Tendulkar lost his cool after the batting harakiri in Nagpur

Share

Tweet

There were a lot of disappointed faces at the end of the Indian innings against South Africa at the VCA stadium on Saturday - none more than Sachin Tendulkar. He had just played his heart out in an effort to put his team in a commanding position from where they could dictate thegame. But before he could even remove his batting gear, he could see the advantage being frittered away by one of the shoddiest batting displays in India's World Cup history.

He had kept his emotions in check but could hold it no longer when he went for a shower and saw all the bathrooms occupied by the batsmen who had just committed harakiri. He gave his team mates a piece of his mind. For him it was a sign of 'who cares' attitude. He just couldn't fathom what had they done to need freshening up. He was held up for the shower and had to finish in a hurry and rush for fielding.

The collapse
The Indian middle and lower order batsmen threw away the advantage provided by Tendulkar's 111 and Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir's half-centuries. From 267 for one at one stage, the home team lost their last nine wickets for 29 runs to slump to 296 all out, eventually resulting in their first defeat of the tournament.

Buoyed by the late bowling fightback, South Africa seized the psychological advantage and walked away with the game with three wickets to spare.

Tendulkar was fired up in the field and when the TV camera zoomed in on him, his face reflected the determination. He set a personal example by giving his all in the field, an all-out dash and slide to stop an off drive to the boundary being an example.

Discipline vital
The Mumbai batsman belongs to the old school of cricket where discipline comes first. He is renowned for his commitment to the game and he can't tolerate anyone taking things easy, whether in training or in an international match.

There are numerous examples when the master has taken his players to task for lax behaviour.

It's Tendulkar's ambition to help his country win a World Cup during his career, and this is his last chance.

The team is not playing at its best at the moment but with home advantage, he is confident they can go all the way.

However, given their inconsistent showing so far, someone needs to stoke the fire of ambition in this team; and there is none better equipped than Tendulkar.

However, the inept showing of his teammates meant one more of his gems will go down in a losing cause.