Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald says Sachin Tendulkar inspires a new world order with his immaculate innings
A MATCH jam-packed with desperate action has brought a pulsating summer to an appropriately dramatic conclusion.
It was a contest full of thrills and spills, first Sachin Tendulkar seemed to have won the series for his team. Then the Indian lower order faltered. Australia collapsed again but as the crowd roared, so James Hopes restored hope for his overheated side. And then, with two cricketing countries agog, a mighty visiting captain tossed the ball to his most vulnerable bowler and the deed was done. It was enormous. Might have been a changing of the guard.
Apart from the frenzied finish and the curious outbreak of tackles on the field, the abiding memory of the match came from Tendulkar’s bat. The first final, in Sydney, had produced one of the game’s finest chasing innings. Alas, the hullabaloo distracted attention from Tendulkar’s hundred. Accordingly, reporters hoped for a second helping from the maestro. Happily he obliged with a superb effort in the second final.
That was one of the best innings from Sachin and will be long remembered because of the way he won the match for India. Usually Sachin does all the batting and then he loses his wicket. Some times the other batsman finish the job but mostly they flalter costing many a match for India. But this time the maestro stayed and did the job.