MELBOURNE, 26 November 2003 — Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar cracked 80 from 111 balls as India opened their Australian tour with a warm-up match against state side Victoria here yesterday.
But the tourists failed to capitalize on his knock and went to stumps with a modest 266 for nine wickets after they had won the toss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Parthiv Patel was 52 not out and Ashish Nehra was yet to score in the three-day encounter.
Tendulkar hammered 14 fours during his effervescent knock in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd — most of them Indians.
“It was a good outing — I just wanted to be out in the middle and spend some time batting,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s in store for me on this tour... I just want to go out there and enjoy my cricket. I don’t want to think about what I have to achieve and put any pressure on myself.”
The last time Tendulkar batted at this ground, he scored 116 against Australia in the 1999 Boxing Day Test.
He will be India’s big hope for competitive totals in the four-Test series against the world champions home country starting in Brisbane Dec. 4.
Quiet at first Tuesday, Tendulkar opened up after the lunch break as he and Sadagoppan Ramesh (87) piled on the runs. A Tendulkar century beckoned, but he fell when he drove a ball from left-arm paceman Matthew Inness to David Hussey at backward point.
The Indian innings unraveled from there, with captain Saurav Ganguly (two) out two runs later and Ramesh dismissed soon after. Ramesh’s departure marked the start of a collapse in which India lost four wickets for 29 runs.
Nehra held up an end as Patel put on 17 for the last wicket.
Ramesh was a late addition to the team, after V.V.S. Laxman joined spinner Anil Kumble as a flu victim.
Inness impressed with 4-64 and fellow opening bowler Brett Harrop marked his first-class debut by taking the first wicket of the match as Akash Chopra was caught behind for two.
Talented 20-year-old captain Cameron White had Ramesh caught by Hussey at cover and took the last three wickets of the day to finish with 4-59 from his probing leg-spinners. Ajit Agarkar was 12th man for India.
Suspended India Cricketer
Takes Legal Action
In New Delhi, Abhijit Kale, the Indian cricketer at the center of a cash-to-play scandal, has gone to court to challenge his suspension from the game, officials said yesterday.
Kale filed a suit in a civil court in the western city of Pune late on Monday against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), seeking a stay on his suspension.
“We have come to know of Kale having filed the case. We are consulting our lawyers to take appropriate action,” said MCA chief Balasahab Thorve.
The case is expected to come up for hearing this week.
