Sachin Tendulkar is the number one batsman in the world; the highest run getter in both Test and Limited Overs cricket.
He seemed destined to conquer the Mount Everest of batting from the moment it was said about him as a young player: "Sachin has a gift that comes from above."
However, the last few Test runs had proved elusive until he guided Peter Siddle to deep point and charged through for three. That set off a massive fireworks display as Tendulkar, in typically humble fashion, soaked up the sentiment that flowed freely. It was a fitting ceremony but Tendulkar couldn't afford to become too emotional because India needed a big score from their champion and personally, the 12,000-run barrier also beckoned.
Last word
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Mum-bhai: Sachin Tendulkar stretches his arms at the PCA stadium in Mohali yesterday. pic/suresh kk |
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Brian Lara |
The pair have a lot in common; they are both small in stature, like to dominate bowlers and are match winners. They also differ greatly; one is right-handed the other left, one specialises in firm bottom hand strokes while the other is a wristy player who caresses the ball into gaps.
However, the main point of difference was the way their career paths varied.
Tendulkar has been two batsmen in his time; the young daredevil who took on bowlers with the aim of applying a submission hold and later became a run accumulator who ground the opposition down and just occasionally produced a flash of the old brilliance.
Nothing epitomised the first phase better than his memorable century at Chennai in 1998 when he accepted the Shane Warne challenge. In scoring a sublime 155 he not only prevailed in his private battle with Warne but his exhilarating knock also enabled India to establish superiority over a strong Australian side. By 2004, he'd reached the second stage and in an epic ten-hour struggle at the SCG he remained unconquered on 241 in an innings that was more a tribute to his determination than his batting skill.
On that same ground eleven years before, Lara rocketed to prominence as a world-class batsman. He scored 277 of the most exquisite runs, as he punctured the field with wristy placements made possible by nifty footwork, only to be ambushed by the stupidity of his partner rather than the skill of the bowlers. This innings established Lara's alcoholic-like thirst for big scores.
Rare feat
He, Sir Donald Bradman and Virender Sehwag alone have passed the three hundred-mark twice in Tests.
However, Lara went one better than Bradman in scoring four hundred in probably his greatest batting feat of all; recapturing the record highest Test score a decade after he'd first established the mark. In a tribute to his determination to dominate, Lara played in the same aggressive style from first to last.
However, one should never associate Lara with a batsman who piles up runs for the sake of statistical aesthetics. Lara loved to win and twice in 1998-99 he produced innings that stymied Australia. He scored a double century at Sabina Park that propelled the West Indies to a comprehensive win over a more talented side. He then surpassed that performance in the next Test when he scored an unconquered 153 to guide his team to a one-wicket victory without the assistance of a half-century from a teammate.
There have been numerous glittering performances from both Tendulkar and Lara and you could argue interminably about who was the superior batsman. However, the one thing we do know is that Tendulkar and Lara were the dominant batsmen of their era.
