Today Sachin Tendulkar turns 50-greatest batsmen ever?

[Harsh Thakor]

Today, the sporting world celebrates the 50th birth day of Sachin Tendulkar,who arrived on this earth in 1973.Sachin Tendulkar is probably the most iconic sportsman in Indian history, let alone cricketer. No adjective can do justice to his sheer impact or influence n the game or the weight of his very presence. Tendulkar virtually defined a new generation, epoch or era in the game. Hard to visualise a more charismatic cricketer who pulled crowds in the manner of a magnet. Sachin was like a voice of millions of people of India. Rarely has any sportsman been a great cynosure in the eyes of the public or borne the entire pulse of the nation.

Standing at a diminutive height at around 5feet 4 inches, Sachin joined the club of batsmen with minimal height like Bradman,Kanhai, Gavaskar and Harvey. Never in cricket history did anyone perform so outstandingly from such a young age. From his very baptism at the tender age of fifteen, Sachin revealed his power of genius.

Tendulkar is arguably the most complete of all batsmen. posessing every component of perfection. He blended, technical correctness, ability to improvise and explosive power, in the manner not more than 2-3batsmen ever did, in cricket history. Sachin was reminiscent of batting connoisseur, blending the methodology of an engineer, with the imagination of a composer. A stroke of Sachin was like an embodiment or manifestation of perfection. –a medley of perfect grammar with creativity at a superlative height.

In a 2003 World cup game at Centurion park Tendulkar scored 98 of amere 75 deliveries, against Pakistan, which scaled batting perfection or virtuosity , to realms possibly not traversed in a world cup. The manner he took Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar to shreds, was like witnessing one of sport’s spectacles or an orchestra, virtually composing strokes. His shots of single over scoring 18 runs of Shoaib Akhtar could be preserved in a museum, taking batting art or inventiveness to realms rarely transcended. He first upper cut a short rising ball over his shoulders ball over the fence at backward point, then turned a ball through backward square leg, and then with a mere forward defence touch caressed a delivery through mid-on to race towards the boundary.Tendulkar went on to mercilessly drive Wasim Akram to penetrate the gap through extra cover for four after just executing another upper cut of rising ball of Waqar Younus, to send the ball reeling over the fence. Quoting cricket writer Henry Blofeld “Tendulkar took the art of batting to a pinnacle beyond which no batsmen in the history of the game had ever climbed.”

 

Flaws and Impact on wins

The main flaw in Tendulkar’s career was that he was not as impactful or productive in International wins, in the manner of Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Inzamam Ul Haq or Ricky Ponting.Notable that at his best Sachin did not sculpt wins like the greatest of batsmen. When Indian cricket embezzled itself to glory in test cricket with wins between 2003-04 to 2006, with wins in Australia, Pakistan and West Indies the main architects were Sehwag,Dravid and Laxman.Tendulkar’s batting at best did not win India  a world cup in 1996 or 2003.Sachin often did not deliver the knockout punch to opponents like Viv ,Lara or Inzamam.It is surprising inspite of possessing temperament in scales the very greatest have not traversed ,Sachin did not come to the party, to take India across the line. When scaling personal milestones, he hardly secured wins for India. Significant that most of his classic knocks did not win tests for India .In ODI’s, in the inverse, his best innings secured crucial wins.

Sachin also at times floundered against bouncers or short pitched bowling, unlike Viv Richards or Sunil Gavaskar.

Tendulkar was not at his best in 4^th innings, in the manner of Sunil Gavaskar ,Viv Richards or Brian Lara, averaging around 36 runs.

In peak periods he did not equal the statistical domination of Brian Lara. or Ricky Ponting, in scale of superiority over peers.

Arguably in a crisis Tendulkar did not equal the tenacity of Rahul David or Steve Waugh in his day.

Possibly in the latter part of his career by curtailing or inhibiting his stroke making we did not witness the best of Tendulkar,in the manner of Viv Richards or Gary Sobers in their last years.

As a skipper he never proved himself, relinquishing his post after a very short tenure. Twice Possibly he was not tested sufficiently of given ample opportunity, with his great game sense.

Tendulkar also did not leave Indian cricket as a fortified force capable of turning it into an empire. When appointed skipper he was unable to perform at his best, and failed to knit a bunch of talented individuals together, into a cohesive unit.

Still one must note that Tendulkar barely received any support at his best; singlehandedly carrying the mantle of India’s batting on is shoulders for around a decade. It is praiseworthy that in India’s wins Tendulkar averaged 61.93, aggregating 5946 runs, with 20 centuries. Tendulkar won India test series at home against England, and Australia, as well as test in England in and West Indies in 2002 at his peak .If he had received support of other players in his heydaylike Viv Richards or Greg Chappell, possibly he would have scripted many more wins. One should weigh the impact of Sachin’s mere presence in the Indian team, when it triumphed, which is comparable with the very best. Possibly no batsmen more as much pressure as Tendulkar.I would also like to mention that inspite of his not being man of the match Sachin’s very presence played an instrumental role in India’s world cup triumph in 2011.His quarter final 90,was a sheer masterpiece. In ODI’s Tendulkar averaged 56.63 in games won which is remarkable, and scored 33 centuries.

We saw two Sachin’s in his career. One was the cavalier batsmen who set out to conquer any delivery, till 2003. The other was the calculated and restrained  Sachin .In the 2^nd period it is notable that Tendulkar was not the architect of famous Indian test wins like Virendra Sehwag,VVS Laxman  or Rahul Dravid.Still he did play the role of a fulcrum to India, with his presence making all the difference.

I am startled and not a single Tendulkar test match innings found a place in the Wisden best 100.  I could name atleast3 Tendulkar knocks that could rank alongside the best ever in test cricket. Possibly the reason they were excluded were that they did not win games.

 

 

Comparison with greats

Tendulkar did not eclipse the sheer pulverising or domination of Viv Richards and Virendra Sehwag, or the wizardry of Brian Lara.Both, marginally possessed more natural talent or genius. Yet, Sachin  was more clinical or consistently productive than any of them, and was capable of inventing strokes of his very own.Sachin did not have wristwork of a Gundappa Vishwanath or VVS Laxman,but flourished more than any batsmen when driving. He was capable of punishing the very best of deliveries with mastery almost unequalled.

 

 

 I would rate Sachin Tendulkar as an outstanding batsmen on bad wickets, close to the very best ever. In terms of pure game or perfection I place Tendulkar at the top of the pedestal with Barry Richards and Martin Crowe. Technically Sachin was up there with the very greatest, on par with Barry Richards and Len Hutton. Few ever made such a synthesis of the art of batting. To me Tendulkar was a concoction of the technical solidity of Sunil Gavaskar  with the innovation and aggression of Viv RichardS.

Similar to Sunil Gavaskar Tendulkar batted with a low bottom hand grip, and revelled n the straight drive, flicked drive ,and judging a single. Tendulkar’s sheer stillness of the head, balance and straightness of the bat, was a virtual clone of Gavaskar.

To me Tendulkar was a concoction of the technical solidity of Sunil Gavaskar with the innovation and aggression of Viv Richards.

In my view in the history of the game we never witnessed 2 batsmen who dominated or exerted equal influence on the game to the extent of Lara and Tendulkar. Arguably, they comprised the most brilliant batting pair in a single period, in cricket history. Lara at his best played top pace and spin with greater composure and conviction than Tendulkar,but Sachin was as much a genius in his own right. In test cricket, even a whisker may not separate them, with morally, a dead heat, the fairest verdict. Lara was the ultimate genius,Sachin  the ultimate master.

Noteworthy that Brian Lara overshadowed Tendulkar in peak periods or at his best, but did not equal his rival’s consistency or performances against the best pace bowlers. Lara at best, singlehandedly turned or won more tests, and scored many more mammoth scores. One may regret that Sachin never climbed the peak of the elusive triple century like Sehwag or Lara, or scored at least 3-4 more double centuries. Still Sachin scored test hundreds facing Alan Donald and Dale Steyn, unlike Lara .

In my view unfairly Imran Khan stated that Sachin was not a match-winner selecting Sunil Gavaskar instead, and even Gary Sobers rated Tendulkar below Gavaskar.Some experts claim that Tendulkar did not face pace bowlers of the stature of Gavaskar  or was as successful against them. Whatever credence there maybe to this statement ,one must note that Tendulkar played in an era when ODI cricket was much more rampant and game even more competitive.Sachin tackled bowlers of the stature of Shane Warne,Glen Mcgrath,Wasim Akram,Curtly Ambrose ,Courtney Walsh and Alan Donald who in sum total may have been a more lethal combination than that of any bowlers ever.Tendulkar,unlike  Gavaskar,did not face the fiery Carribean pace quartet, or batted without  a helmet, but still played in arguably more testing and diverse conditions.Gavaskar never played in South Africa with the most testing conditions, where Tendulkar eclipsed every batting star.

Similar to Viv Richards, Steve and Mark Waugh, Tendulkar could be a very effective and intelligent bowler making some of the most crucial a breakthrough, in his playing days. He won India the hero cup in 1993 against South Africa, in the final over.

Where would Tendulkar rank in the pantheon of cricketing greats as batsmen and cricketer? This is a highly debatable question which has an inconclusive answer, with no mathematical calculations deriving a correct verdict. Statistically no batsmen equalled Tendulkars’ combined test and ODI figures or consistency in International cricket overall.


Amongst Indian cricketers I vote Tendulkar as the best ever, even though Kapil Dev won more matches.Gavaskar is a whisker below Sachin ,as he lacked his flair in turning matches, although he tackled genuine pace marginally better than Tendulkar,and was better 4th innings batsmen.Dravid was more consistent in a crisis bid not as skilled when facing top pace or spin ,or as effective in changing the course of match. Virat Kohli is on par with Sachin in ODI’s but has not matched his consistency in test cricket. Still I must mention that Tendulkar in my opinion, did not equal the sheer concentration or tenacity of f Gavaskar and Dravid.

Former South African pace bowler Alan Donald ranks Tendulkar as the best batsmen he ever bowled to as well as Shane Warne, the greatest spinner of all time. Pakistani bowlers like Wasim Akram rated Lara higher by a whisker and even Inzama Ul Haq.Still Waqar younus selected Sachin in his all-time XI, and so did stalwarts like Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Muhammad.
Notable that Don Bradman chose Tendulkar in his all-time team and stated that no one played more like him than Sachin.Tendulkar won 42 votes by cricketers for selection in the all-time test XI. Likes of Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe, Zaheer Abbas, Hanif Mohammad,chose Tendulkar. Others like Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock or Mike Procter reserved selection to players of their own eras, so excluded Sachin.

It is inconclusive whether Tendulkar is a certainty in the all-time XI, and some prefer Lara and Viv. It is also debatable whether Tendulkar is the best batsmen ever ,ahead of even Bradman, let alone Jack Hobbs, and Viv Richards.Tendulkar reached a milestone of 100 International centuries in a more competitive era than Bradman in more diverse conditions, which made late Hanif Mohammad and Richard Hadlee rate Sachin,the best ever batsmen. On the other hand a Lara and Viv may be more effective in an all-time team than Tendulkar,with greater ability to turn complexion.
David Gower rated Tendulkar as the 4th best cricketer ever in his 50 greatest, while Cristopher Martin Jenkins and Geoff Armstrong placed him at 7th and 8th place. Armstrong and Jenkins ranked him behind Bradman, Grace, Sobers, Warne and Hobbs while Gower rated him even ahead of WG Grace and Jack Hobbs


In pure test cricket as batsmen I would place Tendulkar at 4th place, behind only Don Bradman and Jack Hobbs and perhaps a whisker behind Brian Lara. In ODI cricket I rank Sachin behind only Viv Richards as batsmen and in 3rd place behind Viv and Wasim Akram as a cricketer. However combining all forms of the game in International cricket, I would vote for Tendulkar at the very top, edging Viv Richards by a whisker. In my all-time test XI I would select Sachin as an opening batsmen, promoting him from no 4.He would open my all-time ODI XI


In the pantheon of the greatest cricketers overall, I would place Tendulkar at 5th position behind WG Grace, Gary Sobers Jack Hobbs, and Bradman, weighing all factors ,be it impact or influence, technical skill or records. Sachin would eclipse the likes of Shane Warne, Viv Richards and Imran Khan by a whisker. All were better match-winners but didn’t equal Tendulkar’s longevity. Still, I admit it is subjective, and there is no accurate mathematical system. Particularly so when comparing Tendulkar with giants before he War like Jack Hobbs, George Headley ,Walter Hammond or Len Hutton.

Edited April 24, 2023 by Harsh Thakor

[Tillu]

SCG unveils gates named after Tendulkar and Lara.

 

[Real McCoy]

Best wishes to Sachin on his 50th birthday. Wishing him and his family happy and long lives. Inb4 @Laaloo 

[Laaloo]

The GOAT

[putrevus]

Best Compiler of Stats.Due to his playing more matches than anyone else.

Edited April 24, 2023 by putrevus

[Bigg Brother]

The best world has ever seen and will ever see I guess… A certain segment of fans won’t agree but nobody cares about them…

[Majestic]

All hail SRT!

[sarcastic]

Happy bday SRT!

[AuxiliA]

15 hours ago, putrevus said:

Best Compiler of Stats.Due to his playing more matches than anyone else.

 

He was undisputedly the best all format batsman in the 90s. Go check the stats with all the filters you wish.

 

Also played fewer tests during his real prime than his other great contemporaries coz of India being a mediocre team back then. 

 

Made a remarkable comeback during his twilight years (2007-10) when most people thought he was done. 

 

No batter in history has such record in both Tests and ODIs against 3 generations of world class bowlers.

 

Playing long doesn't ensure a great record. Just look at Kohli now in tests.

[Austin 3:!6]

Best batsman ever IMO.

 

I laugh when people say, well his stats are due to his longevity as if staying fit and playing close to 3 decades is easy. He has batted in multiple conditions against various generations of bowlers starting from Malcom Marshall all the way to modern bowlers like Tim Southee & Amir. Another astounding thing about Sachin is, even after playing for so long he never had a real dip in form for long like Kohli had without any century for 2.5 years as an example. His batting in 1998 was the best batting I have seen from anyone.

 

Happy Birthday Legend

[Tillu]

West stand at the Sharjah cricket stadium named after Sachin Tendulkar

 

To coincide with the 50th birthday of Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, the West Stand at the iconic Sharjah cricket stadium was renamed the Sachin Tendulkar Stand in a special ceremony in Sharjah on Monday.
 

 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/west-stand-at-the-sharjah-cricket-stadium-named-after-sachin-tendulkar/articleshow/99739850.cms

[putrevus]

5 hours ago, AuxiliA said:

 

He was undisputedly the best all format batsman in the 90s. Go check the stats with all the filters you wish.

 

Also played fewer tests during his real prime than his other great contemporaries coz of India being a mediocre team back then. 

 

Made a remarkable comeback during his twilight years (2007-10) when most people thought he was done. 

 

No batter in history has such record in both Tests and ODIs against 3 generations of world class bowlers.

 

Playing long doesn't ensure a great record. Just look at Kohli now in tests.

Why do people keep talking about his prime only as if it was someone else who played for next 12 years.He retired in 2012.

 

Ponting prime peak five years was 100 times better in tests than Tendulkar 90s stats. You also can put any filters too So does it make Ponting better batsman.There is reason why Tendulkar never reach 900 rating in any format.

 

Tendulkar was nothing but steady eddy  and compiler of stats.

[singhvivek141]

1 hour ago, putrevus said:

Why do people keep talking about his prime only as if it was someone else who played for next 12 years.He retired in 2012.

 

Ponting prime peak five years was 100 times better in tests than Tendulkar 90s stats. You also can put any filters too So does it make Ponting better batsman.There is reason why Tendulkar never reach 900 rating in any format.

 

Tendulkar was nothing but steady eddy  and compiler of stats.

Sachin had multiple peaks.....he was far from a compiler of stats given his SR was much higher in ODI's than likes of Lara and Ponting who were considered more aggressive than him.
Not to mention, Sachin's average was above 45 is almost all countries (talking on tests) except Zimbabwe where he played grand total of 4 tests.
In comparison, Ponting played 14 tests in India and had an average of only 26 in India.

Sachin was an epitome of consistency, except for his last couple of years and the year due to tennis elbow. Sachin was consistent and a performer for 20 odd years. 

[Vijy]

1 hour ago, putrevus said:

Why do people keep talking about his prime only as if it was someone else who played for next 12 years.He retired in 2012.

 

Ponting prime peak five years was 100 times better in tests than Tendulkar 90s stats. You also can put any filters too So does it make Ponting better batsman.There is reason why Tendulkar never reach 900 rating in any format.

 

Tendulkar was nothing but steady eddy  and compiler of stats.

Stop spouting your bile... even if you want to criticize him, there is no need to be hyperbolic about it especially on a thread that is presumably meant to celebrate his achievements

 

Even if I rate SRT higher than Kohli, I would not say he is 100 times better than Kohli. the differences between any top players are marginal.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Vijy

[putrevus]

35 minutes ago, singhvivek141 said:

Sachin had multiple peaks.....he was far from a compiler of stats given his SR was much higher in ODI's than likes of Lara and Ponting who were considered more aggressive than him.
Not to mention, Sachin's average was above 45 is almost all countries (talking on tests) except Zimbabwe where he played grand total of 4 tests.
In comparison, Ponting played 14 tests in India and had an average of only 26 in India.

Sachin was an epitome of consistency, except for his last couple of years and the year due to tennis elbow. Sachin was consistent and a performer for 20 odd years. 

I don't think so, he was purest complier of stats . He was a good compiler but his stats are due to his longetivity.

 

 

I never said Ponting was better than Sachin. 

 

You keep playing for 200 tests as a complier , you will end up with good stats.

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by putrevus

[putrevus]

9 minutes ago, Vijy said:

Stop spouting your bile... even if you want to criticize him, there is no need to be hyperbolic about it especially on a thread that is presumably meant to celebrate his achievements

 

Even if I rate SRT higher than Kohli, I would not say he is 100 times better than Kohli. the differences between any top players are marginal.

STFU. if you don't like my comment don't reply.

 

 

Did I mention Kohli anywhere, what is wrong with you, why are you dragging Kohli's name here .

[singhvivek141]

43 minutes ago, putrevus said:

I don't think so, he was purest complier of stats . He was a good compiler but his stats are due to his longetivity.

 

 

I never said Ponting was better than Sachin. 

 

You keep playing for 200 tests as a complier , you will end up with good stats.

 

What is a compiler ? a stat-padder ... who thinks about personal glory ?

 

[wanted_desi]

I think with all the talent he had, he underachieved. It could be due to injuries he faced in middle of his career. 

[bowl_out]

GOAT batsman

Brought fearlessness and self-belief into Indian batting, and showed what winning single handedly means

[cricketfan28]

Will be in the top 10 for eternity.