India Take Control

Allan Donald paid tribute to Indian history-maker Sachin Tendulkar but believes it is vital England dismiss him quickly with the second new ball tomorrow if they are to rescue the second npower Test at Trent Bridge.

Tendulkar became only the third player in Test history after Allan Border and Brian Lara to score 11,000 runs when he reached 25 and his unbeaten 57 steered India to 254 for three by the close of the second day - a lead of 56.

England bowling consultant and former South African paceman Donald hailed Tendulkar as the best player he bowled at during his own distinguished career and believes he will beat Lara's record tally of 11,953 runs.

But his immediate focus is on England removing him when the new ball becomes available after just one over tomorrow and limiting India's first innings advantage. Donald said: "In my era I think he is the best player I ever played against. He is something special. What he has done not only for the game but also his country has been phenomenal. He is a credit to cricket. I know he has been through a bad trot with injuries over the last couple of years but he looked quite his own self apart from being 'grilled' (hit on the helmet) by Jimmy Anderson.

"There are not many times you see him getting grilled. He is definitely the best batsman I have ever seen. Can he beat Lara's record? I hope that there is still a lot more cricket in Sachin. He still looks so boyish. It is unbelievable how many years he has stuck it out and achieved what he has achieved. It is scary to see how many hundreds he has clocked up in Tests and one-day internationals. I hope he goes past the record. He deserves that simply because he is such a humble wonderful guy who plays his cricket hard."

Donald felt England's pace attack bowled with little luck on the second day as they constantly beat the bat. He said: "I wouldn't say I am disappointed with the way we bowled. It was a hard day's toil on a pitch which has got a bit better and the bowlers stuck to their guns. With a bit of luck it could have gone the other way for England during the morning session because the ball did fly past the outside edge and a few nicks went through.

"Our guys showed a hell of a lot of responsibility. They stuck it out. They were patient for most of the time. The new ball is due in the morning and we will be looking to make some breakthroughs. England have got to get back on the horse very quickly and try to knock over Sachin very early.
You keep reminding the guys in the dressing room 'Add two wickets to that total' and then you are into the middle and lower order. The new ball is very vital."

Donald was pleased with the aggression and hostility shown by Anderson to try to unsettle the Indian batsmen after openers Dinesh Karthik and Wasim Jaffer had put on 147. He said: "There comes a time when a partnership needs to be broken and you need to fire someone up. It was the right time to bowl two lengths and mix it up a bit and, with Jimmy being the leader of the pack, he stuck up his hand and anything could have happened in that spell. When a partnership is over 100 you need to be aggressive and he did it very well for a period of time."

Karthik, who top-scored with 77, was pleased with the application shown by the India batsman and believes it has to be repeated tomorrow, although rain is forecast overnight. He said: "The new ball was definitely doing a bit, not as much as yesterday, but it was doing a bit and they had two good swing bowlers and you had to tackle them.

"It was important we got through that period and then batting definitely became easier. Then we started playing our own strokes after seeing off the new ball. The rain is not in our hands but if we play the second ball pretty well we can definitely consolidate after that. It is tough to say at the moment what kind of lead we are looking for. The first thing to do will be to see off the new second ball."

Karthik was also glowing in his praise for Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16 in 1989. He said: "For me he is the greatest player I have ever seen playing and I am honoured that a person like Sachin knows me by my name. That is a fantastic feeling for me. I am 100% sure he is going to beat Brian Lara's record. It is just a matter of time."