Happy hunting ground beckons Sachin

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If Sachin Tendulkar maintains his Hyderabad average, a billion Indians will go bonkers this week. It reads an astonishing 106 in the seven one-day internationals he has played in the Pearl City.

The Master has smashed three centuries here already, and a fourth one during the second India-NZ Test beginning here on Friday will surely be the jewel in the King’s crown.
Standing alone at the top of the batting pecking order with 49 Test centuries against his name, Sachin is surely eager to get one more, evident from the fact that he landed in the city, drove to the hotel to change and headed straight to the ground for a training session on Wednesday.
The Master Blaster toiled at the nets, and going by the dogged determination and the discipline which has become synonymous with him, looks set to achieve the landmark in the second Test.
Coach Gary Kirsten relentlessly threw down balls to him at varying angles and at breakneck speed, but the Master brought his heavy bat down with telling effect to middle every ball, much to the delight of the spectators who clung to the mesh that encircles the practice wickets.
The champagne has been on ice for a while now, and going by Tendulkar’s trend this year, the cork is straining to pop out. He has had a remarkable run this year, getting four centuries including two double tons in 11 innings, scores of which read 7, 100, 106, 4, 200 not out, 98, 38, 214, 53 not out, 40, 12. The largest gap between centuries has been the current three innings, one reason why the Indian cricket fans are upbeat in anticipation of the big one.
Hyderabad has always been a happy hunting ground for the icon. The last time he turned up to bat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, he cracked a big one — 175 — against Australia as he took his ODI tally past the 17,000 mark.
The wicket too appears to aid Sachin’s cause, not that he needs it though.
“The surface is hard and the bounce will be good, ideal conditions for Sachin to go strong as ever — he has always performed here,” said former India off-spinner, Hyderabad Cricket Association and BCCI vice-president Shivlal Yadav who spent quite a while chatting with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni near the pitch.
HCA curator Chandrasekhar termed it a “result-oriented wicket with good bounce and turn.”
“The team batting first is likely to hold the advantage,” he added.