Does he need any kind of introduction? If you are a cricket fan and if you are asked in your sleep who is the god of cricket? The answer without thinking twice would be “Sachin Tendulkar”. One of the best batsman India and the world (most probably) have seen and will ever see.
The question to ask is “Is he really the greatest batsman ever?” With over 13,000 runs in Tests, 47 centuries and over 17,000 runs, 46 centuries in ODI’s he has to be the greatest batsman ever looking at his stats. But has anyone ever tried to see what are Sachin’s second innings stats? Has anyone ever tried to find out how many times has Sachin succeeded in taking India to victory while batting second? Or how many times has Sachin performed under 'pressure' situations? Don’t get me wrong here I am not at all trying to take away the credit from a fantastic player as “Sachin Tendulkar” but aren’t there better players in world cricket than him? Lets take Rahul Dravid for example. 11,000 runs, 29 centuries in Tests and over 10,000 runs, 12 centuries in ODI’s the moment you look at the stats u can figure out that it’s a record of a person who is successful but he cannot be compared to the AURA of a Tendulkar. I might want to add though that sometimes stats don’t give you the entire picture. We all know the number of times Dravid has shored India out of trouble. Again as I said before, I am not trying to say that Rahul Dravid is a greater player then “The GOD”.
Below are some stats that show first & second innings averages of different Indian players in ODI’s since Jan 2005:
(Source: cricinfo.com)
Now let’s compare batsmen in International Cricket:
Below are some stats that show first & second innings averages of different players in ODI’s since Jan 2005:
(Source: cricinfo.com)
As you can see there is a phenomenal drop in the average as soon as the second innings comes into play. He also has the most drop in average when you compare Indian batsmen and International batsmen. Yes you can say he has a major difference because his first innings average is the best compared to other players but we aren’t talking about his first innings. Everyone knows that he is a phenomenal player when it comes to first innings. The entire point is whether is it really right to term him as the “Best batsman ever”.
It’s a thought worth thinking about if you can “not be a Tendulkar fan” for a while and then think. My point is not to take away the glory from him that he has attained in all these years. No one can do that. He has cemented his place and proved himself every time people have raised fingers on him. In fact he didn't need to do the talking as his bat does most of the talking for him. You don’t find players everyday that play for 20 years in world cricket and are termed as “The GOD”. There is no doubt that he is too good when it comes to cricket, when it comes to his batting and he is a fabulous sportsman but the question to ask is as I asked earlier “Is it appropriate to term him the best”?
Published in a website isport.in on Monday 3rd May 2010
About the author:
Kunal Choksi is an automobile enthusiast.
He likes to read, travel and loves automobiles & gadgets.
Email – kunal-choksi@hotmail.com
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