Mountain out of a Boohill

I was at the Wankhede Stadium on Day 2 as well, and the first I heard of this whole "Tendulkar Booing" incident was at night on the news channels. Apparently some sections of the crowds near the pavillion did a bit of booing. I don't know the exact details, but I can state this confidently - that it is not as if the entire stadium booed Sachin, the way the media is making it out to be. My friend Tony didn't notice the booing either. I spoke to a couple of other folks I know who were in other stands and they too were shocked to learn of these booing reports. The stands near the pavillion is where the bulk of the barmy army is camped, so it won't be surprising if it was some of them who booed Sachin. Plus the whole concept of "boo" is not very Indian. Crowds here will go "hai hai", but "boo"? Nah!

So the reports you see of Sachin being booed by his "home crowd" are rather generous media-driven embellishments.

Anyway, the position that the game is poised in, I feel tempted to wager on a second inning century from the great man. India fought back really well today. I wasn't at the stadium but the tenacity shown by the lower order was extremely commendable. This test, at the end of day 3, has all the makings of a classic.