Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath went head-to-head as Australia’s ICC KnockOut quarter-final against India got off to an enthralling start at the Nairobi Gymkhana Club on Saturday.

After being sent in to bat, India had reached 131 for four at the halfway stage of their innings, a score built on Tendulkar’s early aggression.

Tendulkar, the world’s best batsman took on arguably the world’s most proficient new ball bowler in a brief but fiery contest that set one of the tournament’s plum games on its way.

Tendulkar threw his bat at almost everything that came his way from McGrath. He missed more than he hit, but when he connected the ball stayed struck. He top-edged McGrath over third man for six at the beginning of the paceman’s second over and in his third over Tendulkar advanced down the wicket and smashed him straight into the sightscreen for another six.

The next delivery went past mid-off for four and in McGrath’s fourth over he was pulled high over square leg for Tendulkar’s third six. After almost every ball batsman and bowler exchanged glares and words, but on balance Tendulkar came out of the exchanges on top. When McGrath was rested after six overs, he had conceded 40 runs, most of them to Tendulkar.

Brett Lee, McGrath’s new ball partner, made the breakthrough. He found the edge of Tendulkar’s bat and Damien Martyn took an excellent leaping catch at first slip. Tendulkar’s 38 came off 37 balls and all three sixes and two of his three fours had come off McGrath.

Jason Gillespie replaced McGrath at the Forest Road end and had Saurav Ganguly caught down the leg side off the first ball of his second over for 24. The start given by Tendulkar and Ganguly, however, enabled India to reach 77 for two at the end of the first 15 overs.

Gillespie claimed his second wicket when Rahul Dravid flicked him off his pads straight down the throat of Shane Lee at deep backward square.

And in the 25th over, Steve Waugh brought himself on to bowl with immediate success when he had Vinod Kambli caught at the wicket for 29.

© Cricinfo Ltd.