Bangalore:Anticipation is often the best part. Sometimes, the build-up in tension and excitement can be more enthralling in the run-up to an event. At the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, there was a lot of expectation. The atmosphere was full of anticipation. It was about Sachin Tendulkars impending milestone. There was a lot of apprehension too.

Finally, it was the doomsday prophets and I-told-you-so critics, who had the last laugh. The Tendulkar saga - in chase of Brian Laras World record - continues to remain a perennial so-near-yet-so-far case.

Tendulkar happens to be in the midst of a poor run of scores. He hasnt scored a half century in 10 innings. And has averaged a mere 17 since his last century in January this year. His sequence of last 10 scores reads: 13,0,27,12,5,31,6,14,13 amp; 49. These are not numbers one associates with Tendulkar.

He seems to be the exact anti-thesis of the Tendulkar he was, the Tendulkar one knew. The low score could well be cricketing equivalent of the crash on Wall Street, currently affecting the economies around the world.

On Monday, Tendulkar was cruising towards the magical run-mark of 64,a score which would have taken him past Laras record tally of 11,953 runs. He was also set to end the drought of half-centuries. But a sudden lapse of concentration saw him fall short of the mark. Lapses of concentration seem to be happening too often for the Little Master.

Craig White was overjoyed when Tendulkar pushed him uppishly to the cover. One more bowler has had him as his first wicket in Tests. Monty Panesar was the last bowler to have had the distinction of having Tendulkar as his first scalp.

White did not do a bhangra; like the English spinner did in Nagpur a couple of years ago, but the Aussie was jubilant.

But there is also a flip side to the whole story. The tragedy is that few would remember that Tendulkar virtually saved the Test for India. At 24 for two, India were staring at a possible defeat but Tendulkar rose to the occasion and blunted the Aussie onslaught with his well-made 49.

His two partnerships - 54 with Gautam Gambhir for the third wicket and 61 with VVS Laxman for the fourth wicket - helped India save the Test. But few would remember the Little Master for that match saving-effort. That he missed going past Laras record mark is what this innings could be remember for. But then that is the tragedy of being Sachin Tendulkar.
Source : DNA