Australia batsman Mike Hussey is worried India’s master batsman Sachin Tendulkar will score his 100th century in the second Test which begins in Sydney on Tuesday.
Tendulkar has been on 99 Test and one-day international centuries for nine months but Hussey believes fate could mean he will reach the landmark at the SCG as India bid to level the four-match series.
The match is also the SCG’s 100th Test and is at a ground where Tendulkar has found his best form outside India.
In four Tests at this venue the Little Master has scored 664 runs at a remarkable average of 221.3.
“I am a bit nervous because the stars seem to be aligning with Sachin needing one more hundred, the 100th Test match in Sydney and he’s made runs here before,” said Hussey before the Australians trained today.
“It’s a special occasion – it’ll be an extra special Test to be involved in - but I can assure you everyone in our dressing room does not want him to make a hundred and we’ll be doing everything we can (to prevent it).
“It’s a little bit ominous but hopefully we can wait until just after this series and he can get a hundred in the first game of the next series.”
Tendulkar made 73 and 32 in Australia’s Boxing Day Test win at the MCG, losing his wicket in both innings to in-form paceman Peter Siddle.
Hussey is backing Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson to bowl the home side to another win at the SCG.
“Our bowlers in Melbourne did an outstanding job, not just to Sachin but to all of their batsmen.
“They have one of the best batting line-ups ever and the plans that we set and the way we executed were second to none.”
India’s Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, feels he is ready to make his Test debut at the SCG in place of Virat Kohli who scored 11 and 0 at the MCG.
“I don’t want to be unprepared. My preparation has to be 100%. It doesn’t matter if I am playing or not. Preparation has to always be the same,” Rohit told
www.cricinfo.com.
India want to put defeat in the first Test behind them by levelling the series in Sydney.
“We don’t want to think about what has happened. We need to focus on what we have to do now. The process is still on. Hopefully things will turn around for us,” Rohit added.
“We spoke about what went wrong, and what we need to do, and stuff like that. Which always happens, whether you win or lose. That is nothing new for us. As I said, we need to keep doing the right things.”
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