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With Sachin Tendulkar tantilisingly close to a 100 international centuries which will never be matched, there’s a growing band of cricket scribes, and cricket-lovers, trumpeting him as the greatest batsman of all time.
On the score of run-getting there’s absolutely no argument. “The Little Master’s” 15,409 Test runs is a binocular distance ahead of compatriot Rahul Dravid’s 13,206, Australian Ricky Ponting’s 12,912, and South African Jacques Kallis’ 12,260, and there’s more in store for all four.
But on the score of consistency it’s “The Don”, and daylight.
What must be kept in mind is Sir Donald Bradman batted 80 times with 10 not outs, Tendulkar 307 times, for 32 not outs.
If Sir Donald’s career average of 99.94 to Tendulkar’s 56.02 isn’t proof enough of who was the greater batsman, try the conversion rate of Test tons to dismissals.
Sir Donald posted a Test century every 2.41 innings, Tendulkar every 5.39. That’s comprehensively conclusive, Tendulkar has needed more than twice the number of visits to the crease to achieve the same result.
Triple centuries: Sir Donald (2) – 334 and 304; Tendulkar – none.
Double centuries: Sir Donald (10) – 299*, 270, 254, 244, 234, 232, 226, 223, 212, and 201; Tendulkar (6) – 248*, 241*, 217, 214, 202, and 201*.
Single centuries: Sir Donald 17 – Tendulkar 45, due entirely to the extra 205 innings he has batted.
But there’s a rarely used criteria that slams the door shut on who is the greatest batsman of all time.
* Fastest in history:
The first to reach 1,000 Test runs – Sir Donald 13 digs, Tendulkar 28. Sir Jack Hobbs and Everton Weekes were the fastest with 12.
The 2,000 mark – Sir Donald 22*, Tendulkar 44.
The 3,000 – Sir Donald 33*, Tendulkar 67.
The 4,000 – Sir Donald 48*, Tendulkar 86.
The 5,000 – Sir Donald 56*, Tendulkar 103.
And the 6,000 – Sir Donald 68*, Tendulkar 120.
Let’s leave the final word to Sachin Tendulkar.
“Anyone would want to play like Sir Donald, he was completely at a different level”.