Yesterday, I spotted a letter on an Indian website. It went like this: "Tendulkar lacks the two most important characteristics of a truly great batsman: temperament to play a long innings and perform when the going gets tough." The writer went on to cast a few more aspersions before resting his case. Poor bloke. I wonder what he's thinking now? Or if he can think at all? It must be a hard task when you've got both feet firmly stuffed so far down your windpipe. Criticising the truly great is always fraught with risk, and those who had their knives out for Tendulkar are most likely either in hiding or sporting sheepish grins tonight.

His innings today was a statement of sorts. It said two things. Firstly, that it takes more than a broken foot to throw the greatest batsman of his generation off his stride. Secondly – and more important – that India are not about to roll over and die in this Test series.

But for Tendulkar's decisive intervention, it might have been very different today. The Indians gifted Nantie Hayward two early Christmas presents – Das and Laxman – and he whooped it up like a delighted schoolboy. To be honest, the South African bowling in the first two sessions, Pollock apart, was straight out of the school playground. Even a charitable observer might have been moved to mouth the word "rubbish" at some of the balls served up to Tendulkar and Sehwag. Some of the fans must have opened their eskies early – the bowling was so shocking that it would have driven a sober man to drink. Allan Donald, watching from the commentary box, must have been mortified. Without him, this is a second-rate bowling attack.

Of course, it could also be that Tendulkar made them look second-rate. But for an attempted pull that ballooned safely over mid-off, he played scarcely a false stroke. He started in cautious fashion, the sniper taking his time to get the cross-wires perfectly adjusted. After that, the South Africans didn't know what hit them. Before and after lunch, he played plenty of improvised shots over the slips and gully, punishing any width offered by the bowlers. But there was orthodoxy too, some sumptuous back-foot cover-drives and pulls through midwicket. On the rare occasions that the South Africans pitched it up to the bat, a quick flick of those high-tensile wrists was enough to send the ball speeding to the fence.

Sehwag grew in confidence watching this virtuoso performance. One of his straight-drives was right out of the Tendulkar catalogue of goodies. It was the kind of day that Sehwag will never forget. Not only did he score an accomplished hundred on Test debut, but he also had the pleasure of watching from 22 yards as his idol put together a minor masterpiece. And a work of art it certainly was, fit to be framed alongside the master's own magical efforts at Old Trafford (1990), Perth (1992), Edgbaston (1996) and Chennai (1999).

Before this series began, many South Africans were guilty of looking ahead to Australia and belittling India's chances. Big mistake. Just ask two diminutive batsmen who can perform when the going gets tough.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com India.

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