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Tendulkar's attitude was negative

The last thing Test cricket needs is the approach by the Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar to this third and final match of the series at Ahmedabad. It was a disgrace that the tactical attitude to dismiss the opposition was not as positive as that of the batting. To enter the match one up and then to cast aside the chance of a 2-0 series win is not an attitude I can approve. Yet this is exactly what Tendulkar showed by his refusal, first to enforce the follow-on and then to delay his declaration by ridiculous proportions. If bowlers are too tired to continue to win a match then perhaps the best thing would be to call off the match at such a stage.

I cannot see why he had to build an unassailable lead of 423 before declaring and thus allowing himself only 13 overs on the fourth day against the Black Cap openers. The right tactical approach would have been to tease New Zealand with just the merest glimpse of a victory by declaring with a lead of 340 and giving India four sessions to obtain the necessary 10 wickets. That scenario could have been absorbing.

It really shocked me that Tendulkar appeared to have to be cajoled by Kapil Dev before he did finally declare. There were constant messages delivered to the batsmen via twelfth man and drinks bottle, and how they could have changed every two minutes or so was beyond me. It was a sad way to conduct a sporting contest for it removed the positive element and indicated a desire to rest on laurels already won.

New Zealand was equally at fault at Hamilton earlier in the year when a similar situation presented itself. I did not agree with that attitude then and expressed my views strongly at the time. I also disagreed with our approach in 1990 at Eden Park when we sat on a 1-0 series win there by similar, boring methods.

Each Test match has an inherent responsibility to provide absorbing contests that keep the crowds coming and the viewers tuned in. Each time it is spurned is another nail in the coffin of Test cricket. It is under huge pressure to maintain interest throughout its long time span. In the modern world time pressures demand that few are prepared to waste such time watching pointless cricket when they can be doing something more rewarding. If the final Test of a series, irrespective of the state of that series, is applied to a world championship table then there would always be something to play for. It is time the governing body addressed this enigma by creating such a contest.

The decision to bat again came as an enormous relief to the nervous New Zealand openers, who were spared their trial until so late on the fourth day. Then they performed quite splendidly with an opening partnership of 131. It was Horne's best innings of the series but it was the newcomer Gary Stead who took the eye with his gritty 78, the highest score by any Kiwi in the whole series. Stead plays with bat handle well forward and with soft hands and this enabled him to escape the probing Kumble. He also used some useful counter attacking strokes if the ball was short or wide of leg stump. It was an encouraging knock for a team that has had such poor starts to previous Test matches. He showed maturity and temperament in batting so soundly so soon after arriving.

India was in an ideal position to seal another Test win and a convincing 2-0 series victory during the third day. That was when they lost the plot.

(Gameplan)

Martin Crowe