Sachin Tendulkar of India hits out during day one of the First Test match between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) on Friday (December 27, 2024) said Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar has accepted its invitation to become an honorary member of the prestigious institution.

Founded in 1838, the MCC is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia and is responsible for the management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), one of the game’s premier venues.

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“An icon honoured. The MCC is pleased to announce that former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar has accepted an Honorary Cricket Membership, acknowledging his outstanding contribution to the game,” the MCC posted on ‘X’.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar currently holds the record for most runs at MCG with 449 from five Tests at an average of 44.90 and a strike-rate of 58.69 with a hundred and three fifties.

Earlier in 2012, Tendulkar was awarded the Order of Australia, one of the country’s highest honours.

The MCG is currently hosting the vital fourth and penultimate Test match between India and Australia with the rubber evenly poised at 1-1.

Australia’s Steve Smith raises his bat as he celebrates after scoring his century during play on the second day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The long drought and the sudden downpour defines Steve Smith’s forays to the batting crease. While questions lingered about his poor yield, he answered with tons at Brisbane’s Gabba and the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Looking back at his return to runs, Smith told the media on Friday: “You got to trust what you are trying to do. I have played the game long enough to know that you can have ups and downs. There’s a difference between being out of form and out of runs. You need a lot of luck on these wickets to get big runs and last week (at the Gabba) I had my fair share.”

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Reflecting on the fourth Test, the former Australian captain said: “It was obviously a really good partnership (between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal) and to break that one, and then get the two more wickets, it was a huge last hour for us. Looked like Jaiswal called yes, ran, and Virat sent him back.”

Smith lauded his skipper Pat Cummins: “I thought Patty played really nicely. Positive intent. We were able to get a nice partnership together and take a bit of the momentum of the game from that point.”

The batter also felt that Kohli looked set for a big knock: “He is a class player. Obviously, he played well in Perth for that 100. And he looked good today, I thought. It was probably the first ball I think he actually played on that fifth, sixth stump line (when he got out). He was really disciplined and I thought we were in for a bit of a masterclass.”

As for Sam Konstas, Smith exclaimed: “He was reverse ramping (Jasprit) Bumrah and I was having a heart attack up in the box!”

Melbourne Cricket Ground. File
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A couple of false alarms rang through the Indian team nets session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday (December 22, 2024). Rohit Sharma and Akash Deep were both struck on their limbs while countering throwdowns in the outdoor practice arena. While Rohit dealt with a sore left knee and iced it for a while, Akash was hit on his hand but made light of the bruise.

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The skipper spent some time sitting with one leg stretched on a chair. He chatted with bowling coach Morne Morkel for a while before gingerly standing up. Later he ambled along, having a word with the last set of batters busy in the nets.

Earlier, when he walked into bat, a loud cheer emanated from the fans, who had gathered on the mezzanine floor and were gazing at the Indian players.

Akash, meanwhile, flexed his hands a bit, briefly placed an ice bag and later told the media, “The practice pitch is probably meant for white-ball cricket, the ball kept low at times. As for these minor injuries, these things happen at training, and there are no major concerns because of that. I am fine.”

If the climax of the training stint raised these injury worries, the beginning was all about fielding drills inside the MCG. The usual catches in the slips and high ones in the deep were all practised before the players moved to the nets outside. K.L. Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit and Rishabh Pant were the first set of batters and all had a long stint even as the blow on the knee forced the Indian captain to seek rest.

Importantly, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj linked up with their fellow seamers and bowled with gusto. The batters were always informed if the ball was new or old, and imaginary field settings were revealed. Gill was muscling his shots, Rohit tried to pull a few and one such endeavour had him missing the line and the ball hit the side of his left knee.

While the visiting captain rested, most of the others in the squad had their stints with the bat, including the tail. And it was Akash’s turn to suffer a niggle but he seemed fine. After a weekend of training, the Indian team will rest on Monday (December 22, 2024) while Pat Cummins and his men will commence their preparation for the fourth Test here from December 26.