Sachin Tendulkar equalled Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Tbst centuries as India took a handsome 164-run lead in the first innings of the firstTest yesterday.
The master Indian batsman, playing his 119th Test, remained unbeaten on 159 as India reached 348-7 at stumps on the second day at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in reply to Bangladesh's 184. Anil Kumble was batting with him at the crease when bad light stopped play with three overs remaining.
He also became only the third batsman after Australian Steve Waugh and South Africa's Gary Kirsten to score Test centuries against all Test nations.
But Tendulkar, who smashed 23 boundaries in 272 balls in a contrasting innings spanning just over
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six hours, must be grateful to the butter-fingered Bangladesh fielders who let him off three times.
The first hour was totally dominated by the home side with Mashrafee- Bin-Mortuza making a glorious return to Test cricket after one year from injury.
The 20-year-old fast bowler made a dream start removing Rahul Dravid with a gem of an In-swinger after his new ball partner Tapash Baisya had trapped danger man Virender Schwaglbwforl3.
India's ’Mr. dependable’ Dravid was yet to open his account when he decided to let go a delivery by Mashrafee which came back and sent his off-stump cart-wheeling.
Tendulkar came to the wicket with Team India struggling at 24-2. He got his first life with his account yet to open when Mohammad Ashraful, standing at backward short-lee, failed to hold on to a mistimed pull off the bowling of Mashrafee. Tendulkar, struggling to get back to form, did not even attempt another pull shot before he was well past the 100-mark.
Dubbed ’Narail Express', Mashrafee was unlucky again when Habibul Bashar floored Tendulkar's edge on 27 at first slip.
Tendulkar was also responsible for the run out of opener Gautam Gambhir who made a chanceless 35 with half a dozen fours. The 31-year-old from Mumbai offered the easiest chance of the day shortly before lunch when a Mohammed Rafique delivery caught him offguard and the ball looped up into the air off his gloves but an over excited Rajin Saleh lost the ball from his palms at silly point
Tendulkar did not look back and swung the match India's way with an authoritative 169-run partnership with skipper Sourav Ganguly for the fourth wicket.
Ganguly - who scored five from 29 balls before the break - and Tendulkar turned the tide when they rattled 130 runs in the second session.
Tendulkar got back his composer after lunch and looked like the batsman he is, racing from 79 to 96 with four magnificent boundaries before picking up ones and twos to complete his century with a single to mid-on off Tapash. His record-emulating hundred came in 166 balls, studded with 15 fours.
The Indian captain on the other hand, made most of a life on 14 to score an entertaining 71 off 123 balls before being dismissed just before tea, leaving his side on232-4 at the break.
Dropped by Manzarul Islam at slip off Rafique, Ganguly occasionally stepped out to punish the left-arm spinners and the classy southpaw cracked 13 boundaries in his 155-minute long essay.
Venkat Laxman got off to a fluent start but after hitting six fours in a 39-ball 32, he was adjudged lbw when Rafique's armer struck him on the backpad.
After sloppy fielding display in the morning, the Tigers' catching got better as they removed Dinesh Karthik and Irfan Pathan in quick succession to bring Anil Kumble to the wicket
The umpires offered light to the batsmen immediately and they happily agreed to leave the ground.