Sachin Tendulkar had illustrious contemporaries in Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis and others. Yet, he had an aura all his own. Arunabha Sengupta analyses the records of these legends to find out what made Tendulkar stand out among the very best of batsmen.
The modern generation has been lucky enough to witness several great batsmen rule over the twenty two yards with their peerless willows.
Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis — the names are many and monumental. And striding amidst them with an undeniable difference is Sachin Tendulkar.
Indeed Tendulkar has a special place even among all these batting giants. Throughout his 24 year career, he enjoyed a following unmatched in the history of cricket and very seldom witnessed in any other sport.
Cricket following in India is about as far from exact science as possible. The media, perceptions and the lure of the immediate play huge roles in the way heroes are made and villains are branded, sometimes in complete contrast to abilities and performance.
However, is Tendulkar’s endless appeal merely an Indian frenzy? Why is it that in spite of the many peerless batsmen of the era, Sachin Tendulkar is marked as the best of the generation by a majority of the former greats — from Ricky Ponting to Shane Warne, from Graeme Pollock to Sunil Gavaskar?
Listed below is an analysis of the modern age and an attempt to determine what makes Tendulkar stand out among them.
The ICC Rankings analysed
Tendulkar first shot to No1 in the ICC Rankings in November 1994. Through most of the 1990s, he shared the top spot with Brian Lara. Apart from brief spans, he ruled the batting charts till August 2002.
Especially during the period between 1996-2002, Tendulkar ruled the batting world with more runs at a far better average than anyone else in the world. As can be seen from the table, the rival to the batting throne, Brian Lara, was going through a slump during this period.
The era of Tendulkar magnificence — 1996 to 2002 (top run-getters)
And while he dropped a few places due to his tennis-elbow related slump, he managed another dream run from 2007 and regained the top spot in October 2010, managing to remain there until early days of 2011. Apart from the loss of form during the 2005-2006 period he remained at the very top or extremely close.
The period between the first day Tendulkar topped the rankings to the last day he enjoyed as No 1 amounted to 17 years.
This is a very revealing indicator of the great man’s accomplishment and one of the reasons why he is widely rated as next only to Bradman, although statistically there are batsmen with higher averages.
Among all the batsmen in history, only Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman and Garry Sobers have enjoyed such a huge period at the top.
Brian Lara too topped the charts first in 1994, and for the last time in 2005. But his form was far more volatile, reaching dazzling zeniths of batting royalty and spending the punctuating periods scratching for runs in the plebeian planes. Much of the 1996 to 2000 period for the left-handed great was rather ordinary.
When ICC Rankings are computed for the heroes of the past, we see Sunil Gavaskar enjoying a much shorter peak between 1978 and 1981. Viv Richards, in contrast, had a longer run, peaking for the first time in 1976 and for the last time in 1988.
To put things in perspective, we find Ricky Ponting ruling the world between 2002 and 2006, Rahul Dravid hovering near the top during the same period. Jacques Kallis has topped periodically between 2004 to 2006 and was very near the top in 2011-12.
But, none of the modern greats can match Tendulkar in this one aspect – prolonged sojourn at the summit of batsmanship.
That is one of the reasons why Tendulkar appeals to a relative old-timer from the early 1990s as well as to the modern day follower of the game.
The career graphs
If we look in some detail at the figures of the modern day batsmen who have amassed mountains of runs at gargantuan averages, the story told by the ICC Rankings is underlined yet again.
Below, we have carried out a systematic study of how the careers of the best batsmen of the modern era progressed with by computing their progressive ten-Test match averages. We have traced their running current form (average for the past 10 Tests), from the tenth Test they played to the very last of their careers.
The graphs below trace the careers of the batsmen Test match by Test match, and the path traversed by each batsman is placed alongside Sachin Tendulkar to compare and contrast. The horizontal axis denotes the number Test matches played. The vertical axis shows the current form at the time of playing that Test — the corresponding batting average of the last 10 Tests.
The first graph shows us Tendulkar’s batting career pictorially, how his numbers progressed from the point of view of a ten Test moving average. The shaded area in each graph denotes the zone of greatness, batting average crossing into the high fifties and beyond. We find that he had his first peak in the period 1996-2002, and the second during 2007-2011, with one major trough due to his tennis-elbow problems in 2005-2006.
Next, we place the batting graphs of major contemporary batsmen next to Tendulkar’s batting graph in order to find out the differences between the maestro with the others.
We only consider the batsmen whose careers are over or drawing to an end, and whose playing period more or less overlapped with a major part of Tendulkar’s days.
As we can see in the subsequent graphs greatness has touched each and every one of them, sometimes stayed with them for a while, and sometimes deserted them cruelly. Some have started early and some have taken time to mature.
The pairwise batting charts will also tell us that while most batsmen have had sudden short peaks into greatness followed by periods of hovering between the very good and mediocre. Tendulkar, Kallis, Ponting stand out even in this exclusive group with the longevity of their supreme form — a sure signature of enduring greatness.
And even among these three, Sachin Tendulkar spent longer at the summit than the other two. He slipped for a period with his injuries, but clawed back to recover his place at the very top yet again.
The comparatively greater amount of time Tendulkar has spent in this zone is evident from the charts and is incredible in retrospect.
Career scoring patterns (how ‘last 10 Test batting average’ has varied over time for Tendulkar and his contemporaries)
We can see that after some initial peaks Tendulkar peaked into the zone of greatness and remained there for a huge stretch of time (1996-2002) and again re-emerged among the greats in the latter part of his career (2007-2011).
From 2001-2006 Ponting enjoyed a tremendous peak and looked likely to outscore Tendulkar in the long run if he managed to continue in the same vein. However, it is well known that his form fell away in his last 50 or so Tests.
Kallis took a while to come into the zone of consistent greatness. However, once he got there in 2001, the stint as a great batsman has been phenomenal. He has been settled there but for a couple of small dips in form. If he can rectify the recent run of poor scores, he can yet match the trail of consistency blazed by Tendulkar.
This comparison is a story of sustained brilliance against alternating periods of sublime greatness and surprising mediocrity. While most of Tendulkar’s career remained in the zone of greatness, Lara slipped into the realm of the less gifted for a rather large period of time while shooting back into the zone towards the final third of his career. Here too we see that Tendulkar scores much higher in terms of longevity.
During a mid-career high of nearly 50 Tests from 2001 to 2006, Dravid remained ensconced as a genuine great. However a prolonged trough from 2006 to 2009 did not help his cause as his average plummeted from 58 to the early 50s. He did have a short foray in that zone during the England tour of 2011, but it was too small a rise to be considered a re-entry.
Kumar Sangakkara remained hovering on the fringes of greatness, sometimes sipping back into the always classy very good category when he was still keeping wickets. However, giving up the bigger gloves and a supreme 2006-2008 thoroughly established him among the greats and he has remained there ever since. If he continues along the same lines for a couple of more years, he can be considered to be a genuine rival of Tendulkar for consistency over time in the realms of greatness.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul took a while to find his feet, which he did after an operation of his foot that removed a floating bone. Since then there have been almost sinusoidal crests and troughs, with the crests often being exceptional. With time the periods in the prolific zone are getting longer. However, this is largely erratic in contrast to Tendulkar’s sustained brilliance.
Matthew Hayden is yet another example of one major peak followed by normal oscillations between highs and lows. Even here we witness the difference the sustained period of greatness of Tendulkar and the much briefer stint of Hayden.
In the case of Steve Waugh again we see one solitary major high in the numbers followed by above average performances encroaching on to the brilliance zone, and a clear trough before ending on a brief high. Waugh was consistent, and very good most often, but did not enjoy a sustained stint in the zone as Tendulkar.
Conclusion
The graphical charts analysing the greatest performers with the bat underline that one aspect of Tendulkar’s career that makes him special beyond compare. Very few have approached a similar stint at the very top for such a prolonged period of undisputed greatness.
The main differentiator remains undeniable. What the others achieved at the very peaks of their careers was the story of Tendulkar’s entire journey bar the last two years. And then there was some additional magic above and beyond it.
The modern generation has been lucky enough to witness several great batsmen rule over the twenty two yards with their peerless willows.
Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis — the names are many and monumental. And striding amidst them with an undeniable difference is Sachin Tendulkar.
Indeed Tendulkar has a special place even among all these batting giants. Throughout his 24 year career, he enjoyed a following unmatched in the history of cricket and very seldom witnessed in any other sport.
Cricket following in India is about as far from exact science as possible. The media, perceptions and the lure of the immediate play huge roles in the way heroes are made and villains are branded, sometimes in complete contrast to abilities and performance.
However, is Tendulkar’s endless appeal merely an Indian frenzy? Why is it that in spite of the many peerless batsmen of the era, Sachin Tendulkar is marked as the best of the generation by a majority of the former greats — from Ricky Ponting to Shane Warne, from Graeme Pollock to Sunil Gavaskar?
Listed below is an analysis of the modern age and an attempt to determine what makes Tendulkar stand out among them.
The ICC Rankings analysed
Tendulkar first shot to No1 in the ICC Rankings in November 1994. Through most of the 1990s, he shared the top spot with Brian Lara. Apart from brief spans, he ruled the batting charts till August 2002.
Especially during the period between 1996-2002, Tendulkar ruled the batting world with more runs at a far better average than anyone else in the world. As can be seen from the table, the rival to the batting throne, Brian Lara, was going through a slump during this period.
The era of Tendulkar magnificence — 1996 to 2002 (top run-getters)
| Batsman | M | Runs | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| SR Tendulkar (India) | 62 | 5,922 | 61.05 | 22 | 21 |
| R Dravid (India) | 64 | 5,335 | 54.43 | 13 | 27 |
| SR Waugh (Aus) | 64 | 4,598 | 49.44 | 16 | 16 |
| AJ Stewart (Eng) | 69 | 4,516 | 41.43 | 8 | 24 |
| G Kirsten (SA) | 63 | 4,406 | 42.77 | 13 | 18 |
| BC Lara (WI) | 57 | 4,375 | 43.75 | 11 | 20 |
And while he dropped a few places due to his tennis-elbow related slump, he managed another dream run from 2007 and regained the top spot in October 2010, managing to remain there until early days of 2011. Apart from the loss of form during the 2005-2006 period he remained at the very top or extremely close.
The period between the first day Tendulkar topped the rankings to the last day he enjoyed as No 1 amounted to 17 years.
This is a very revealing indicator of the great man’s accomplishment and one of the reasons why he is widely rated as next only to Bradman, although statistically there are batsmen with higher averages.
Among all the batsmen in history, only Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman and Garry Sobers have enjoyed such a huge period at the top.
Brian Lara too topped the charts first in 1994, and for the last time in 2005. But his form was far more volatile, reaching dazzling zeniths of batting royalty and spending the punctuating periods scratching for runs in the plebeian planes. Much of the 1996 to 2000 period for the left-handed great was rather ordinary.
When ICC Rankings are computed for the heroes of the past, we see Sunil Gavaskar enjoying a much shorter peak between 1978 and 1981. Viv Richards, in contrast, had a longer run, peaking for the first time in 1976 and for the last time in 1988.
To put things in perspective, we find Ricky Ponting ruling the world between 2002 and 2006, Rahul Dravid hovering near the top during the same period. Jacques Kallis has topped periodically between 2004 to 2006 and was very near the top in 2011-12.
But, none of the modern greats can match Tendulkar in this one aspect – prolonged sojourn at the summit of batsmanship.
That is one of the reasons why Tendulkar appeals to a relative old-timer from the early 1990s as well as to the modern day follower of the game.
The career graphs
If we look in some detail at the figures of the modern day batsmen who have amassed mountains of runs at gargantuan averages, the story told by the ICC Rankings is underlined yet again.
Below, we have carried out a systematic study of how the careers of the best batsmen of the modern era progressed with by computing their progressive ten-Test match averages. We have traced their running current form (average for the past 10 Tests), from the tenth Test they played to the very last of their careers.
The graphs below trace the careers of the batsmen Test match by Test match, and the path traversed by each batsman is placed alongside Sachin Tendulkar to compare and contrast. The horizontal axis denotes the number Test matches played. The vertical axis shows the current form at the time of playing that Test — the corresponding batting average of the last 10 Tests.
The first graph shows us Tendulkar’s batting career pictorially, how his numbers progressed from the point of view of a ten Test moving average. The shaded area in each graph denotes the zone of greatness, batting average crossing into the high fifties and beyond. We find that he had his first peak in the period 1996-2002, and the second during 2007-2011, with one major trough due to his tennis-elbow problems in 2005-2006.
Tendulkar’s career graph – how his batting form varied over time
Next, we place the batting graphs of major contemporary batsmen next to Tendulkar’s batting graph in order to find out the differences between the maestro with the others.
We only consider the batsmen whose careers are over or drawing to an end, and whose playing period more or less overlapped with a major part of Tendulkar’s days.
As we can see in the subsequent graphs greatness has touched each and every one of them, sometimes stayed with them for a while, and sometimes deserted them cruelly. Some have started early and some have taken time to mature.
The pairwise batting charts will also tell us that while most batsmen have had sudden short peaks into greatness followed by periods of hovering between the very good and mediocre. Tendulkar, Kallis, Ponting stand out even in this exclusive group with the longevity of their supreme form — a sure signature of enduring greatness.
And even among these three, Sachin Tendulkar spent longer at the summit than the other two. He slipped for a period with his injuries, but clawed back to recover his place at the very top yet again.
The comparatively greater amount of time Tendulkar has spent in this zone is evident from the charts and is incredible in retrospect.
Career scoring patterns (how ‘last 10 Test batting average’ has varied over time for Tendulkar and his contemporaries)
Tendulkar and Ponting
We can see that after some initial peaks Tendulkar peaked into the zone of greatness and remained there for a huge stretch of time (1996-2002) and again re-emerged among the greats in the latter part of his career (2007-2011).
From 2001-2006 Ponting enjoyed a tremendous peak and looked likely to outscore Tendulkar in the long run if he managed to continue in the same vein. However, it is well known that his form fell away in his last 50 or so Tests.
Tendulkar and Kallis
Kallis took a while to come into the zone of consistent greatness. However, once he got there in 2001, the stint as a great batsman has been phenomenal. He has been settled there but for a couple of small dips in form. If he can rectify the recent run of poor scores, he can yet match the trail of consistency blazed by Tendulkar.
Tendulkar and Lara
This comparison is a story of sustained brilliance against alternating periods of sublime greatness and surprising mediocrity. While most of Tendulkar’s career remained in the zone of greatness, Lara slipped into the realm of the less gifted for a rather large period of time while shooting back into the zone towards the final third of his career. Here too we see that Tendulkar scores much higher in terms of longevity.
Tendulkar and Dravid
During a mid-career high of nearly 50 Tests from 2001 to 2006, Dravid remained ensconced as a genuine great. However a prolonged trough from 2006 to 2009 did not help his cause as his average plummeted from 58 to the early 50s. He did have a short foray in that zone during the England tour of 2011, but it was too small a rise to be considered a re-entry.
Tendulkar and Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara remained hovering on the fringes of greatness, sometimes sipping back into the always classy very good category when he was still keeping wickets. However, giving up the bigger gloves and a supreme 2006-2008 thoroughly established him among the greats and he has remained there ever since. If he continues along the same lines for a couple of more years, he can be considered to be a genuine rival of Tendulkar for consistency over time in the realms of greatness.
Tendulkar and Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf necessitates comparison by virtue of being contemporary to Tendulkar and because of his high batting average. However, as is evident from the comparative graph, his numbers depend heavily on two short peaks. He did not have a sustained run to challenge the longevity of Tendulkar at the summit.
Tendulkar and Younis Khan
Like Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan also has excellent figures, but his career has been comparatively shorter. His small sequence of peaks were not really comparable in terms of longevity to Tendulkar.
Tendulkar and Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul took a while to find his feet, which he did after an operation of his foot that removed a floating bone. Since then there have been almost sinusoidal crests and troughs, with the crests often being exceptional. With time the periods in the prolific zone are getting longer. However, this is largely erratic in contrast to Tendulkar’s sustained brilliance.
Tendulkar and Hayden
Matthew Hayden is yet another example of one major peak followed by normal oscillations between highs and lows. Even here we witness the difference the sustained period of greatness of Tendulkar and the much briefer stint of Hayden.
Tendulkar and Steve Waugh
In the case of Steve Waugh again we see one solitary major high in the numbers followed by above average performances encroaching on to the brilliance zone, and a clear trough before ending on a brief high. Waugh was consistent, and very good most often, but did not enjoy a sustained stint in the zone as Tendulkar.
Conclusion
The graphical charts analysing the greatest performers with the bat underline that one aspect of Tendulkar’s career that makes him special beyond compare. Very few have approached a similar stint at the very top for such a prolonged period of undisputed greatness.
The main differentiator remains undeniable. What the others achieved at the very peaks of their careers was the story of Tendulkar’s entire journey bar the last two years. And then there was some additional magic above and beyond it.
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