We underplay our ODI greats

[CoverDrive]

Top of the ODI century lists has Kohli, Sachin and Rohit. When it comes to ODIs others are not even in the discussion. Our tendency is to keep shifting goal posts and underplay their achievements. I am not saying to worship them without questioning or behave like stupid fans. But numbers and achievements over huge period of time is unquestionable. 
 

We bring selective knockout games or failures that are inevitable in such a long career. People will then bring other formats as if it should matter beyond a point. 

All three did not fill up empty stats and have stepped up big in world cups. 
 

Sachin vs Lara was made to be an even comparison and maybe it was true a little bit in tests but it was not even a contest in ODIs on any metric or even impact or winning contribution. 
 

Kohli has more centuries than other Big 3 combined and even Rohit has more than two of them added. 
 

Last resort is to downplay the 100s by nonsense team game blah blah. I can assure you can pick any impact stats like winning contribution etc and they will be better. 
 

With format becoming less important by every season they will remain greats. 
 

There is lot to criticize these guys in the way they hang on and they have definitely have been dropped a lot more from the team at times. But let’s not be stupid and fall prey to jealousy from the opponents. 
 

Even a down bad and out of touch Kohli kicked their sorry asses. 

[deathmonger]

Tbh Kohli, Rohit, Sachin all have decent number of ICC trophies as well. Much more than Lara, ABDV etc. It's just the great Aussie teams that have more.

 

Kind of like Lebron tbh. Decent number of NBA championships but slightly inferior players on better teams have more/same (Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, Curry)

[Chamsi]

One time, people say player worship has to stop. Then, people say youngsters should play. Then, ICT doesn't play youngsters and the has-beens do well on a nothing pitch. People worship the has-beens again! The has-beens get exposed in a KO against SENA and the cycle repeats.

Edited February 24, 2025 by Chamsi

[Chakdephatte]

Has he got runs in last 10 ODIs?

Last 20 ODIs? 

Last 30 ODIs? 

 

Was he ever out of form? Hardly played after World Cup, and he just had a 700 run world cup. I mean, what exactly is the issue people have with this team? We do have superior players though, not denying it. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

We don't underplay.

They do overstay.

[Chakdephatte]

6 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

We don't underplay.

They do overstay.

Can be generalized to everyone, not just Indian star batsmen. And there are examples who quitted at the right time; Raina, Sachin, Shikhar, Kapil (34). 

[Lord]

3 hours ago, Chakdephatte said:

Can be generalized to everyone, not just Indian star batsmen. And there are examples who quitted at the right time; Raina, Sachin, Shikhar, Kapil (34). 

and those are loved

[singhvivek141]

9 hours ago, Chakdephatte said:

Can be generalized to everyone, not just Indian star batsmen. And there are examples who quitted at the right time; Raina, Sachin, Shikhar, Kapil (34). 

Kapil was forced to retire..he wanted to play 1996 ODI WC but his performed was not upto the mark and he was blocking Srinath's place into the team. 

 

Shikhar too wasn't getting many opportunities Post covid and was used as a filler for the B/C teams which we were sending against smaller teams.

 

Raina retired on the right time, but he too was out of favour from the team and Kedar Jadhav was the preferred choice.

 

Sachin overstayed for atleast 1.5 years. 2011 WC was the right time to call off.

 

Ones who retired on right time were Dravid, Srinath, Nehra, Zaheer, Kumble.

[Gollum]

Why deny the chance to Jaiswal? He too could become a great in few years time.

[deathmonger]

19 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Why deny the chance to Jaiswal? He too could become a great in few years time.

Jaiswal Gill will be great.

 

Rohit has retired from T20s and dropped from tests likely.

 

Go on a series by series basis with him. Moment his form drops, remove him. Ideally I'd like him to win this CT and retire but don't think he will by himself.

[jf1gp_1]

Please start watching star sports shows listen to Indian commentary . If we underplay our greats then i guess we need another season of super v . 

[Muloghonto]

in decades of following cricket, this is first time i have EVER heard anyone say that India underplayed Sachin in ODIs.

Lmao.

man literally got back injury being bowler in ODIs as Sachu = one of the best ODI 5th bowlers India has ever produced who is not an out-n-out allrounder.

IIRC man played like 30+ ODIs per year in some of the years in the 90s...thats...crazy amount of ODIs.

Infact one can say that Sachin would've had 18K runs easily if he played same amount of TEST cricket in the 90s as Lara or Waugh did - who IIRC played like 20-30 MORE tests in the 90s alone, despite Lara not even playing full of the 90s ( he debuted in 91 or 92 in tests IIRC).

 

 

[Muloghonto]

On 2/24/2025 at 8:31 PM, singhvivek141 said:

Kapil was forced to retire..he wanted to play 1996 ODI WC but his performed was not upto the mark and he was blocking Srinath's place into the team. 

 

Shikhar too wasn't getting many opportunities Post covid and was used as a filler for the B/C teams which we were sending against smaller teams.

 

Raina retired on the right time, but he too was out of favour from the team and Kedar Jadhav was the preferred choice.

 

Sachin overstayed for atleast 1.5 years. 2011 WC was the right time to call off.

 

Ones who retired on right time were Dravid, Srinath, Nehra, Zaheer, Kumble.

 

My memory of the early 90s is rusty, but back then, Kapil is not blocking Srinath. He is in competition with Prabhakar for the final allrounder spot and both were seen as similar capacity bowlers near the end, with Manoj being a more 'solid tuk tuk' batsman who could play up the order and got preference over Kapil.

 

[Lord]

No we don't atleast with modern greats

 

Modern ODI cricket is all about ICC tournaments. We are yet to win one in a decade despite better bowling attack ever in our history.

 

Guys like Sachin also used to bowl making our side balanced but these superstars can't be bothered which has *ed our balance big time. 

[putrevus]

Who said Modern odis is all about ICC tournaments. 

 

With guy like Sachin, India did not even qualify for semifinals in 1992, 1999, 2007. 

 

Kohli and Rohit have taken India to to knockouts in every 50 over ICC tournament. They just did not get any help from their ace bowler or ace spinner.

 

Kohli and Rohit were just unlucky not to win more 50 over tournaments. 

 

Nor did they have operation dessert storms or natwest trophies where guy like Ganguly would be waxing poetic and milking his win for decades for beating a putrid English team.

 

Edited March 1, 2025 by putrevus

[singhvivek141]

56 minutes ago, putrevus said:

Who said Modern odis is all about ICC tournaments. 

 

With guy like Sachin, India did not even qualify for semifinals in 1992, 1999, 2007. 

 

Kohli and Rohit have taken India to to knockouts in every 50 over ICC tournament. They just did not get any help from their ace bowler or ace spinner.

 

Kohli and Rohit were just unlucky not to win more 50 over tournaments. 

 

Nor did they have operation dessert storms or natwest trophies where guy like Ganguly would be waxing poetic and milking his win for decades for beating a putrid English team.

 

Even India was a putrid team in those days bro.

I am not sure how old are you, but someone who has followed cricket in 90's. Sachin was the sole performer for us in ODI's.

 

Things started to change when Ganguly arrived, but he was a slow starter...hence Sachin had to be the aggressor right from the ball one.

 

It's only when Sehwag & Yuvraj arrived, Sachin got liberty to take his time and get along. But at that time Australia was on a different planet in terms of skill.

 

Australia has won WC in 1999, 2003, 2007. All 3 coincided with Sachins era, coz Australia had match winners in all 3 departments.

 

 

[putrevus]

32 minutes ago, singhvivek141 said:

Even India was a putrid team in those days bro.

I am not sure how old are you, but someone who has followed cricket in 90's. Sachin was the sole performer for us in ODI's.

 

Things started to change when Ganguly arrived, but he was a slow starter...hence Sachin had to be the aggressor right from the ball one.

 

It's only when Sehwag & Yuvraj arrived, Sachin got liberty to take his time and get along. But at that time Australia was on a different planet in terms of skill.

 

Australia has won WC in 1999, 2003, 2007. All 3 coincided with Sachins era, coz Australia had match winners in all 3 departments.

 

 

India did not semis in 1999 or reach super sixes in 2007.So Australia being strong does not make any sense.

 

I am also 90s kid and I watched Sachin all my life from his debut.

 

2003 India had more talent than Australia. Srinath and Zak were nervous wrecks with Ganguly who choose to field just based on their group match result.We cannot blame batsmen for that loss.Match was over after first 50 overs.

 

Even with Sehwag, Yuvi and Dhoni they lost to both Bangladesh and SL in 2007.

 

No Sachin was never as good as Kohli in odis nor any other batsman other than Sachin and Kohli as good as Rohit in odis. Plus the burden these two have carried in odis is unmatched for duo.

 

IMHO Ganguly gets lot of publicity for doing very little.He inherited a lot better balanced teams than the current ones. India won world cup in 1983 and repeated in WCC 1985 then won test series in England in 1986, should have won in Australia in 1985 if not for rain.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2025 by putrevus

[Number]

6 hours ago, Lord said:

No we don't atleast with modern greats

 

Modern ODI cricket is all about ICC tournaments. We are yet to win one in a decade despite better bowling attack ever in our history.

 

Guys like Sachin also used to bowl making our side balanced but these superstars can't be bothered which has *ed our balance big time. 

Also our players earn 50x more than players with similar averages and better s/rs (ABDV, Head etc.), so can't say we under"sell" them.

[goose]

greatness is an emotion. a lot of stat gurus that either werent there or outsource their feelings to others like to split sachin's career into ODIs and tests. when desert storm was going on not a single soul was saying ah yes but what about tests. it was all lumped together and quite right too.

[Muloghonto]

4 hours ago, putrevus said:

India did not semis in 1999 or reach super sixes in 2007.So Australia being strong does not make any sense.

 

I am also 90s kid and I watched Sachin all my life from his debut.

 

2003 India had more talent than Australia. Srinath and Zak were nervous wrecks with Ganguly who choose to field just based on their group match result.We cannot blame batsmen for that loss.Match was over after first 50 overs.

 

Even with Sehwag, Yuvi and Dhoni they lost to both Bangladesh and SL in 2007.

 

No Sachin was never as good as Kohli in odis nor any other batsman other than Sachin and Kohli as good as Rohit in odis. Plus the burden these two have carried in odis is unmatched for duo.

 

IMHO Ganguly gets lot of publicity for doing very little.He inherited a lot better balanced teams than the current ones. India won world cup in 1983 and repeated in WCC 1985 then won test series in England in 1986, should have won in Australia in 1985 if not for rain.

 

 

you never watched Sachin if you think the most destructive AND the most consistent elite batsman in all format of the 90s was steady eddy.  This is the period when we had like 4-5 batsmen average 50+ in tests and 4-5 batsmen exist who scored centuries at 75-80 strike rate. Meaning if they got going they'd wreck u, not go tuk tuk for a big score.
Sachin was the exponent of BOTH - highest average AND highest strike rate for batters of 90s with 50+ average. Yet you call him steady-eddy.

This means you are BORN in the 90s, you didnt watch tendy in the 90s, you probably watched him in the early mid-2000s and saw bunch of tapes of him or highlights from the 90s.

Else a 90s era cricket watcher has to suffer from alzhiemers to think Tendy = steady eddy.