Whenever we talk about greatest batsman of all time then 3 names come in my mind.
1)Bradman
2) Viv Richards
3) Sachin Tendulkar
They can’t be compared because they played in different generations but when people are asked about the greatest player we often choose one as a greatest either because he is their favorite or simply because he is from their country.
If you are an Indian, you either love him or hate him. There is no middle ground. For some, he is the incarnation of the Cricketing God. For others, he is a Human with Clay Feet, especially when it comes to World Cups. When he breaks a record, one camp goes overboard and keeps reminding us that he is God, God & God. When he goes through a lean patch the other camp questions his place in the team and thinks he should retire!
When Sachin came into Indian team at that time the team was having few good batsman but at that time Indian team was not considered as the dominating unit compared to West Indies and Australia despite winning a World Cup.
Sachin made his debut in the International cricket when he was just 16 can you imagine a 16 year old facing fast bowlers like Waqar, Wasim, Marshall, McDermott.
Among Sachin, Dravid, Sangakkara, Lara, Ponting , there were only two players who bowlers feared the most-Lara and Sachin.
After the tour to India and the tri-series in Sharjah- Warne publicly admitted: ”I’ll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six.”
Among all the competitors of Sachin , Sachin was the youngest to start and oldest to retire. If you will ask me to compare Sachin with Ponting, Lara, Dravid, Kallis, Sangakkara then I will compare Sachin only with Lara because the Lara is the classiest batsman and stylish batsman the cricket has ever seen but Sachin is no less he was the first to score 200 in ODI and also the first one to complete 100 hundreds in International Cricket.
Also he has highest runs in ODI and Test which itself tell us about the contribution & dominance of Sachin Tendulkar in International Cricket.
Now comparing Sachin Tendulkar with with past legends Bradman , Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar.
Richards was the most destructive batsman of that time he can hit long sixes and most of the bowlers were scared of bowling to him. But Viv was part of a team that was the dominating force and he didn’t have to face his teammates that had the likes of Marshall, Garner, Holding, Andy Roberts etc. Sunil Gavaskar on the other hand faced the most destructive bowlers of all time and scored 34 hundreds which was a world record. But he couldn’t adapt to ODI format. So Sachin stands out even here.
So according to me Sachin is the greatest player the world has ever seen.Let me finish with few quotes about Sachin Tendulkar that will prove you that he is god of Cricket.
“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives." ~ British broadcasting corporation (BBC).
"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!" ~ Peter Roebuck, Australian journalist.
"The number of innings of his (Tendulkar's) I have been able to sit back and watch, I think he is an amazing player. Look at his stats and records and it's quite incredible for someone to have stayed in the game for 20 years.. He has set benchmarks for guys like me to chase him and get as close as we can. If I had to last 20 years, I would probably be batting in a wheelchair!!"
~ Ricky Ponting, Aussie batsman who once was expected to overhaul Sachin's records.
I'll see god when I die but till then I'll see Sachin. ~ A banner during a match in Sharjah.
"I have seen god. he bats at no.4 for India." ~ Matthew Hayden, former Australian cricketer.
"Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the lord is watching!" ~ A banner in UK.
There are thousands of quotes about Sachin Tendulkar that will prove you that Sachin Tendulkar is god of Cricket.
