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Sachin, the legend, marches on

Abhishek Nandwani | Cricketnext.com

Posted on Oct 07, 2010 at 11:02

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New Delhi: "Before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to Sachin Tendulkar,the player himself has to have a good long look in the mirror and decide what he's trying to achieve in the game," this statement by former Australian captain Ian Chappell was fittingly replied to by Tendulkar who bagged the ICC Cricketer of the Year award on Wednesday night.

Ian Chappell made this statement after a disastrous show by the Indians and by Sachin Tendulkar in the 2007 World Cup when India made a shocking first-round exit from the mega event. Fingers were pointed on Tendulkar’s performance and on his future. But the batsman remained quiet and continued to do what he does best - scoring runs! Ever since that ignominious exit, the master has been in tremendous form in in all the formats of the game.

In 170 Test appearances, Tendulkar boasts of a staggering 48 centuries and 57 half-centuries and is just 27 runs shy of becoming the first batsman ever to score 14,000 Test runs. For all those Tendulkar critics, who thought of him to be fading into the twilight of his career, he had given them quite some food for thought. Maybe, it’s time edit their opinion about the master.

And when it comes to ODIs, in 442 matches, he has astonishing figures of 17,598 runs at an average of 45.12. There is no other current player who is anywhere near Tendulkar’s figures and it looks highly unlikely that anybody ever will be. He broke the 200-run barrier for the first time in the 40-year history of ODI cricket, when he punished the South Africans for 200 not out earlier this year.

Though the master chose not to play the T20 format in Indian colours to give a chance to the younger generation, he showcased his talent in the ultra-limited format in the Indian Premier League (IPL). And when people thought that this format of the game is not suited for him, he came up with some stunning performances in the IPL, leading Mumbai Indians to the final of the league's third edition.

The caliber of this great man was summed up by the greatest batsman to step on a cricket field - Sir Donald Bradman. The Australian believed that Tendulkar’s technique was closest he had seen any batsman play like him. For most players, it can be argued that their stats does not justify the sheer talent and pleasure they have brought to the cricket field; however, Tendulkar is without doubt an exception, who has his feet firmly on the ground while smashing one record after another.

If there was ever a man to step into the shoes of the great Sir Donald Bradman, it has to be none other than India's favourite son, Sachin Tendulkar. (cricketnext)

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