Sachin makes up for lost time

Even as late as last year, the Ranji set-up was so unprofessional India players would come to play for state sides wearing their India shirts. So it wasn't quite out of place for a journalist at the Wankhede Stadium to be surprised at seeing Sachin Tendulkar wearing the Mumbai shirt. The cynic would argue that most state teams have sponsors who ensure every player wears the official apparel but it's a fact, as pointed out in the press box, that Sachin turns out even for club matches wearing the club shirt.

This goes a bit beyond the merely symbolic as it reveals two things about Tendulkar: he wants to be one with the team he is playing for and he feels strongly for Mumbai cricket. The irony is that he hasn't played as much as he would possibly like - only seven Ranji matches in the past 10 years, his last back in 2000 - yet in those seven matches, he has five centuries and a 95. He would have played in Mumbai's last league match but for a hamstring injury but that offered a more fitting stage for his return to the side.

When Tendulkar walked out today, the scoreline read 14 for 2 and Mumbai desperately needed him to take charge. And take charge he did, though after initial problems. He left the first ball from Bose alone, only for it to come in from wide outside the off stump to hit his elbow. Two overs later, he shouldered arms again and was hit on his thigh. In the same over he edged one through the gully region for four. And that was that. Bengal would have to wait another 43 overs, 100 more Tendulkar runs, and 18 more boundaries for the next mistake by Tendulkar.

By then, he'd delighted the motley crowd with an innings almost ridiculous in its effortlessness as he notched up his 18th Ranji century in only his 32nd match. It started with two straight drives down the wicket - one just right of mid-off and one just left of the bowler - in one over from Ashok Dinda. The contest that was building up between Bose and Tendulkar ended soon enough as Bose began to tire and Tendulkar took full advantage every time he bowled wide or too straight. There was, suddenly, no margin for error.

In the 25th over Tendulkar played the shot people say they'd swear they can travel the world to see. Dinda bowled short, but on the stumps; Tendulkar, for lack of room, just punched it down the ground with absolutely no follow-through of the bat and the ball sped to the long-on fence.

The bowlers, on their part, just fed Tendulkar, barely causing him to manufacture even a single stroke. His fifty came off his 78th delivery, which was pulled disdainfully for his 10th boundary. Dinda and Sourav Sarkar, the inexperienced pacemen, got special treatment as Tendulkar scored 52 of his 105 runs off their 43 deliveries. By the time Saurashish Lahiri, the only spinner, came on to bowl, he had settled down well enough and was just having fun. He drove him against the turn, swept him in front of square, and probably got too confident as he swept him straight to short mid-wicket.

With Tendulkar at the other end, Wasim Jaffer had the pressure taken off him and went to his century almost unnoticed. Jaffer later said that, Tendulkar excepted, scoring runs was difficult on the wicket. The rest of the team scored 176 runs in 61.3 overs. Two late strikes mean Bengal have not yet been batted out but Tendulkar's remorse at missing out so much domestic cricket will have grown one century less.

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That was the question the Mumbai administrators were asked when they announced that Zaheer Khan will be formally presented with a cap just before the start of the final. God, obviously, is one man in Mumbai team who was to play his first Ranji match after six years. They laughed then, leaving the matter open to speculation.

As it turned out, the cap was presented by, not God, not captain, but the Colonel, Dilip Vengsarkar the chairman of Mumbai selectors.

The captain Amol Muzumdar though was presented with a momento from the God himself, for having overtaken Ashok Mankad as the greatest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy.

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177 v Gujarat at Valsad in 1997.

95 v Railways at Mumbai in 1998.

135 v Orissa at Mumbai in 1998.

35 v Gujarat at Mumbai in 1998.

233* and 13* v Tamil Nadu at Mumbai in 2000.

53 and 128 v Hyderabad at Mumbai in 2000.

108 and 5 v Baroda in Mumbai in 2000.