Sachin Tendulkar set to become most prolific Test player
Setting new records in cricket is familiar territory for Sachin Tendulkar, and he’ll have another one when he steps onto the field for the third match of the current Test series between India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758.
With that match, the 169th of his career, the Little Master will have played more Tests than any player before him, breaking former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 captain Steve Waugh’s mark of 168 Tests.
It’s a feat that has taken 21 years to achieve, as Tendulkar has developed from a prodigiously talented teenager into the leading run scorer in both Test matches and One-Day International cricket and one of the greatest cricketers the game has yet seen.
But while the first Test of this series, in Galle, was all about marking a milestone – http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 seeking to level the series that they currently trail 1-0.
And 169 matches into his Test career, Tendulkar will be as important as ever to his side’s chances of victory. Indeed, it was the 37-year-old who played a pivotal role in India’s chase of a massive 642 (declared) total in the Colombo Test last week, his double century on a perfect batting track (though one that took any sting out of the contest) was the knock his team built what was eventually a 707-run innings around.
That match ended in a predictable draw, and with Sri Lanka already having taken victory in Galle, the onus is again on the No. 1 ranked Test side to prove their worth against their hosts.
With the pitch at P Sara Oval set to offer more assistance to the bowlers than at Colombo’s SSC (it could hardly offer less), this match at least has the potential to develop into a true contest between these two sub-continental Test sides.
And 169 matches after he began his career, Tendulkar still has the capability to have a major bearing in just what the outcome of that contest may be.
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