Sachin hits sixes batting left-handed

The name of the game is power and it doesn't matter if the power arises from the left or right. On Wednesday, Sachin Tendulkar, very much back in action after a day's break, decided that he, like Mahendra Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh before him, would attempt to smash a few sixes off a set of hapless spinners, mostly local lads who were occasionally joined by R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla.

Only unlike the trio, Tendulkar decided that he would hit off his wrong hand, the left. Batting on a pitch that was to the extreme left of the Chinnaswamy Stadium's centre square, Tendulkar borrowed Yuvraj's bat and in the space of say 20-odd balls, managed three sixes in the arc between long on and midwicket. Dhoni, a padded-up Sreesanth (who also had a decent bowl earlier) and Yuvraj watched in awe at the little demonstration. This was no switch hit, though that may well follow after this session, but actual left-handed batting (no pads were on though), during which the carefully taped right knee, hidden inside longish shorts, was visible. Before Tendulkar took the stage, there was an awesome display of power hitting by the quartet of Dhoni, Yuvraj, Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan. Ball after ball was smashed into the stands, a few of the hits damaging the recently-fixed permanent chairs. The combination of the modern bat and the power of the lads was a real potent one. Should England, who clash with the hosts on Sunday, decide to field too many pretentious spinners, spectators would be well advised to don hard hats. More so if Virender Sehwag, who stayed away for the second day in succession -- the word was that he would play the match on Sunday and was just resting his injured knee -- too joins in.

Also missing from the action from left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra, reportedly recovering from a back spasm picked up in Dhaka.