Cricket: India distracted by Tendulkar's monkey

Sachin Tendulkar will have to wait another day for his 100th international century after being bowled by Peter Siddle. Photo / AP

Has Sachin Tendulkar's elusive 100th international hundred become a monkey on his back?

Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri says it's worse than that - the monkey is now a gorilla.

And former Australian skipper Steve Waugh says it has become a distraction for the Indian team, which faces the prospect of remaining winless in a series in Australia after just five days play on the current tour.

No one in cricket history has come within cooee of the feat Tendulkar is staring at.

The trouble is he has been eyeing it for so long, it might be looking like a mirage.

The 38-year-old master has been stranded on 99 hundreds - 51 in tests and 48 in one-dayers - since last March.

He fell short again in his 13th match since then on what presented itself as the perfect setting - a sunny opening day at the SCG, which is not only his favourite venue outside India but is celebrating its 100th test match.

Tendulkar, having played convincingly while wickets tumbled around him, fell for 41 when he edged an attempted drive off James Pattinson onto his own stumps.

With every innings that passes, the pressure builds.

Shastri said the prospect of Tendulkar's century of centuries was commanding as much attention in Australia as in his cricket-mad home city of Mumbai.

"It's a monkey on his back which is now a gorilla," Shastri told SCG members at a pre-match breakfast.

"It's becoming heavier and heavier.

"If he's going to get it off his back, he's got to do it here."

Waugh said instead of resting from India's recent one-day series against the West Indies, Tendulkar should have tried to reach the unprecedented milestone.

"I'm surprised he didn't get that hundred out of the road," said Waugh. "Because it is a bit of a distraction for the team."

India, having lost the first test in Melbourne by 122 runs inside four days, fell again to the tearaway pace of James Pattinson.

He ripped through the top order to bag 4-43 as India fell for a meagre 191 after winning the toss and batting, with Australia 3-116 in reply at stumps.

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting combined for an unbeaten 79-run partnership to ensure Australia recovered from an early collapse in their first innings.

The seam and bounce that helped the Australian bowlers also aided Indian seamer Zaheer Khan (3-26), who took three quick wickets before Clarke (47 not out) and Ponting (44 not out) rallied in the evening session to lift Australia to 116-3 as the ball got older and the conditions flattened out.

The first 13 wickets fell for 228 runs to start the 100th test match played at the SCG.

After Khan removed Dave Warner (8) and Shaun Marsh (0) to have Australia reeling at 8-2 and then trapped Ed Cowan (16) lbw with the total at 37, the experience of Ponting and Clarke seized control.

The Indians may yet contrive a win or avoid defeat in this second of four tests to keep alive their hopes of a first series win down under.

But as things stand, their "final frontier" looks more distant than Tendulkar's next ton.

- AAP