SYDNEY: Captain Michael Clarke on Friday savoured taking Sachin Tendulkar’s prized wicket to send India tumbling to another heavy Test defeat and deny the tourists a first-ever series win in Australia.
Clarke’s dismissal of the “Little Master”, in menacing form on 80, in the 79th over saw Test cricket’s greatest runscorer again denied his 100th international century.
Tendulkar has been stranded on 99 Test and ODI centuries since scoring 111 against South Africa in the World Cup in March.
He was drawn forward to Clarke’s part-time left-arm spin and got an outside edge to Mike Hussey at first slip, and with him went India’s remote hopes of denying Australia victory.
The wicket, Clarke’s 14th Indian wicket in his career Test haul of 24, was the icing on the cake after the Australian skipper’s unbeaten 329 in the first innings made him the undisputed man-of-the-match.
It was Clarke’s first bowling stint in Tests this Australian summer season and came at a crucial point, with Tendulkar threatening to go on to post a huge score.
“It’s a very nice wicket to have, that’s for sure,” Clarke said. “To be able to get such a great player out is a very handy wicket so I was stoked with that.”
But Clarke warned that Tendulkar would again threaten to dominate Australia’s bowlers in the remaining two Tests of the series in Perth and Adelaide.
“Sachin’s been such a great player for so long, everyone goes through that period,” he said. “Touch wood, it’s nice that he’s not made his 100th hundred in this series, but there’s a long way to go.
“Never write off great players. As a team we have the greatest of respect for him and we know we need to execute our skills against him or he’ll make lots of runs. (Agencies)