Sachin Tendulkar - The Ultimate Discussion

[cricketjoshila]

Stats shows otherwise.. Viv maintains healthy average in matches involving Abdul Qadir

Also he slaughtered Underwood whose average is close to Warne

In fact Viv never really struggled against any spinner other than Chandra in his debut match. Later on he wrote into his biography that Chandra was the toughest bowler he faced and he was having doubt about his ability to play international Cricket. But in 2nd match he scored 192 not out (Chandra was gone) and he regained his confidence

Anyways your assumption is based on fallacy

Why not post the stats here?

Underwood was a master on wet pitches.And even he was over the hill when Viv faced him in late 70s.

As i said Viv struggled againist quality spin.

 

[cricketjoshila]

You will find several people who consider other players superior

Dickie Bird for ex chose Viv, Chappell and Sobers in his all time XI over Sachin and Dickie too has seen all the players from 50s and onward

They are neither right or wrong. It's a matter of preference.

Dickie bird isnt a cricket expert.An umpire par excellence but not a e pert.

 

[Chrish]

Dickie bird isnt a cricket expert.An umpire par excellence but not a e pert.

LOL the guy spent his whole life umpiring and saw hundreds of Cricketers in lifetime is not an expert?

Getting desperate now

 

[Chrish]

Why not post the stats here?

Why not look at it yourself?

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...r_involve=1538;template=results;type=allround

 

[cricketjoshila]

LOL the guy spent his whole life umpiring and saw hundreds of Cricketers in lifetime is not an expert?

Getting desperate now

He is a UMPIRE.A expert in cricketing laws and not cricketing skills.Ex cricketers have more knowledge of cricketing skills than any umpire.

Its you who is desperate talking about an umpires opinion in comparision to ex greats when we are talking cricketing skills.

 

[Chrish]

He is a UMPIRE.A expert in cricketing laws and not cricketing skills.Ex cricketers have more knowledge of cricketing skills than any umpire.

Its you who is desperate talking about an umpires opinion in comparision to ex greats when we are talking cricketing skills.

I would take the word of umpire who has seen every cricketer LIVE from 50s all the way till now over some self-proclaimed armchair expert. Reckon he might know a thing or two more.

 

[OS_89]

Viv wasn't as good vs spin as Sachin and Lara but he was still awesome.

 

[street cricketer]

Again you're getting defensive. So basically anyone on this forum who challenges the stance that SRT is the greatest ever, #1, in ODIs and Tests has been watching cricket through forums alone?

What about the analysts who consider Viv and/or Lara superior in one format or the other, why leave them out? Or do we have to go with the assumption that all analysts unanimously agree that he is the undisputed #1?

As I said sports runs on a fans' demands, and whether you like it or not each individual fan is responsible for his or her own opinion of a given player. There is nothing you can do to enforce the stance on every cricket fan in the world that Sachin IS the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be... because for quite a few of them, he wasn't.

Interesting thing is that I haven't even talked smack about him or undermined him. I clearly stated he is the top 2 in ODIs and in tests he'd AT LEAST be in the top 5, if not higher. How someone can get sensitive over such a statement just highlights the oversensitivity of some of his fans and honestly proves my point in my initial post.

I got roasted for saying that Sachin is the 2nd best ever ODI batsman lol..

Sachin fans are the only fans who will grill Sachin fans for being less-Sachin fans

I once got told that I wasn't a true cricket fan in my college as I didn't support Mumbai Indians in the IPL which had Sachin in it against my home team CSK. To add to this, a lot of Sachin fans I've come across are ardent Dhoni haters too

 

[#GreenRoars]

I got roasted for saying that Sachin is the 2nd best ever ODI batsman lol..

Sachin fans are the only fans who will grill Sachin fans for being less-Sachin fans

I once got told that I wasn't a true cricket fan in my college as I didn't support Mumbai Indians in the IPL which had Sachin in it against my home team CSK. To add to this, a lot of Sachin fans I've come across are ardent Dhoni haters too

Haha, you should be happy that they didn't burn your pictures, selfies e.t.c )

 

[jusarrived]

I don't think he was a complete batsman but he was the best of his era. He had to cut out his driving in 2004 to finally score some runs against Australia. And for a while Pakistan had his number by getting him to cut deliveries to close to him to be caught at covers repeatedly.
His career is in two parts: he scored a lot and India did not win much till about 2004. Post 2004 he scored a lot and India started winning as well when he played with a new generation of cricketers in his team who were unwilling to cowered.

His game went through lot of changes all through his career , some times forced due to injuries and some times he made the changes him self . He even stopped stepping out to spinners due to the back injury , where as in the early stages he demolished the best spinners including Warne . it also hurt his game against the short ball which , he almost stopped playing the hook/pull which he was so good at in the early stage . As for 2004 series against Aus , he found a way to score runs when he wasnt exactly in the best of form . I dont understand why you say finally ,when he had scored hundreds in his very first tour to Aus ?

He got out often to likes of Hansie crojnie & Razzaq , he may have got out against cut deliveries at some point , these are all short term phase , not a technical deficiency which he had none imo

 

[Pete Rose]

His game went through lot of changes all through his career , some times forced due to injuries and some times he made the changes him self . He even stopped stepping out to spinners due to the back injury , where as in the early stages he demolished the best spinners including Warne . it also hurt his game against the short ball which , he almost stopped playing the hook/pull which he was so good at in the early stage . As for 2004 series against Aus , he found a way to score runs when he wasnt exactly in the best of form . I dont understand why you say finally ,when he had scored hundreds in his very first tour to Aus ?

He got out often to likes of Hansie crojnie & Razzaq , he may have got out against cut deliveries at some point , these are all short term phase , not a technical deficiency which he had none imo

How one interprets adaptability in sports is subjective. If it is done to prolong a career and make the player unrecognizable from what made him iconic, then to me that's not really exciting. But I absolutely agree with the opposing view that it shows staying power.
Sportsmen are there to entertain and to win. If the play conservatively for self preservation (my subjectivity) then only the die hard fans will appreciate.
For what it's worth, he got out to razzaq and crojne because he was susceptible to the inseaming delivery. Every time he would get out to one, especially in the latter part of his career, he would make an exaggerated crouch to indicate that the pitch misbehaved and hence ball bounced lower rather than him not bringing his bat down straight.
As for the point in Australia, there is no doubt that he had the pedigree to score runs there as he did that in pre-flat pitch era at Perth. Point I made was that it was a cheerless innings of 242 that came in a drawn match, after he got shut down during that series.
I should not have to give this disclaimer, but even with these subjective flaws, he was in another orbit compared even to the best Pakistani batsmen.

 

[pacesensation]

Of course, you are just reiterating my point with different words.

i meant

he is not 2nd best odi batter of all time. He is below 3rd best batter of all time in odis. Meaning is not even in in top 3 best odis of all time

 

[street cricketer]

i meant

he is not 2nd best odi batter of all time. He is below 3rd best batter of all time in odis. Meaning is not even in in top 3 best odis of all time

You have a right to your opinion as I have a right to mine, but it doesn't make them facts of course.

 

[Dulex9]

What a frivilious exercise.......Answer this - How many World Cups has he won

He won the world cup in 2011.

 

[shaz619]

Am not his biggest fan but was sad when he retired

 

[ahmadharis1]

I became a more serious cricket fan from the 2015 World Cup onwards, before I was more of a casual fan, so i really missed the chance to watch Sachin in his prime. What was it like watching him play?

 

[Chrish]

I became a more serious cricket fan from the 2015 World Cup onwards, before I was more of a casual fan, so i really missed the chance to watch Sachin in his prime. What was it like watching him play?

Attacking player in 90s fun to watch became much more defensive and frankly dull accumulator when age caught up with him

 

[Bilal7]

I became a more serious cricket fan from the 2015 World Cup onwards, before I was more of a casual fan, so i really missed the chance to watch Sachin in his prime. What was it like watching him play?

Not that special to watch for non-Indians. Several of the current batsmen are more exciting/delightful to watch.

 

[Hitman]

This is how special he was:
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...ends-of-Cricket-Top-25-Cricketers-Of-All-Time (Back in 2001, just half way through his career)

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2002/dec/13wisden.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Benaud's_Greatest_XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vthfSPF_LCw



"Not that special to watch for non-Indians. Several of the current batsmen are more exciting/delightful to watch" .....

 

[jeetu]

I became a more serious cricket fan from the 2015 World Cup onwards, before I was more of a casual fan, so i really missed the chance to watch Sachin in his prime. What was it like watching him play?

Youtube is filled with Sachin's clips. In a nutshell , He was accumulator in test , but attacking in ODI,

 

[JaDed]

Not that special to watch for non-Indians. Several of the current batsmen are more exciting/delightful to watch.

Like who in comparison to him except ABD in ODI?

 

[Hitman]

This is how special he was -
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...ends-of-Cricket-Top-25-Cricketers-Of-All-Time (Back in 2001, just half way through his career)

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2002/dec/13wisden.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Benaud's_Greatest_XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vthfSPF_LCw



"Not that special to watch for non-Indians. Several of the current batsmen are more exciting/delightful to watch" .....

Another gem I missed, this one is from 'King' Viv Richards -

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/crick...ulkar-is-greatest-richards/article2073292.ece

 

[Bilal7]

Like who in comparison to him except ABD in ODI?

de Villiers, de Kock, Stokes are more exciting while Amla and Root are more elegant.

 

[JaDed]

de Villiers, de Kock, Stokes are more exciting while Amla and Root are more elegant.

Guess that's like saying MJ is better to watch than Younis and Steyn-Starc better than Wasim but i guess to each its own.Fair enough.

 

[Bilal7]

Guess that's like saying MJ is better to watch than Younis and Steyn-Starc better than Wasim but i guess to each its own.Fair enough.

Yep. Not every great player was great to watch. Younis must be quite boring for the neutral viewers as well, I reckon.

 

[Indiafan]

This is how special he was -
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...ends-of-Cricket-Top-25-Cricketers-Of-All-Time (Back in 2001, just half way through his career)

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2002/dec/13wisden.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Benaud's_Greatest_XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vthfSPF_LCw



"Not that special to watch for non-Indians. Several of the current batsmen are more exciting/delightful to watch" .....

de Villiers, de Kock, Stokes are more exciting while Amla and Root are more elegant.

In his prime Sachin was one of the most exciting batsmen to watch. You don't get a crazy fan following if you are not exciting. Every cricketer who had a crazy fan following has been very exciting

 

[JaDed]

Yep. Not every great player was great to watch. Younis must be quite boring for the neutral viewers as well, I reckon.

What? If one is expecting Maxwell while watching test cricket its probably their fault Younis(untill last tour),Dravid are wonderful to watch in test cricket.

 

[Indiafan]

Yep. Not every great player was great to watch. Younis must be quite boring for the neutral viewers as well, I reckon.

People who say Sachin was not exciting have not watched him in the 90s. No one stopped there work to watch Younis bat on the streets of their country. They do it for Afridi. No boring batsman every had crazy fan following, not Younis, not Kallis, not Dravid. Lara, Sachin, Ponting, Kohli do

This is another not so subtle attempt to put him down of course, as if we dont know

 

[Hitman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAjg0IbAsmc&t=2s

 

[street cricketer]

Amla and Root more elegant than Sachin lmao..

Now I've heard it all.

 

[Dman]

Lol @ Amla is exciting to watch, one of the most boring players ever.

Not even among the Top 5 Exciting batters in his own team, easily behind AB, Miller, De kock, Faf, Rossou.

 

[Sachin136]

Sachin was at the top as far as elegance went.

 

[Dman]

Post 2000s, only KP and AB were on par with SRT in terms of excitement.

Afridi created a similar buzz among the Pakistanis, however he was always a bit of hit and miss.

 

[Hawkeye]

Amla and Root more elegant than Sachin lmao..

Now I've heard it all.

Sachin wasn't ugly but not elegant either. I don't think anybody would say elegance is the word that comes to your mind when you take Tendulkar's name.

It's more associated with the likes of M Waugh, Damien Martyn, Azharuddin, Saeed Anwar etc.

SRT isn't any more elegant than the likes of Root. Amla is debatable.

 

[Sachin136]

Sachin wasn't ugly but not elegant either. I don't think anybody would say elegance is the word that comes to your mind when you take Tendulkar's name.

It's more associated with the likes of M Waugh, Damien Martyn, Azharuddin, Saeed Anwar etc.

SRT isn't any more elegant than the likes of Root. Amla is debatable.

It depends on what you think is elegant. But I'm sure most people don't consider him to be "boring".

 

[street cricketer]

Sachin wasn't ugly but not elegant either. I don't think anybody would say elegance is the word that comes to your mind when you take Tendulkar's name.

It's more associated with the likes of M Waugh, Damien Martyn, Azharuddin, Saeed Anwar etc.

SRT isn't any more elegant than the likes of Root. Amla is debatable.

I agree. I rate Amla as a test player very highly, but his stance and trigger movements are a bit ugly on the eyes.

 

[Hawkeye]

It depends on what you think is elegant. But I'm sure most people don't consider him to be "boring".

If you think Root or Amla are boring, then the same should apply to Sachin.

Amla is debatable again, he's a bit odd but Root is more elegant than Sachin IMO.

 

[Tusker]

If you think Root or Amla are boring, then the same should apply to Sachin.

Amla is debatable again, he's a bit odd but Root is more elegant than Sachin IMO.

yrs after his retirement if he decides to play a Charity game ... there will be more people willing to pay money to watch Tendulkar bat than Amla playing Intl Cricket. That should answer all questions about who is boring.

 

[Slog]

Post 2000s, only KP and AB were on par with SRT in terms of excitement.

Afridi created a similar buzz among the Pakistanis, however he was always a bit of hit and miss.

Ponting was far more exciting post 2000 and you know it

 

[Slog]

yrs after his retirement if he decides to play a Charity game ... there will be more people willing to pay money to watch Tendulkar bat than Amla playing Intl Cricket. That should answer all questions about who is boring.

It's gonna be Indians and it just happens to be a billion plus of them roaming around so bad comparison

 

[Sachin136]

It's gonna be Indians and it just happens to be a billion plus of them roaming around so bad comparison

But if Sachin is boring, why would even Indians go to watch?

 

[Slog]

But if Sachin is boring, why would even Indians go to watch?

Who said he's boring? Personally I don't even think so and was replying directly to the lost

They're talking on a relative basis here

 

[Adil_94]

the first game i remember seeing Sachin was 2002 vs england and the 2003 WC so i never saw him as an exciting batsman. Sehwag Yuvraj and MSD were more exciting for me to watch.

 

[Robbie]

It's gonna be Indians and it just happens to be a billion plus of them roaming around so bad comparison

Indians are also people
You are not gonna see people paying money to watch viru, Ganguly ,Dravid ,Laxman playing post retirement cricket

 

[Robbie]

the first game i remember seeing Sachin was 2002 vs england and the 2003 WC so i never saw him as an exciting batsman. Sehwag Yuvraj and MSD were more exciting for me to watch.

Don't you remember 2003Wc India v Pak match?

 

[Robbie]

Ponting was far more exciting post 2000 and you know it

Lol at comparing Ponting and Sachin.. Ponting was more exciting than any Pakistani batsmen ever I agree, but he couldn't hold candle to Sachin in comparison. Get a grip lol stop being a hater

 

[Bilal7]

In his prime Sachin was one of the most exciting batsmen to watch. You don't get a crazy fan following if you are not exciting. Every cricketer who had a crazy fan following has been very exciting

Sachin got that fan-following by being a great batsman and India's only match-winner during portion if his career. He didn't get that fan-following for being a Lara-esque artist or a demolisher like KP.

What? If one is expecting Maxwell while watching test cricket its probably their fault Younis(untill last tour),Dravid are wonderful to watch in test cricket.

Younis is an extremely ungainly batsman to watch, except against spin. Dravid, Kallis were slow accumulators and again, not very exciting to watch apart from their immaculate technique.

It's not about Maxwell-style slogging. It's about strokeplay and having a unique batting style. Root and Amla rarely slog but their strokeplay is very easy on the eyes. Lara was another who batted beautifully even if he was only going at a SR of 50. The likes of KP, AB and now Stokes are very exciting because of the shots they play.

It depends on what you think is elegant. But I'm sure most people don't consider him to be "boring".

Who are you quoting with that word? Did anyone here call Sachin boring? He was a good batsman to watch but he wasn't as entertaining as AB or as elegant as Amla.

 

[Bilal7]

These Indian posters are weird in their obsession over Sachin. You guys may have stopped everything to watch him bat but the neutrals did not and no, no one without an Indian heritage will pay $100 to see Sachin bat in a charity event.

He was not a Lara, Ponting, AB, KP, Amla, Root or Sehwag who would be extremely entertaining even to the neutral observer. Sachin wasn't boring like Dravid, Kallis or Younis either, he was a good batsman to watch but not a great one to watch.

That's how I see it and these things come down to personal preference so no point crying over each other's opinions.

 

[Slog]

Lol at comparing Ponting and Sachin.. Ponting was more exciting than any Pakistani batsmen ever I agree, but he couldn't hold candle to Sachin in comparison. Get a grip lol stop being a hater

Lol.

Open your eyes and stop being a blind sachinista. I know its hard but try

Ponting sweeps the floor in this regard

 

[Protea Fan]

I became a more serious cricket fan from the 2015 World Cup onwards, before I was more of a casual fan, so i really missed the chance to watch Sachin in his prime. What was it like watching him play?

Once after sachin playing a beautiful straight drive harsha bogle saids
Suddenly the world looks like a better place
Thats pretty sums up his carrier imo

 

[Adil_94]

[MENTION=134695]Robbie[/MENTION] yeah thats a fair point that was a scintillating innings but apart from that i havent seen many Sachin innings like that. I remember a 175 against Aus in 2009 that was awesome. But i was only 8 at the time of 2003 WC and didnt watch much India games unless it was a tournament or they played Pakistan.

 

[Adil_94]

Amla is not entertaining to most neutrals he plays some classy shots but he isnt someone most people would pay to come an see. AB yes Amla No.

 

[Bilal7]

I became a more serious cricket fan from the 2015 World Cup onwards, before I was more of a casual fan, so i really missed the chance to watch Sachin in his prime. What was it like watching him play?

So yeah, in conclusion, Sachin is one of the GOAT but unlike Viv, Lara, Ponting he wasn't all that entertaining to watch.

Now let's bury this thread.

 

[Bilal7]

Amla is not entertaining to most neutrals he plays some classy shots but he isnt someone most people would pay to come an see. AB yes Amla No.

People watch cricket for the shots and the deliveries. That is what is meant by entertainment.

 

[Adil_94]

[MENTION=129948]Bilal7[/MENTION] Amla is a dead boring character too similar to Sachin. Amla plays classical shots but he isnt someone you would pay to see or get you on the edge of your seat because of his brilliance like an AB would or Ponting or Lara. Hes a consistent run machine but not that entertaining. entertainment wise hes on the same level as Sachin post 2000.

 

[Protea Fan]

yrs after his retirement if he decides to play a Charity game ... there will be more people willing to pay money to watch Tendulkar bat than Amla playing Intl Cricket. That should answer all questions about who is boring.

Sachin the name alone was a bigger brand in the cricketng world

Amla is a good/great player whatever but he can't never match that fame so this comparison itself is absurd

Even he didn't have that elegance of sachin but players like lara n ponting were more brutal and stylish

In india sehwag was far more exciting to watch for me n when plays those drives and flicks someone like VVS looks more elegant

 

[Bilal7]

[MENTION=129948]Bilal7[/MENTION] Amla is a dead boring character too similar to Sachin. Amla plays classical shots but he isnt someone you would pay to see or get you on the edge of your seat because of his brilliance like an AB would or Ponting or Lara. Hes a consistent run machine but not that entertaining. entertainment wise hes on the same level as Sachin post 2000.

It's not about characters. This isn't a reality TV show. Amla is a classical, elegant batsman in a similar mould to David Gower and like you admitted yourself, plays some great shots. If that doesn't make you want to sit down and watch him bat, that's your opinion and I respect that. Some people prefer a more aggressive style of batting promoted by the likes of KP and de Villiers, while others prefer elegance seen in the batting of Amla and Root.

Sachin didn't have either, in my opinion. He had a very tight technique but he wasn't very entertaining. This is a matter of personal preference and no one will be able to change each other's opinions.

 

[anikrc1]

It's not about characters. This isn't a reality TV show. Amla is a classical, elegant batsman in a similar mould to David Gower and like you admitted yourself, plays some great shots. If that doesn't make you want to sit down and watch him bat, that's your opinion and I respect that. Some people prefer a more aggressive style of batting promoted by the likes of KP and de Villiers, while others prefer elegance seen in the batting of Amla and Root.

Sachin didn't have either, in my opinion. He had a very tight technique but he wasn't very entertaining. This is a matter of personal preference and no one will be able to change each other's opinions.

so you like amla because he played some great shot but not tendulkar? so which shot amla plays that sachin didn't play with at least the same level of mastery?

 

[Buffet]

More neutrals enjoyed watching SRT and Lara in 90s than any other batsman. Many young PPers have not seen SRT in 90s.

 

[anikrc1]

i present 2 points for sachin being better to watch compared to ponting and lara.
1. his efiiciency while playing the shots. compared to the other 2 he would be walking around lesser amount and also his follow-through was minimal, giving the impression that he was giving lesser effort .
2. his arsenal of shots was bigger than the other 2. i don't remember the other 2 playing an upper-cut ever.mayber the played it, but idon't remember.and also they didn't have as many variations of paddle-sweeps as him. for lara i can remember 1 shot which i don;t remember the other 2 playing much. his 1 leg up in the air half flick, half pull.for ponting i don't remember any such shot

 

[Hasan123]

Sachin was an elegant batsmen to watch imo. Loved watching him drive the ball and playing through the offside.

Amla triggers movements are hideous but his stroke making is pleasant on the eye.

I am a life long hater of the Indian cricket team but overall I would prefer to watch Sachin bat over Amla and I think Sachin is more pleasing on the eye.

 

[Tusker]

These Indian posters are weird in their obsession over Sachin. You guys may have stopped everything to watch him bat but the neutrals did not and no, no one without an Indian heritage will pay $100 to see Sachin bat in a charity event.

I will give you an example of Non-Indians obsessing over Tendulkar ... when he last played a Test at Lords in 2011 and he was on 99 Intl 100s most English Cricket fans and English media was eagerly awaiting and hoping that he get his 100 at Lords even if it came against their team. Never seen anything like it before. Such was the adoration.

Here is one of media articles of that time : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/jul/16/sachin-tendulkar-india-england-lords-test

See if you can find any other player that came even remotely close to evoke such fond admiration amongst his opponents.

 

[Sachin136]

More neutrals enjoyed watching SRT and Lara in 90s than any other batsman. Many young PPers have not seen SRT in 90s.

Which is odd considering so many of his clips are on Youtube even from the 90s.

 

[Snatch]

More neutrals enjoyed watching SRT and Lara in 90s than any other batsman. Many young PPers have not seen SRT in 90s.

Evidence of that? Do you speak for all neutrals do you?

I wouldn't be able to say for sure what most neutrals thought, I can only speak for myself, & Lara & Ponting were the two I most preferred watching in the 90s, with Lara shading it.

The view of Tendulkar in India & Tendulkar outside India are very different things.

We all know that according to most deluded Indian fan-boys, Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer ever, better than Bradman, Sober or anyone else.

Whereas outside of India, he's just one of many great batsmen of the last 25 years or so, along side Lara, Ponting, Kallis & Sanga to name a few, who just happened to play long enough to score the most runs, in a batting position more protected than Ponting's number 3 (a fact very rarely mentioned).

 

[Buffet]

Evidence of that? Do you speak for all neutrals do you?

I have seen at least one test match and few ODIs in all major countries except Pakistan. I can't speak on behalf of everyone, but it was my observation based on watching matches in different venues. If you have to generalize then simply watch crowd giving him standing ovation in each venue where he played last time outside of India.

 

[Haroon786]

Amla and Root more elegant than Sachin lmao..

Now I've heard it all.

Amla you could argue to be fair, but Root not in a million years should he be discussed in this regard.

 

[Buffet]

Which is odd considering so many of his clips are on Youtube even from the 90s.

Clips are not the same as following the match when it's going on.

 

[Buffet]

Evidence of that? Do you speak for all neutrals do you?

Anyway, since you went into tangent about all the batsmen, let me ask you a question. I said that Lara and SRT were most watched by neutrals in 90s. Now you put a long post and asked me question. Can you give few names who were more followed by neutrals in 90s? Give me few names here if you are trying make a case about my statement being totally wrong.

 

[Snatch]

I have seen at least one test match and few ODIs in all major countries except Pakistan. I can't speak on behalf of everyone, but it was my observation based on watching matches in different venues. If you have to generalize then simply watch crowd giving him standing ovation in each venue where he played last time outside of India.

Probably due to more Indians living in other cricketing countries like England, SA, Aust & NZ.

Take England as an example, I don't think you could say there was more anticipation or excitement with the prospect of Tendulkar batting than there was with the likes of Lara, Sanga or Ponting. If there was at all, I'd put that down to the Indian locals as I alluded to above.

 

[Snatch]

Anyway, since you went into tangent about all the batsmen, let me ask you a question. I said that Lara and SRT were most watched by neutrals in 90s. Now you put a long post and asked me question. Can you give few names who were more followed by neutrals in 90s? Give me few names here if you are trying make a case about my statement being totally wrong.

I thought I mentioned a few in my first reply to you.

What are you wanting exactly? Cricketers I consider as pretty much equals with him in the last 25 years or so since he debuted? Or just batsmen?

 

[Suleiman]

If your life was on the line who would you have bat for it? Sachin, Viv or Inzi?

When you really think about it in that situation all these stats and bar graphs mean little when you realize who had the real hunger for glory.

 

[Tusker]

Sachin the name alone was a bigger brand in the cricketng world

Amla is a good/great player whatever but he can't never match that fame so this comparison itself is absurd

Even he didn't have that elegance of sachin but players like lara n ponting were more brutal and stylish

In india sehwag was far more exciting to watch for me n when plays those drives and flicks someone like VVS looks more elegant

The Tendulkar brand wasnt made out of thin air or fluff ... it started before there was cable TV or mass media like we know it now. Things like being the ONLY teenager to score 100s on first Tours to Eng , Aus, SA went into it.

 

[Buffet]

Probably due to more Indians living in other cricketing countries like England, SA, Aust & NZ.

Take England as an example, I don't think you could say there was more anticipation or excitement with the prospect of Tendulkar batting than there was with the likes of Lara, Sanga or Ponting. If there was at all, I'd put that down to the Indian locals as I alluded to above.

My observation was about local crowd because in test matches mostly locals used to show up. In my opinion, more fans paying attention was related to him playing good knocks very early in his career when playing in many countries. That normally gets the eyeball.

 

[Snatch]

Anyway, since you went into tangent about all the batsmen, let me ask you a question. I said that Lara and SRT were most watched by neutrals in 90s. Now you put a long post and asked me question. Can you give few names who were more followed by neutrals in 90s? Give me few names here if you are trying make a case about my statement being totally wrong.

Sorry, I'd miss-read your post earlier, If we're purely talking 1990 batsmen, I'd say Lara, Ponting, Gilchrist (late 90s), de Silva, Mark Waugh, Inzamam & Crowe were all up there as batsmen neutral fans would flock to see.

 

[Buffet]

I thought I mentioned a few in my first reply to you.

I mentioned that SRT was most watched batsman by neutrals along with Lara in 90s. You threw 4 names. Lara, Kallis, Sanga and Ponting in response to counter my statement. Not sure if you are serious here with your argument. 3 of them were non-entity in 90s and I already named Lara.

 

[Snatch]

My observation was about local crowd because in test matches mostly locals used to show up. In my opinion, more fans paying attention was related to him playing good knocks very early in his career when playing in many countries. That normally gets the eyeball.

I disagree, I think most of the hype at the grounds themselves, particularly if you're talking outside of the subcontinent were driven by local India hysteria over Sachin...the point I highlighted in my first reply.

Indian's (generally speaking) tend to rate Sachin on an entirely different level than non-Indians.

Trust me I work with some Indian's who argue he was a better batsmen than Bradman... they don't actually understand the history of the game they just buy into the hype.

It's not a small fringe group either who hold the absurd belief than he was better than Bradman either, it's a lot of them.

Hence why I use the term Sachin's deluded fan-boys.

 

[Buffet]

Sorry, I'd miss-read your post earlier, If we're purely talking 1990 batsmen, I'd say Lara, Ponting, Gilchrist (late 90s), de Silva, Mark Waugh, Inzamam & Crowe were all up there as batsmen neutral fans would flock to see.

Except Lara, no one had caught that much attention if you are talking about decade of 90. Guys like Ponting were non-entity in terms of catching attention and Gilly debuted in test in 1999 if I recall it right. Other names surely had fan followings, but not at the level of Lara or SRT.

Normally, you want to follow some one if a batsman comes in your backyard and played some gems. If you do it early in your career then you get more eyeballs. That's my take on this. SRT played some gems very early in his career in SA, Eng and Aus to grab attention. Him playing some gun knocks only in Asia would have caught as much attention as Pujara.

Anyway, out of this thread. I don't have much to add.

 

[Chrish]

Evidence of that? Do you speak for all neutrals do you?

I wouldn't be able to say for sure what most neutrals thought, I can only speak for myself, & Lara & Ponting were the two I most preferred watching in the 90s, with Lara shading it.

The view of Tendulkar in India & Tendulkar outside India are very different things.

We all know that according to most deluded Indian fan-boys, Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer ever, better than Bradman, Sober or anyone else.

Whereas outside of India, he's just one of many great batsmen of the last 25 years or so, along side Lara, Ponting, Kallis & Sanga to name a few, who just happened to play long enough to score the most runs, in a batting position more protected than Ponting's number 3 (a fact very rarely mentioned).

Majority here believes the same about Imran..

 

[Snatch]

Majority here believes the same about Imran..

I'm relatively new here so I'm not sure if this is really true or not. If is is, it's equally as absurd as Sachin fan-boys.

Having said that, If I was naming Asia's greatest ever cricketer, it would undoubtedly be Imran in my eyes, & I have no foot in either camp.

 

[Buffet]

I disagree, I think most of the hype at the grounds themselves, particularly if you're talking outside of the subcontinent were driven by local India hysteria over Sachin...the point I highlighted in my first reply.

Indian's (generally speaking) tend to rate Sachin on an entirely different level than non-Indians.

Trust me I work with some Indian's who argue he was a better batsmen than Bradman... they don't actually understand the history of the game they just buy into the hype.

It's not a small fringe group either who hold the absurd belief than he was better than Bradman either, it's a lot of them.

Hence why I use the term Sachin's deluded fan-boys.

Indians will mostly put SRT in different planet. Forget about it.

But I was not talking about that. I was only commenting on away fans paying attention to Lara and SRT more than others in 90s. Local media hysteria may have contributed to it as well, but local media hysteria came due to his young age performances in places like Eng, Aus and SA. A teen putting performances gets more attention than some 30 year old doing it. That's the point I was making.