By Sirshendu Panth, IANS,
Mumbai : The prospects of a last enticing face-off between Sachin Tendulkar and cricket’s most prolific bowler Muttiah Muralitharan were dashed as the Indian batting genius got out cheaply to Sri Lanka’s fiery pacer Lasith Malinga in the World Cup final here Saturday.Tendulkar, who will turn 39 later this month, could score only 18 before he was dismissed by the curly haired pacer with an away going delivery that took the edge and finished into the hands of Sri Lankan skipper Sangakkara behind the wicket, numbing the packed Wankhede stadium into silience.
It was the seventh over of the innings and the off-spin legend, who was appearing in his last international match Saturday, was yet to get the ball.
As Tendulkar started his long trek back into the hut, the 33,000 spectators at the stadium and hundreds of millions across the nation watched in shock what seemed like the end of Tendulkar’s magnificent World Cup journey that began in 1992 and continued through half-a-dozen editions of the big event spread over 19 years.
On the way, he amassed 2,296 runs, the highest aggregate in the quadrennial showpiece. And also shares with the Pakistan great Javed Miandad, the feat of having appeared in so many editions of
the Cup.
The abiding image of the Mumbaikar’s World Cup exploits, that also amply brought out his dedication and passion for the game, was the unbeaten 140 (of 101 balls) he scored in the 1999 World Cup at Bristol against Kenya after rejoining the team after his father’s death. The batting maestro looked at the skies on reaching his ton and dedicated the hundred to his father.
In the 2003 World Cup, he clobbered Pakistan tearaway Shoaib Akhtar into submission on way to a blazing 98 at Centurion.
In this edition, Tendulkar piled up 482 runs and finished second in the list of leading batsmen behind Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan (500).
It was a double tragedy for the Mumbaikars as Tendulkar’s dismissal also saw their hopes of the local boy getting to his astounding 100th international hundred at the Wankhede go up in smoke.
(Sirshendu Panth can be contacted at [email protected])