The usual cacophony that surrounds a cricket match where Sachin Tendulkar is playing, was missing at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
Barring pockets filled with a few Tendulkar-enthusiasts who had gathered next to the dressing room to have a glimpse of the cricketer, the stadium was virtually empty when the senior batsman walked in to bat at No. 5 for Mumbai, in their 2012-13 Ranji Trophy opener against Railways.
The attack in store was average; the weather perfect for cricket; and the wicket tailor-made for runs. Lack of a boisterous crowd chanting 'Saachiin, Saachiin' didn't seem to matter as Tendulkar went about his business as usual; 181 minutes and 136 balls later, he returned to the pavilion, with 137 runs to show and a lot more to munch on with the much-anticipated Test series against England coming up soon.
Mumbai were 143-3 in the 46th over, post lunch, when Tendulkar joined young teammate Ajinkya Rahane, who had come at No. 3, batting four runs short of his half-century. Tendulkar, reportedly, had just about recovered from a stomach bug but there seemed absolutely no discomfort in the manner in which he went about his job. The start was unhurried, measured in fact, with Tendulkar looking to weigh each stroke before actually playing it. The attack lacked any kind of zing, yet the batsman took 31 balls before hitting his first boundary.
That was as slow as it could get for the handful of spectators who had waited half the day in anticipation. Things would soon change and indeed, a very aggressive Tendulkar would step out of the crease in due time. However, the priority at the start of the innings was also to resurrect the Mumbai batting order after the fall of the first three wickets, including that of Rohit Sharma who walked in at No. 4 - usually reserved for Tendulkar in Tests.
The boundaries became more frequent as he got comfortable in the middle. There was a six on way to his half-century too, that came off 69 balls. From there on, the cautious approach soon began a forceful one. Meanwhile, Rahane stayed focused at the other end, crossing 80 as Mumbai reached 240-3 by the 65th over, tugging along the quiet afternoon.
Day Two of this match will see Zaheer Khan roll his arm as part of his warm-up ahead of the England series.
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