It was a day when Rohit Sharma became only the fifth player to bring up three figures in his first two Test innings, Cheteshwar Pujara top-scored with 113, and India took firm control of the second Test against West Indies – reducing them to 43 for 3 with 270 still needed to force India to bat again.

But it was still Sachin Tendulkar who set pulses racing.

The morning session at a Wankhede Stadium was packed to capacity as the Test provided drama of the highest quality.

From the moment Tendulkar walked down the dressing-room steps and on to the field, it was impossible to take eyes off him.

The 38 fluent runs he made in the dying light on the first day lit the fire of expectation, and the flame burned bright on the second morning.

His first act came when Pujara took a single off the fourth ball and was cheered mightily for handing the strike to the man everyone had come to watch.

Tendulkar began with an assured forward defensive shot off Tino Best, who seemed desperate to pick up the prize wicket and become a part of folklore.

Shane Shillingford helped get the blood circulating, dropping short enough for Tendulkar to cut through point.

A fine sweep off the next ball confirmed his intention to play positively. There were more signs of this, as Tendukar twice attempted uppercuts off the increasingly excitable Best, without making contact.

When the ball did brush something, it was the sleeve of Tendulkar’s shirt. Best believed he had his man, but Richard Kettleborough – who, coincidentally, spent hours bowling to Tendulkar at the Yorkshire nets when they were both teenagers – rightly called not out.

It was with a more orthodox and serene shot that Tendulkar brought up his half-century, presenting the full face of the bat and driving Best down the ground for a boundary.

Even as 32,000 Tendulkar faithful went berserk, he acknowledged the relieved applause in the grandstand where his family were seated, before giving thanks to the rest of the ground.

Pujara, who played his role to perfection, protecting the partnership and adding risk-free runs, might have glanced at the giant screen on the ground in the 47th over.

Had he done so, he would have noticed that Arjun Tendulkar, one of the few Mumbai junior cricketers not put on ball-boy duty on the first day, was at his station, in whites.

How often does a ballboy get to do his job while daddy bats out in the middle in a Test?

Soon after, a break for drinks and a change of bowling to the part-time offbreaks of Narsingh Deonarine combined to stun the crowd into silence.

Tendulkar, having added 36 to his overnight score, was on 74, with nine fours, and the temptation to add a 10th proved his undoing.

Opening the face of the bat to half-steer, half-cut Deonarine, Tendulkar managed only a thick edge to slip, where Darren Sammy took a sharp catch in front of his face.

As Tendulkar walked back from the middle, there was the sense this might be his last innings in cricket, and he took a moment to soak in the atmosphere and acknowledge the love that came his way.

Pujara, who had the best seat in the house for watching Tendulkar’s last act, said: “I would say Sachin’s innings was the best because he was playing his last game and it is not easy to focus.

“There was a lot of expectation, with him playing at home. It was good on the part of the crowd to support him as they did, but it did add to the nervousness, making it more difficult to concentrate.

“That’s why I rate Sachin’s innings the best of the match.”

Pujara said Tendulkar had helped him in the nets before the game, with specific technical inputs regarding his stride length and the position of his right shoulder.

“From the time I started playing, I’ve noticed the impact Sachin has had with the youngsters, not just me,” he said. “He has guided us constantly, and his inputs have helped us become better players.

“It was disappointing, but the way he batted, it was amazing to see him score those runs. I think he is always in form and the way he bats, it is always a pleasure to watch.

“He is always determined to score, and that determination has not changed from his first Test to his last. There are many things to learn from Sachin.”

Virat Kohli walked out to chants of “Sa-chin! Sa-chin!” He smacked the first ball he faced for four, as though reminding people that a Test match was still on.

Kohli toyed with the bowling, racing along at better than a run a ball, while Pujara brought up his hundred. Kohli (57) slowed down briefly and fell to Shillingford as India went from 313 for three to 365 for six.

Ashwin stemmed the rot, but another wobble meant that Mohammed Shami, the No 11, walked to the middle with 415 on the board.

Rohit, batting quite beautifully, was on 46 and richly deserved to get to a half-century.

Little did West Indies anticipate that Rohit, the Mumbai boy in only his second Test, would farm the strike so magnificently that the 50-run stand that ensued would include just one run from Shami.

Using the depth of the crease to great effect and picking the moment to play the big shot to perfection, Rohit roared to his second Test hundred in as many innings, following in the footsteps of Lawrence Rowe, Alvin Kallicharan, Sourav Ganguly and Yasir Hameed.

When the Indian innings finally ended on 495, the lead had swollen to 313, and West Indies did their best to fold a second time.

A rash of poor thinking reduced them to 43 for 3, and they were in serious danger of repeating their disappointing Kolkata performance, which allowed Tendulkar only one innings, in which he scored 10 runs, and deprived spectators of two days’ play.

Anand Vasu is managing editor of Wisden India.

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