Tendulkar now has highest tally in current series

NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar Wednesday emerged as the leading run-getter on either side in India's ongoing Test series against Australia with a fine 71 to help his team to 297 for six wickets on the opening day of the third Test here.

Tendulkar's knock (128 balls, 9x4s) at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) ground took his tally to 314 runs at 78.50 in five innings. He has now overtaken Australia's Matthew Hayden (307) and Andrew Symonds (302).

Tendulkar, 34, established several other milestones before apparently receiving a doubtful leg-before decision from the umpire as television replays indicated that the ball might have sailed over the stumps.

His knock of 71 was his second best score at the WACA. His highest is 114, made off 161 balls in February 1992.

When he reached 71, Sachin (190 at an average of 63.33 in three innings) emulated Mohinder Amarnath's tally of 190 (average 95.00) in the 1977-78 Perth Test. Both now share the Indian record for most runs at WACA.

With this knock, Tendulkar became the first ever batsman to record fifty 50-plus innings away from home -- 22 centuries and 28 fifties in 132 innings. His 49th half-century in Tests is his ninth against Australia. He also became the first Indian to register ten 50-plus innings in Australia (5 centuries and five half-centuries).

Tendulkar has amassed 1,343 runs at an average of 58.39 in 15 Tests in Australia, including five centuries.