Sachin: In the line of fire

Gavaskar says Sachin is getting across stumps too far

By Kashif Qamar BBC Sport Online

Sachin Tendulkar's recent failures against West Indies have sparked a tense debate about his form.

Tendulkar edged his first delivery from Pedro Collins behind on Friday - the third time he has been dismissed for nought three in his last four knocks.

It is a far cry from his 79 in the first Test, and the century in Trinidad.

Cricketing legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Andy Roberts have reported technical flaws in Tendulkar's batting.

But most newspapers in India have declared his recent short stints at the crease simply a lean patch.

The newspaper write-ups vary from statistical analysis of his failures to comments from other players on the technique of the batting great.

It was Gavaskar - perhaps the most qualified Indian to question Tendulkar's skills - who pointed out that Sachin was "playing too much across the line of the ball".

Roberts (centre) detects a few flaws in Sachin's game

Gavaskar also commented that unlike his near-perfect technique, Tendulkar's recent performance had showed him vulnerable to lbw appeals.

Some newspapers have responded by pointing out that Gavaskar also had bad patches, when he twice failed to score more than 20 in six consecutive Test matches.

Roberts finding

West Indian bowling legend Roberts is the latest figure who dares to find a few flaws in his technique and has declared Tendulkar easy to dismiss lbw.

Interestingly, in four of his five Test innings on the West Indies tour so far, he has been out when struck on the pads.

  Tendulkar on WI tour

1st Test: Guyana, lbw b Nagamootoo 79

2nd Test: Trinidad, lbw b Cuffy 117, lbw b Sanford 0

3rd Test: Barbados, c Jacobs b Collins 0, lbw b Dillon 8

4th Test: Antigua, c Jacobs b Collins

"One of the things I have noticed is that he gets behind the ball so much that he is a leg before candidate," Roberts told the Press Trust of India.

Roberts is considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern West Indian pace bowling and is now helping out Caribbean fast men.

"He also doesn't push out (his legs) much," Roberts said of Tendulkar.

"I have never watched him that close before. He is a good player but like most players, he has his weaknesses."