Mumbai:  India was left heart broken as Sachin Tendulkar missed his historic 100th ton and got out at 94 on the fourth day of the Test against West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday

It was a lifeline for Sachin. Or should we say that it was a lifeline for the entire nation… The icon is just 33 away from the magical land of hundred centuries and on Friday, when he takes fresh guard, millions prayers will bat for him, and his hundredth. 

Well, India, having scored 281 for three at stumps on day three, still have to score 109 more to cross the follow-on mark. But who’s bothered…

The first two days of the third Test belonged to West Indies. But the long queues outside the Wankhede, snaking into Marine Drive on Thursday morning, narrated a different story. Charged with a new-found enthusiasm, the expectant fans were eager to keep their date with one of the most unique feats that cricket has ever witnessed. History was not scripted on Day III, so expect Friday to embrace a full house at the Wankhede.

For the record, Thursday's Wankhede was choc-a-bloc. From school kids to Naseeruddin Shah -- they were all there, wanting to get a piece of Sachin's milestone. But it wouldn’t be fair if the sweet music of Rahul Dravid's bat gets drowned in the cheers for Sachin. The lucky 20,000-odd who thronged the stadium on Thursday experienced some exquisite batting from Dravid.

Often the hype around other glamorous feats robs the sheen off Dravid's achievements. A sublime cover drive which took Dravid from 19 to 23, actually carried him past the awesome 13,000-run mark in Tests. 13,000-plus runs in 15 years and 160 Tests! And most of those runs have come when the team were in the doldrums.