Tendulkar was called upon to speak at 12.28pm. Classily, Ravi Shastri, the man conducting the interviews, handed over the mic and left the frame. For 20 minutes, Tendulkar spoke and thanked everybody who contributed to his success. Most touchingly, he spoke of the "Sachiiiiin, Sachin" chant.
Chaos ensued after Tendulkar was done talking. You wished he would be left alone when he took a lap around the ground. It's between him and his biggest lovers. A unique bond. Let him savour it all alone. However, it is too much to expect that in India. Hundreds tagged along. You couldn't see anything but an India flag being waved by possibly the shortest man in that group. Hangers-on again. A constant in his life. The crowd was being denied this private moment. They had earned it. They deserved it. Rightly they shouted, "Extras ko phenk do [Throw out the extras]."
Thankfully, though, his team-mates and family were with Tendulkar. The team-mates took turns to carry him on his shoulders so he at least stood out. After the lap was over, he made a special request to everybody to leave him alone because he had to go meet another lover of his. He walked back to the pitch, bent down, touched it with both hands, and then touched his heart. On the way back, he wiped his eye. Tendulkar had left the building. Only he knows how tomorrow morning will be, when he has no bowler, no contest, no pitch, no team to prepare against.
The final hours
At 9.05am, Sachin Tendulkar scored a goal in the warm-up football teams play before the start of a day's play. This was the final day of his international cricket career. A healthy crowd had already entered through the gates. This was no mundane warm-up. They were all watching, and cheered Tendulkar on. Tendulkar, who has shed a lot of his restraint over the last week, waving to crowds at every boundary he goes to, now removed his hat and took a bow. That's about as much showmanship as Tendulkar has ever exhibited. It also began the first round of "Sachiiiiiin, Sachin" for one final day, although people still hoped that West Indies would make India bat a second time and take two early wickets so they could watch Tendulkar bat again today. And tomorrow.
At 9.12am, Tendulkar walked towards the steps to go back up into the dressing room and change into India whites for one last time. What was he feeling? He possibly wouldn't remember, because people on either side asked him for autographs, and Tendulkar didn't turn them down. The staircase has 34 steps. It took him three minutes to finally make it to the top. Over the next few minutes he would have changed into his match whites, taped his fingers - disfigured from 29 years of non-stop competitive cricket, during which time one by one his team-mates kept walking out.
Finally, at 9.26am, out he came with a confident walk, that white hat on, not perfectly stiff - it's probably his lucky one, and he has been wearing it soon after he washes too - the right hand pushing the bracelet up. The Wankhede Stadium came back to life as soon as the left foot touched one of the 34 steps. After a team photograph was taken, MS Dhoni took the team off the field and let Tendulkar lead them back on. Tendulkar walked in for what could be his last session, surveyed the Wankhede Stadium, his Wankhede Stadium, even as two cameramen walked in front of him and Dhoni to his side.
Tendulkar took his position at short-fine leg as R Ashwin began the overnight over at 9.31am. Before the next over started, Tendulkar was sent back to long-on. Pragyan Ojha could have bowled right-arm legbreaks and would have gone unnoticed. Tendulkar was not only at the boundary, he was waving to his fans. This is a bond difficult to thoroughly explain. Suffice to say Tendulkar has been the most popular personality across all parameters in independent India. The rest of the cricket didn't matter once again.
On his final day of international cricket, in front of his home crowd, Tendulkar did let himself go a bit. Off the third ball of this over, he didn't take a start towards a ball hit between him and deep midwicket, and let the other fielder field it. But he was back to full attention now as he raised his arms and wanted to know where to field - on the boundary or up at mid-off - for the other batsman, Marlon Samuels. He was asked to stay back at long-off, much to the crowd's joy.
People in the stands either wanted Tendulkar to bowl or West Indies to score a lot of runs so they could see Tendulkar bat. Before the start of the 17th over, it seemed they had had their first wish. Tendulkar went from short-fine leg towards the umpire, the crowd left their seats and began to applaud, only to see he was taking R Ashwin's cap over to the umpire. What a tease. What a ritual, though - one he had going with Anil Kumble. During Kumble's perfect ten, Tendulkar insisted he hand the bowler's cap over to the umpire. He did so before Kumble's last over in Test cricket too. Now he was beginning to do the same for Kumble's successors.
Before the 18th over, Tendulkar went to do the same for Ojha. The idea there is for Tendulkar to give advice to the bowler, which Ojha took although he went ahead and handed over his cap himself. The Wankhede crowd didn't like it, and let it be known. Never has a Test so one-sided been so keenly watched in India. Three balls later, Samuels lost his mind, and was stumped by a mile. Tendulkar jogged in from long-off, Ojha broke the huddle next to the stumps and ran to greet Tendulkar. Who knows, it might have been something that Tendulkar pointed out?
It is difficult to imagine what Tendulkar would have been going through. This was turning out to be a perfect end for him. He had had a good innings while he batted - not a hundred, but still fluent, delightful even. Now there was no pressure as West Indies never really challenged India with the bat. The innings win looked certain, and Tendulkar could now just savour his last day in Test cricket. He would also have wanted wickets, but with every wicket that final moment would come closer. That final moment that you know is inevitable, but still want to avoid as much as possible. "Save tonight/From the break of dawn/Come tomorrow/Tomorrow I'll be gone."
So Tendulkar saved tonight. He would look back into the stands, he would smile, and every five minutes or so he would wave to the crowd. The crowd of course would go mad. They, too, were in a quandary. They wanted India to win, but they wanted them to drag this out as much as possible.
This, though, was ending fast. Chris Gayle and Narsingh Deonarine fell in the 22nd and 24th overs. Things were happening too fast to process. People were happy for Tendulkar and India, but they weren't quite prepared for the end yet. You can never be. What they wanted, though, was a bowl for Tendulkar. About 48 minutes into the day's play, Dhoni did remove Ojha. Tendulkar wasn't too far out of sight, but the 30th over went to Mohammed Shami and the whole Wankhede booed. Dhoni is the best captain to have at such times. He doesn't get swayed by emotion, and while he is a bit of a showman, he waits for the right time. That wasn't the right time.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin now built up a partnership. The crowd quietened down a bit. For about 19 minutes more, because that's when they sensed another bowling change. Ojha, who had got a change of ends, was now being taken off. Another massive "boo" arrived as the ball was thrown to Ashwin. "Dhoni hai hai [Down with Dhoni]," went round the stadium. Dhoni didn't care. You sensed he would give Tendulkar a bowl after the eighth wicket had fallen.
The bowling change worked as Ashwin trapped Chanderpaul. Soon Ojha removed the clueless West Indies captain, Darren Sammy. There were eight minutes to go to lunch. "We want Sachin." A minute later, between over breaks, Tendulkar began to remove some of the strapping on his fingers as he stood next to the pitch. The crowd leaned forward, but they knew they had been teased before. So they waited. Then Virat Kohli left him alone at the pitch, and clapped as he walked off. Here it was. Tendulkar removed his hat, and switched the electricity in the crowd on.
There were only about 20,000 people in the stands, but as they all stood up they became the loudest 20,000 people you could imagine. As he corrected his hair, pushed the bracelet up, twirled the ball and set the field - two slips, gully, short leg, long-on, long-off - the sound built and built. The batsman, Ramdin, waited for the 41st over to begin. He must have thought he was facing Lillee and Marshall combined. The first ball was a legbreak, landed on middle and leg, but was too full, and was defended easily. Tendulkar sent out a full toss next ball. Were those palms sweating?
Tendulkar looked up at the big screen for a replay. Big screens were not even thought of when Tendulkar started bowling in Tests. They showed Ajit Tendulkar - dada to the younger Tendulkar - after the replay. It had been three minutes since he was given the ball, and he had bowled only three balls. The googly didn't arrive in that over. At 11.27am, the over finished, and this meant the last over for him before lunch unless Ojha took the ninth wicket in the next over.
Ojha didn't, but he sped through the over. There were a few seconds left. The leg umpire began to walk to the stumps, at his normal pace, but halfway through the clock turned over. He then spoke on his walkie-talkie, and it turned out we were extending this. So Tendulkar got a bowl again. "Thank you, Sachin" chants now. The second ball of this over was meant to be an offbreak but it turned out to be a generous full toss. The fourth was a googly, but too short and too straight, although that extra bounce could not be missed.
The over ended, and Tendulkar went back to his fielding position at the boundary. The next over ended too. Dhoni looked towards Tendulkar at long-on. Tendulkar raised his hands to tell the captain he had had enough. It was time to go for the kill. Immediately Ashwin was brought back, and four balls later the wicket was delivered. Now the last man was in. It could be any moment now. This was the end, my friend. Hey there, lady, don't bend to pick up the ball of wool, you might miss the moment.
There was a huddle after Ashwin took that wicket, but Tendulkar left it prematurely. Presumably the captain and the team were rehearsing their plans as to what to do after the last wicket was taken. For half a minute they discussed, even as Tendulkar stood at the boundary.
Eleven minutes later, at 11.50am, the moment arrived. Tendulkar had just been moved to square leg. Shami bowled Shannon Gabriel through the gate. Tendulkar raised his arms in joy. It was all over. Tendulkar was a former professional cricketer now, after 29 years of his 40-year-old life. He ran towards the stumps. Players were already there to hand him those. The extras came out, everybody formed a guard. Tendulkar walked through it, but the players formed a fresh guard as soon as he reached the end. This was supposed to happen till the end of the ground, but they couldn't keep pace with him. Did he wipe a tear off as he approached the dressing room?
For the next one hour, nobody sat, nobody moved, nobody left. They waited patiently for all the awards to be given before Tendulkar was called upon to speak at 12.28pm. Classily, Ravi Shastri, the man conducting the interviews, handed over the mic and left the frame. For 20 minutes, Tendulkar spoke and thanked everybody who contributed to his success. Most touchingly, he spoke of the "Sachiiiiin, Sachin" chant.
Chaos ensued after Tendulkar was done talking. You wished he would be left alone when he took a lap around the ground. It's between him and his biggest lovers. A unique bond. Let him savour it all alone. However, it is too much to expect that in India. Hundreds tagged along. You couldn't see anything but an India flag being waved by possibly the shortest man in that group. Hangers-on again. A constant in his life. The crowd was being denied this private moment. They had earned it. They deserved it. Rightly they shouted, "Extras ko phenk do [Throw out the extras]."
Thankfully, though, his team-mates and family were with Tendulkar. The team-mates took turns to carry him on his shoulders so he at least stood out. After the lap was over, he made a special request to everybody to leave him alone because he had to go meet another lover of his. He walked back to the pitch, bent down, touched it with both hands, and then touched his heart. On the way back, he wiped his eye. Tendulkar had left the building. Only he knows how tomorrow morning will be, when he has no bowler, no contest, no pitch, no team to prepare against.
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