‘Sachin’s small margin separates magic from method’: Roebuck

As Indian centurions Sachin Tendulkar and Murali Vijay dominated day three of the Bangalore Test against Australia there was only a minute distinction between the two batsmen, “a small margin that somehow separates magic and method”, noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck has said.

“Murali Vijay had the best seat in the house. His quiet accumulation counterpointed his partner’s sublime strokeplay. As far as technique was concerned, there was not much between them,” Roebuck wrote in a syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

“He is an accomplished batsman likely to make the grade. Yet there was an almost imperceptible difference between them, a small margin that somehow separates magic and method.”

“Tendulkar is exceptional. Every shot he plays is compelling. Vijay is admirable. He was not rattled, and played his part in the partnership that turned the match around. Naturally, he was as proud of his first hundred as Tendulkar had been of his 49th,” he added.

Carrying forward from Sunday’s score of 128/2, both Tendulkar and Vijay looked in sublime form to take their third-wicket partnership to 308, as Team India marched to 435-5 at the end of the day’s play, only 43 runs shy of Australia’s first innings 478.

Vijay scored 139 off 310 balls, which included 14 fours and two sixes, before being caught by wicket keeper Tim Paine off the bowling off fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.

Tendulkar, who scored his sixth century of the year, was bowled by debutant Peter George for 214.

He now has two centuries in Bangalore, sharing the record for most centuries with Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin.

During the innings, Tendulkar had also achieved the milestone of becoming the first batsman to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket.