By attacking away in colombo yesterday, Tendulkar succeeded in demolishing the Mendis menace that troubled India in the 2008 tour of Sri Lanka

Sachin's ton fitting reply to Mendis menace of 2008

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Sachin's ton fitting reply to Mendis menace of 2008

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By attacking away in colombo yesterday, Tendulkar succeeded in demolishing the Mendis menace that troubled India in the 2008 tour of Sri Lanka

On a day of missed opportunity and mistakes that proved costly to both sides, it was left to Sachin Tendulkar and his cultured, disciplined 48th Test century to ease India through a minefield of circumspection at the Singhalese Sports Club.

What this achieved on Day Three of the second Test also in part laid the ghost of India's nemesis of the 2008 tour, Phantom menace Ajantha Mendis. And as Tendulkar, with typical modesty, admitted he has worked a plan to overcome the Mendis threat, which is the sort of admission few would offer with such confidence.

But that is Tendulkar, confident and knowing without being conceited as he knew how India needed him to pull an innings together that counted.

And paying tribute to Tendulkar's skilled batting technique and style is Sri Lanka's off-spin debutant, Suraj Randiv. He is the man who bagged Virender Sehwag's wicket with a doosra that will haunt the Delhi dazzler for weeks to come.

That reckless charge when on 99, was a typically Viru over-ambitious "six or nix" slog that ended in an embarrassing walk to the pavilion the rest of the day to think about what should have been.u00a0

As for Tendulkar's technique, as Randiv admitted, he is a batsman who so often dictates the length that the bowler delivers the ball.

"It is very difficult to get line and length to him. He sometimes plays forward, and sometimes he is going back, so hitting the correct length and line is not easy," he said.

"I thought I bowled well to him, but because of his footwork, it is not so simple," he added with a thoughtful grin.u00a0 "There are also the cuts that he plays. Whether the late cut, the nudge or the way he gets over the ball, he works the ball so very well. So it is very difficult to get the correct line and lengths to him."

Sri Lanka missed the chance to dismiss him when he was 29 and the total was 225 for three when trying to cheekily work the ball over the wicketkeeper's head off the bowling of Dilhara Fernando. Just what Prasana Jayawardene was thinking at the time only he can offer an opinion, but he is still probably trying to work that one out as well.

As Jayawardene discovered, no team can afford to miss a chance to dismiss Test cricket's leading batsman in terms of centuries (48) and runs (13,647 at the end of the third day's play). The Mumbai magician just shrugs it off and gets on with the job.