THERE was lot of talk before the start of the series about how big it will be for the Australian summer, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and V. V. S. Laxman coming Down Under - excepting Sehwag, probably for the last time - to take on the young Aussie pace bowlers.
He has looked very solid at the MCG on a pitch which had a fair bit of help for the quicks. His feet have moved superbly, which is an indication that his mind is thinking the right way and I can guarantee you that if he keeps batting like this he will make a major impact on the remaining three Tests and probably get past that magic landmark in this country.
To me, the hype and the excitement is quite justified.
Tendulkar has always been very highly rated in this part of the world - one can say everywhere -but I just get a feeling that when one comes to this country the excitement with him has been just that more every time and, to be honest, his batting just goes one notch higher on the hard, bouncy pitches.
It's a combination of a whole lot of things - his sheer talent is the first thing which comes to one's mind. But also, over the years, his game has stood up every time it has been challenged.The perfect examples were his two hundreds last winter in South Africa. There were questions asked about the ageing Indian batting: whether they could stand up on the pitches in South Africa - which, to me, had as much pace as Australian pitches but just seamed around a bit more then they did here.
The little champion stood tall in those conditions. It was probably the best he batted in that part of the world in his career.
Today, when I sit down to write this piece after the end of the Boxing Day Test, I just get a feeling that the little man is at the top of his game here as well.
There has been a massive expectation of his hundredth century every time he has walked out to bat for the past six months in any part of the world and he has looked completely unfazed with that expectation - which has been very similar to the expectations of a nation over a decade expecting him to win cricket matches every time he has walked out in the middle.
He has looked very solid at the MCG on a pitch which had a fair bit of help for the quicks. His feet have moved superbly, which is an indication that his mind is thinking the right way and I can guarantee you that if he keeps batting like this he will make a major impact on the remaining three Tests and probably get past that magic landmark in this country.
He plays on his favourite ground, the SCG, next week and we will have all our fingers crossed when he walks out to bat.
As we move towards the Sydney Test I'm sure we will get a better performance from the Indian batting and the team, but the loss of five games in a row overseas is a worry.
© theage
