Tendulkar corners the praise market Sachin Tendulkar's 75-ball 98 has been the innings of the 2003 World Cup and quite justifiably it cornered the praise market. Renowned cricket writer Peter Roebuck called it the greatest one-day innings ever. "Sachin Tendulkar has produced the most astonishing innings seen in 50-over cricket since the matches began. Tendulkar was blistering and monumental, ruthlessly attacking off both feet and on both sides of the wicket," Roebuck wrote in the Sunday Times, London. Writing in The Observer, London, former England all-rounder Vic Marks, for his part, observed: "This is why we come. Occasionally the grand occasion coincides with the presence of a genius at the peak of his powers and we are mesmerised. For two hours Tendulkar bewitched a capacity crowd and sent his adoring supporters into ecstasy. For the neutrals it was a privilege to witness a sublime innings that touched perfection - one of those 'I was there' moments." Australian legend Greg Chappell, meanwhile, called a Tendulakr a .rare gem. while Imran Khan predicted that the little master in his current form .could bring the Cup to India..

Triumphant India must maintain focus - Wright John Wright has warned his players not to get carried away after they stormed into the World Cup Super Sixes by beating Pakistan at Centurion on Saturday. India won the high-pressure Group A game by six wickets, an excellent comeback, Wright added, following their nine-wicket humiliation against defending champions Australia earlier in the tournament. "The biggest thing is we got through the first stage," he said on Monday. "That was our first goal. It had all the pressures associated with it." Saturday's victory secured India second place behind Australia in the group standings and they will be travelling to Cape Town for their opening Super Six game against Kenya on Friday. "After our match against Australia, a lot of people were doubting our ability to make it from the group," Wright said. "But we have come back really well after that. We had a heady victory over Pakistan, but now we have to keep our feet on the ground." He was confident India would reach the semi-finals, as long as the players maintained their focus: "They have to take one step at a time, and not look too far ahead." Wright was also fulsome in his praise of Sachin Tendulkar, who has been the inspiration behind India's batting in all the group games and destroyed the Pakistan attack with a brilliant 75-ball 98 at Centurion. "After the Australia loss, I told the batters they had to sort themselves out. There Sachin's leadership has been tremendous," the New Zealand-born coach said.

Krishna playing cricket draws VHP's ire It might be the cricket season but at least the Vishwa Hindu Parishad are not getting carried away. According to the Indian Express, the diligent custodians of the 'world's oldest religion' have taken strong exception to a tableau at the Govind Deoji.s temple in Jaipur that portrayed Lord Krishna playing cricket with his friends. "People's faith should not be made an object of entertainment," VHP's media in-charge Mahaveer Pareek told the paper while venting his feelings about the tableau, which was displayed at the temple on Sunday after India's spectacular victory over Pakistan in the World Cup. "It made God an object of joke," state convenor of Bajrang Dal, Mahendra Meena, said. The controversy, though, died down when the tableau, which is changed daily, was replaced on Monday by one of Krishna slaying Kalinaag.

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