October 25, 2005, it was Nagpur. September 14, 2006, it is Kuala Lumpur. That time the focus was on his dodgy elbow, this time the doubters narrowed their eyes to check the just-healed shoulder. Injuries can change and so can the venues but not Sachin Tendulkar’s knack of showing surgical precision in the timing of a big knock after a visit to the surgeon.

Mortals run in front of BCCI doctors to prove their fitness, Tendulkar piles runs in comeback games to show all’s well with him. Last year, it was his 93 from 97 balls that saw him change the question mark against his name to an exclamation, today his 141 from 148 balls with 13 fours and 6 sixes just added more. Headline hunters will have to be lot more imaginative, since playing with words has become dangerous as Endulkar would now mean end of debate about Tendulkar’s future.

To say this was Tendulkar of old would be a cliché as this was Tendulkar of ancient ago. Imperious, assured and breathtaking. There can’t a bigger party-pooper than someone who will harp on that dropped catch behind the stumps when Tendulkar was on 5 in the day’s second over. By evening, that early edge was forgotten as there were enough shots from the middle of the bat (see box).

To call this knock as his best ever innings, one would have to be among the many first-time live cricket watchers like so many at the Kinrara today. But even regular Tendulkar watchers would agree that this was one of the best knocks he has played as a 30-plus star. Surely, some aspects of his 141 today can be compared to his earlier great knocks.

... contd.