Easy does it

Once again, Hoggard bowled six inches outside off stump. Forward came Tendulkar as he had done before to so many similar deliveries - only this time, there was twist of the wrists at the last possible moment and the ball was sent scudding through wide mid-wicket for four.

There was a trace of bewilderment in Hoggard's eyes at a shot that had come from nowhere. But there was at least hope in Tendulkar's switch to attacking mode.

His only option was clear: to bowl even wider of the off stump and encourage a similar stroke. Here, then, was a chance to double-bluff the batsman.

Effortless ease

In he came and duly delivered at a full length and wide of off-stump with the field set as before - and once again Giles, at mid-on, was made to trot off to the mid-wicket boundary fence to fetch the ball.

The crowd, Tendulkar-worshippers all, roared their approval and the confidence that England had fought so hard to regain disappeared amid the commotion.

This was the talent that Hoggard had heard spoken of so many times before, but still it had the capacity to stun.

Tendulkar acknowledges the crowd's acclaim

As he walked back to his mark, he grinned at the sheer impossibility of it all.

It was time for Nasser Hussain to swallow his pride and post a man at mid-wicket. To Tendulkar, however, that could mean but one thing - another fielder with which to toy.

With no option but to continue to bowl the same line, Hoggard sent down an identical delivery to the previous two that had been hit for four.

It had had to happen, didn't it? The wrists turned that little bit more and the ball was this time sent square on the on-side for two more runs.

Among the greats

Other bowlers suffered, notably Richard Dawson who had been allowed to bowl unchallenged in Mohali, but here went at five runs per over.

The plight of Hoggard, however, was central to an innings that went beyond the context of the match and the series.

Hoggard had the last laugh

After his surprise dismissal 12 runs short of a century in the first Test, the genius of Tendulkar as master of his own fate had been re-established.

Of batsmen with more than 20 Test centuries, only Don Bradman (2.23) and Mohammed Azharuddin (1.05) have a higher rate of converting fifties into hundreds.

They are the only top batsmen to have scored more 100s than half-centuries.

Tendulkar now has 27 Test centuries and 29 fifties, a conversion rate of 0.93.

Compare that to Wally Hammond (0.92), Gary Sobers (0.86), Sunil Gavaskar (0.75) and Steve Waugh (0.62)

Even the great Viv Richards, who like Tendulkar played the length of the ball rather than the line, could only manage 0.53.

It was an error against the second new ball that brought Tendulkar's downfall for 103 as he drove absent-mindedly at Hoggard.

England celebrated as if they had won the Test - and Tendulkar walked off disgusted with himself.

This time, the smile from Hoggard was one of relief.