Mamoon
ATG
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Runs
- 104,160
- Post of the Week
- 12
We all know that barring unforeseen circumstances, Joe Root will surpass Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run scorer in Test cricket.
This seemed fairly unthinkable only 4 years ago because Joe Root was in the middle of a career slump and lagging behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, let alone Sachin Tendulkar.
However, in January 2021, Joe Root flicked a switch in Sri Lanka and since then, he has been an unstoppable force in this format and 3.5 years later, not only as he left Virat Kohli in his dust, he is almost certain to soar past Sachin Tendulkar as well.
We all know how protective and sensitive Indian fans are when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar. For billions of Indian fans, any comparison of Sachin Tendulkar with any batsman has almost been viewed as blasphemy.
Sachin Tendulkar’s legacy as the leading run scorer and century maker is a matter of immense pride for Indian fans. It is as if they have monopolized batting records and only an Indian batsmen is worthy enough to have the baton.
For very long, they were under the impression that like in ODIs, if there is one batsman who could, would and should surpass the Little Master, it will be their new King, Virat Kohli.
However, Joe Root’s rise was not part of the script and not something that they were prepared for.
As a result, in the coming years, I can foresee a collective media (social & mainstream) campaign to discredit Joe Root and sell the narrative that he might overtake Sachin Tendulkar in terms of runs, he will never compare him to him in terms of quality of batting.
We the non-Indian stakeholders in cricket must ensure that we protect Joe Root from the fangs of Indians who will leave no stone unturned to manufacture situations, stats and contexts to make Joe Root look like a lesser batsman.
For example, they would fixate on his record in Australia even though, his record in Australia is hardly worse than Sachin Tendulkar’s record in Pakistan, and the quality of attack that he has faced in Australia is very much comparable to the quality of attack that Tendulkar couldn’t dominate in Pakistan.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Joe Root is one of the greatest Test batsmen we have ever seen. We are proud to witness a legendary Test batsman at the peak of his powers in an era where there is an over-consumption of T20 cricket.
There is no doubt whatsover that he would have been a phenomenal Test batsman in an era because his technique, skill and temperament are timeless.
Joe Root’s reputation will be in danger due to Indian propaganda because with billions of more fans than all other cricket nations put together, Indian fans and Indian media hold the ultimate power when it comes to shaping narratives. Their beliefs and their convictions become the ultimate source of truth.
This is how a bang average cricketer like M.S. Dhoni became one of the all-time greats and the benchmark for WK in post-Gilchrist era even though you will find better WK batsmen than him in all Test nations.
This is how Jasprit Bumrah has somehow entered the GOAT conversation even though they are several active fast bowlers who are as good as him.
Joe Root will be targeted over the coming years and we the non-Indian stakeholders in cricket have a responsibility towards him and towards English cricket to ensure that when he surpasses Sachin Tendulkar, he gets his due credit and the Indian voices who attempt to make him look a lesssr batsman in comparison are muffled.
This seemed fairly unthinkable only 4 years ago because Joe Root was in the middle of a career slump and lagging behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, let alone Sachin Tendulkar.
However, in January 2021, Joe Root flicked a switch in Sri Lanka and since then, he has been an unstoppable force in this format and 3.5 years later, not only as he left Virat Kohli in his dust, he is almost certain to soar past Sachin Tendulkar as well.
We all know how protective and sensitive Indian fans are when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar. For billions of Indian fans, any comparison of Sachin Tendulkar with any batsman has almost been viewed as blasphemy.
Sachin Tendulkar’s legacy as the leading run scorer and century maker is a matter of immense pride for Indian fans. It is as if they have monopolized batting records and only an Indian batsmen is worthy enough to have the baton.
For very long, they were under the impression that like in ODIs, if there is one batsman who could, would and should surpass the Little Master, it will be their new King, Virat Kohli.
However, Joe Root’s rise was not part of the script and not something that they were prepared for.
As a result, in the coming years, I can foresee a collective media (social & mainstream) campaign to discredit Joe Root and sell the narrative that he might overtake Sachin Tendulkar in terms of runs, he will never compare him to him in terms of quality of batting.
We the non-Indian stakeholders in cricket must ensure that we protect Joe Root from the fangs of Indians who will leave no stone unturned to manufacture situations, stats and contexts to make Joe Root look like a lesser batsman.
For example, they would fixate on his record in Australia even though, his record in Australia is hardly worse than Sachin Tendulkar’s record in Pakistan, and the quality of attack that he has faced in Australia is very much comparable to the quality of attack that Tendulkar couldn’t dominate in Pakistan.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Joe Root is one of the greatest Test batsmen we have ever seen. We are proud to witness a legendary Test batsman at the peak of his powers in an era where there is an over-consumption of T20 cricket.
There is no doubt whatsover that he would have been a phenomenal Test batsman in an era because his technique, skill and temperament are timeless.
Joe Root’s reputation will be in danger due to Indian propaganda because with billions of more fans than all other cricket nations put together, Indian fans and Indian media hold the ultimate power when it comes to shaping narratives. Their beliefs and their convictions become the ultimate source of truth.
This is how a bang average cricketer like M.S. Dhoni became one of the all-time greats and the benchmark for WK in post-Gilchrist era even though you will find better WK batsmen than him in all Test nations.
This is how Jasprit Bumrah has somehow entered the GOAT conversation even though they are several active fast bowlers who are as good as him.
Joe Root will be targeted over the coming years and we the non-Indian stakeholders in cricket have a responsibility towards him and towards English cricket to ensure that when he surpasses Sachin Tendulkar, he gets his due credit and the Indian voices who attempt to make him look a lesssr batsman in comparison are muffled.