Sachin, the super hero for Mumbai Indians

How class just flowed from Tendulkar's blade on Day One of the IPL on Saturday

Sachin, the super hero for Mumbai Indians

How class just flowed from Tendulkar's blade on Day One of the IPL on Saturday

Sachin Tendulkar cuts one during the inaugural tie of IPL-2 in Cape Town on Saturday. pic/ap

Sachin Tendulkar dismissed that notion in emphatic fashion on Saturday. The Indian batting stalwart proved that class will come shining through in every form of the game.

The conditions were not as easy for batting as in India and it was no surprise that most technically equipped player won the day for his team.

It was chilly, overcast and the wicket had some juice in it to nullify through-the-line strokes. It called for a game of controlled aggression. The conditions were ideal for seamers and Chennai Super Kings' skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had no hesitation in putting Mumbai in.

Digging deep into his experience, the Mumbai maestro mapped the conditions quickly and cut down on the risks. Tendulkar held the Mumbai innings together and helped post a winning total with an unbeaten 59 (49 balls 7 fours).

Newlands is South Africa's home of Test cricket and the purists in the crowd were delighted that Tendulkar made their day. "His batting is poetry in motion," Andre O'Pendaal, CEO of Western Province Cricket Association told MiD DAY.u00a0

The expected initial flurry of boundaries did not come as Mumbai took 8.3 overs to reach 50. The 100 of the innings came in the 14th over.

Tendulkar had decided to keep going on, but maintaining focus was not easy. Apart from the new break rule after 10 overs, there were a surprise interruption too when a black dog took centre stage for 11 minutes.
Tendulkar's strategy was to shore one end up and it worked. All-rounder Abhishek Nayar provided the acceleration in the last five overs. Nayar smashed 35 off 14 balls to get Mumbai to 165 for seven.

In the break, the local experts were unanimous that Mumbai's total was a winning one. With Lasith Malinga at his fiery best and Harbhajan Singh bowling with guile, Super Kings' run case could never get going. The 19-run victory margin was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.u00a0 "When Tendulkar is in that kind of form, there's nothing much you can do to stop him," conceded Super Kings skipper Dhoni.

It was a winning debut as coach for Shaun Pollock and he credited the victory to Tendulkar carrying out the strategy to a perfection. "It was a very matured, very controlled knock, exactly what the team needed given the conditions," said Pollock.

"At the start of the day the wicket was damp. In the first six or seven overs it was not easy to get the ball away. Later, when it dried up a bit, there were more shot options," said Tendulkar.

He is in the form of his life and given the way he has started, the bowlers better watch-out for the Master's blade. It is looking broader and broader.

BRIEF SCORES
Mumbai Indians 165-7 in 20 overs (S Tendulkar 59 not out, A Nayar 35; M Gony 2-32) bt Chennai Super Kings 146-7 in 20 overs (M Hayden 44, M Dhoni 36; L Malinga 3-15)

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels