What India would have wanted, above all, after opting to bat
first, was to get a good start on the board, one that would
demoralise a Kenyan attack that hoped to capitalise on a fresh
wicket and overcast conditions. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender
Sehwag did just that, not through their usual method of smashing
the cover off the ball, but by keeping the opening bowlers out
for more than 18 overs and denying them the all-important initial
breakthrough.