Sachin Tendulkar is a great batsman but to suggest he is the best ever is demeaning to those former greats who survived the bodyline series and stood at the crease without any modern-day safety gears, feels former England skipper Mike Atherton.
To suggest that Tendulkar — or, indeed, any modern, armoured or, to use (Viv) Richards’s phrase, “pampered” player — is the best ever is demeaning to those former greats who stood at the crease in the knowledge that their next ball could be their last,” Artherton wrote in The Times.
Atherton feels modern-day protections have made life easier for current batsmen compared to those of the yesteryears and so it remains to be seen how Tendulkar’s career would have shaped up if these gears were not available.
“Images of Tendulkar have adorned newspapers and websites throughout the week. Images, mostly, of the ‘Little Master’ at the crease, compact and balanced. So compact and balanced, in fact, that Bradman said Tendulkar was the modern player whose method most closely resembled his own.
“There was, though, one crucial difference, which the image of Tendulkar on these pages on Monday highlighted. Perched on top of Tendulkar’s head … was a bright blue helmet and a grille to protect his features.
“Tendulkar was batting in a One-Day game, but had the image been of him batting in whites, there is a good chance that, along with a helmet, Tendulkar would have been wearing an arm guard and a chest guard, too. He is always amply protected,” he wrote.
“Which is not to say that Tendulkar lacks bravery. Indeed, he proved his ‘manhood’ in his first Test series when Waqar Younis bloodied his nose and Tendulkar refused treatment and carried on batting,” Atherton said.
May 6, 2010 at 5:10 am
Sachin Tendulkar is the Master Blaster who loves to play with the great spirit. His shots are amazing and he had the best technique to bat against the fast bowlers.
May 12, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Sachin Tendulkar is one of the best Batsman India had ever Produced. He is having excellent talent to bat gainst any team. He is the first batsman to score the Double century in the world.
May 20, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Little master is best right through his career has maintained a clean and good reputation throughout his whole life and never came in limelight.
His career say as his batting always proved himself at every stage he played and became today’s most dominent player and highest run maker in the the today’s history
August 4, 2010 at 3:13 pm
I am also the Fan of the Sachin Tendulkar a great man with the short height but the its record is much bigger.Now he makes new record of playing the highest match in Srilanka..
August 10, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Sachin Tendulkar the child with short height who had stater it’s career at the younger age.Now it become the god of Cricket we can’t think Indian team without it’s names and what an huge record he had created.