The Eden Gardens is not one of Sachin Tendulkar's favourite
hunting grounds: (24 April 2001)
Sachin Tendulkar's love affair with Chepauk - where he has four centuries
in five Tests - is well documented. Indeed the little big man has scored
Test centuries on eight Indian grounds: Chennai, Lucknow, Nagpur, Mumbai,
Bangalore, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Delhi. One conspicuous exception on
that list is the Eden Gardens in Calcutta. In five Tests and nine innings
at the Eden Gardens, Tendulkar has crossed 20 only twice. Calcutta was the
venue of his first defeat as captain against South Africa and also his only
first ball duck in Tests, inflicted by Shoaib Akhtar.
Tendulkar averages 23.37 here with a highest score of 79 against Australia in 1997/98. It
makes for a slightly dismal contrast with his former India colleague Mohd.
Azharuddin who averages 107.5 in 7 Tests on the same ground. But if you
thought the Eden Gardens exercises a hoodoo over Sachin, think again for he
makes up for his blemishes in Tests with a splendid ODI record. In seven
games he averages 77.8 including four fifties and a hundred against Kenya.
Some consolation, that.
For more details on all the above facts check out [ StatsGuru ]
