Heartbreak At Eden As Sachin Tendulkar Misses Elusive 100th Ton

KOLKATA: West Indies players Devendra Bishoo and Marlon Samuels turned villains for the Eden Gardens crowd which had begun to swell hoping Indian little master Sachin Tendulkar would complete his much-awaited 100th international ton on day one of the second Test on Monday.

Tendulkar, a ton away from achieving the milestone, departed on 38 (71 balls, 5x4) after a 75-minute stay in the middle.

The batting genius, who earlier survived a strong leg before appeal off Bishoo while on 25, got out to an ordinary delivery from the same bowler. Tendulkar tried to pull the rank short ball that was turning away from him, and offered a simple catch to Samuels at mid-wicket, as a hush descended on the stadium.

It was the Tendulkar magic that had seen the crowd count soar to around 10,000 in the afternoon session as he seemed confident but cautious, after having to wait over eight months for the elusive mark. He got his 99th ton March 12 at Nagpur against South Africa.

Earlier, Tendulkar had walked out to a rousing reception at 12:07 p.m. after Gautam Gambhir got out.

The spectators clapped and shouted "sachin", "sachin" as the master batsman made his way to the 22 yards.

The first ball he faced was a loosener of sorts from pacer Phil Edwards wayward down the leg side.

As Tendulkar unleashed some good shots, in between picking up runs in singles and twos, the excitement soared, and every run resulted in a countdown by the fans.

There were some anxious moments in the 44th over when Bishoo's delivery rapped Tendulkar - then on 25 - on the front foot, and there was a strong leg before appeal. Umpire Rod Tucker's decision to turn down the appeal came as a big relief for the crowd.

But all that finally ended in disappointment in the 52nd over of the day as the one century the cricketing world is waiting for months remained elusive once again.