Will any cricketer surpass Sachin Tendulkar's popularity in our lifetime?

[jeetu]

The most popular cricketer ever will one day probably be Chinese.

Don't be so sure, by the time Chinese will become International team , Indian population will be higher than China.

 

[Send1983]

Kapil is not even a tier 2 ATG. Lara is the 2nd best batsman of the last 30 years.

Disagree. Kapil and Imran were two of 4 top all rounders in 80s, just like Sachin and Lara were 2 of the best batsmen in 90s.

Between imran and kapil, imran was a better bowler and kapil was a better batsman. Imran was a better test player and kapil was a better ODI player. Difference is not as huge as you pointed out. Imran was a better captain, his charisma, look, etc made him look overall better than kapil as a package. Both players were very popular in 80s. Kapil and Gavasker were two popular names in India in 80s. They were so popular away as well.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Don't be so sure, by the time Chinese will become International team , Indian population will be higher than China.

Lol. India is already almost there.

 

[Slog]

Don't be so sure, by the time Chinese will become International team , Indian population will be higher than China.

Lol you're acting as if India is way behind right now...

Let's say even if cricket takes over China one day I doubt it will be as popular as in India

 

[jeetu]

Lol you're acting as if India is way behind right now...

Let's say even if cricket takes over China one day I doubt it will be as popular as in India

Yep , I doubt it can beat Table Tennis in this century.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Disagree. Kapil and Imran were two of 4 top all rounders in 80s, just like Sachin and Lara were 2 of the best batsmen in 90s.

Between imran and kapil, imran was a better bowler and kapil was a better batsman. Imran was a better test player and kapil was a better ODI player. Difference is not as huge as you pointed out. Imran was a better captain, his charisma, look, etc made him look overall better than kapil as a package. Both players were very popular in 80s. Kapil and Gavasker were two popular names in India in 80s. They were so popular away as well.

This is not a Imran vs Kapil thread so I will refrain from commenting on this comparison.

Lara is loved and respected equally if not less in places like Australia and England. He's mighty popular in Asian countries. Kids grew up watching Lara who played better knocks than Tendulkar and captured fascination due to his unorthodox but effective batting style.

Lara has a cricket game to his name. Nobody would buy Sachin Tendulkar cricket. He just doesn't sell to non-Indians due to his lack of charisma. An amazing batsman, probably the GOAT, but he's worshipped by Indians only. If you ask any neutral fan, they will probably pick Bradman, Viv, or Sobers over him.

 

[Send1983]

This is not a Imran vs Kapil thread so I will refrain from commenting on this comparison.

Lara is loved and respected equally if not less in places like Australia and England. He's mighty popular in Asian countries. Kids grew up watching Lara who played better knocks than Tendulkar and captured fascination due to his unorthodox but effective batting style.

Lara has a cricket game to his name. Nobody would buy Sachin Tendulkar cricket. He just doesn't sell to non-Indians due to his lack of charisma. An amazing batsman, probably the GOAT, but he's worshipped by Indians only. If you ask any neutral fan, they will probably pick Bradman, Viv, or Sobers over him.

nobody would buy Sachin Tendulkar cricket? Did you the see videos posted above? During 90s people used to travel a lot to watch Sachin’s batting. I am talking about non Indians here.

I didn’t expect anything different from a Pakistani fan. Typical comment. Let’s agree to disagree.

 

[proud_pakistani]

If you ask me Tendulkar has had such an immense following more due to the fact that he was head and shoulders above the other players in his team and India during the 90s which was his peak India was not as strong as it is today and the general feeling amongst teams was once Sachin is out the game is over. I don’t get the same feeling with India in the last decade. Kohli is a great player but there are many others around who will help them win games and also in general India have developed a winning mentality. Since winning for them depended so much on Sachin it’s gonna be hard for anyone to better him in terms of popularity. Popularity doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the better player.

 

[Shaka81]

After reading your comment, First Post has come out with this article..

LINK

In India or within overseas Indian public, Tendulkar might transcend sport but in the world in general no cricketer will ever reach the level of a true global sports personality like Messi, Ronaldo or icons like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. It's difficult for a cricketer to transcend sport as it's not really considered a glamorous sport worldwide and even it's biggest personalities like Warne or Flintoff have struggled to make it sound interesting.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Kids grew up watching Lara who played better knocks than Tendulkar and captured fascination due to his unorthodox but effective batting style.

Lara has a cricket game to his name. Nobody would buy Sachin Tendulkar cricket. He just doesn't sell to non-Indians due to his lack of charisma. An amazing batsman, probably the GOAT, but he's worshipped by Indians only. If you ask any neutral fan, they will probably pick Bradman, Viv, or Sobers over him.

Wow you are so full of yourself. One assumption after another.

1. Lara played better knocks than Tendulkar
Says who?

2. Lara has a cricket game to his name.
) You need to buy the rights to get the name. EA Cricket doesn't have names of Indian players either as they didn't get the rights to use them.

3. Neutrals prefer Viv, Lara over Sachin. Doesn't sell to non Indians.
) I have never come across 'neutrals' who are this passionately anti sachin and over with Lara/Viv to the point they consider Sachin a no one. If anything, videos posted above and what is common sense now tells you Tendulkar is ridiculously over with neutrals and more so than the names you mentioned.

 

[Bhaijaan]

In India or within overseas Indian public, Tendulkar might transcend sport but in the world in general no cricketer will ever reach the level of a true global sports personality like Messi, Ronaldo or icons like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. It's difficult for a cricketer to transcend sport as it's not really considered a glamorous sport worldwide and even it's biggest personalities like Warne or Flintoff have struggled to make it sound interesting.

Its more to do with the media coverage than anything.

Football, boxing are truly global sports covered by media everywhere. Until cricket events are covered regularly by global media no matter how great a cricketer he is not going to reach the popularity of these guys.

The best way to understand this is that Great Khali is probably more recognized globally than Sachin or any other cricketer simply because WWE is watched every freaking where. More people in the world know of Hornswoggle or The Bella twins than Tendulkar or Warne. Thats just the way it is and cricketers can do NOTHING about that.

 

[Oligochaetes]

In India or within overseas Indian public, Tendulkar might transcend sport but in the world in general no cricketer will ever reach the level of a true global sports personality like Messi, Ronaldo or icons like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. It's difficult for a cricketer to transcend sport as it's not really considered a glamorous sport worldwide and even it's biggest personalities like Warne or Flintoff have struggled to make it sound interesting.

I agree.

 

[big_gamer007]

Kohli is loved in India. Don't know what your talking about. Also he is involved with a lot of sponsors which shows his popularity around the world.

I wonder which part of India do you live in.

Isnt Dhoni more lovable and popular in Asia than Sachin

Yes Dhoni had a phase where he was considered 'God' only reason as he captained India to win a T20 Wc and a ODI W/C so as indian fans are, he became lovable. Once Kohli wins a W/C he will get the same treatment too.

As an outsider, I would have thought Dhoni would have been more popular within the Indian public for what he has achieved for India as a team and didn't just chase his personal milestones. Winning T20 WC, ODI WC, CT, Test mace all under one captain is a stuff of legends.

If we are talking about modern era Dhoni has such base.

This is not a Imran vs Kapil thread so I will refrain from commenting on this comparison.

Lara is loved and respected equally if not less in places like Australia and England. He's mighty popular in Asian countries. Kids grew up watching Lara who played better knocks than Tendulkar and captured fascination due to his unorthodox but effective batting style.

Lara has a cricket game to his name. Nobody would buy Sachin Tendulkar cricket. He just doesn't sell to non-Indians due to his lack of charisma. An amazing batsman, probably the GOAT, but he's worshipped by Indians only. If you ask any neutral fan, they will probably pick Bradman, Viv, or Sobers over him.

People don’t understand popularity of Sachin if they think any Indian player can overcome him in terms of popularity. His popularity is due to external factors in addition to cricket which can’t be compared to anyone else.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Wow you are so full of yourself. One assumption after another.

1. Lara played better knocks than Tendulkar
Says who?

2. Lara has a cricket game to his name.
) You need to buy the rights to get the name. EA Cricket doesn't have names of Indian players either as they didn't get the rights to use them.

3. Neutrals prefer Viv, Lara over Sachin. Doesn't sell to non Indians.
) I have never come across 'neutrals' who are this passionately anti sachin and over with Lara/Viv to the point they consider Sachin a no one. If anything, videos posted above and what is common sense now tells you Tendulkar is ridiculously over with neutrals and more so than the names you mentioned.

1. Wisden
2. Does not change the fact that Lara was extremely popular and he got a cricket game on his name.
3. Tendulkar even lost to Sanga of all people and that too in ODI Competition in an Australia poll. You, Indians, are free to worship him but don't expect everyone else to do so.

 

[The_Odd_One]

nobody would buy Sachin Tendulkar cricket? Did you the see videos posted above? During 90s people used to travel a lot to watch Sachin’s batting. I am talking about non Indians here.

I didn’t expect anything different from a Pakistani fan. Typical comment. Let’s agree to disagree.

I do not need to watch any YouTube videos to form an opinion. Tendulkar was a huge draw in India alone. Everywhere else, Lara was more popular unless you can prove it through something other than some YouTube videos.

 

[Hitman]

1. Wisden - So you agree that Sachin is the second greatest Test and ODI batsman of all time since WISDEN rated him so?
2. Does not change the fact that Lara was extremely popular and he got a cricket game on his name - Do you even know the concept of purchasing rights?

Bold.

 

[R3verse Swing]

Was SRT the most popular Indian cricketer? Yes.

Was SRT the most popular cricketer? No.

Even Kohli beats Tendulkar (Google battle) 44M vs 22M articles/keywords). Not that this is a concrete a measure, but does provide an indication that in the days of social media, Virat Kohli is the currently the most popular cricketer.

 

[Bewal Express]

Whether SRT is the most or one of the most popular will always be debated but one thing for sure he handled himself with dignity and professionalism. The other thing i really liked about him is refusal to endorse alcohol. Great man!

 

[rhony]

Whether SRT is the most or one of the most popular will always be debated but one thing for sure he handled himself with dignity and professionalism. The other thing i really liked about him is refusal to endorse alcohol. Great man!

Same with Dhoni

 

[Fire Bird]

Someone will eventually pass him. Records are meant to be broken. Already his ODI records are under threat from Kohli who is a much more pressure player and his test records will be broken ultimately. Enjoy the memories that SRT has given sans the records and popularity which is a subjective thing by the way.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Tendulkar was an ATG batsman. Head and shoulders above anyone else in the Indian team in the 90s and amongst the top 3 best cricketers at that time. He was all Indian cricket had for a long time to give them pride and joy. No wonder he was revered and loved by Indians and rated by teams everywhere.

Kohli is the new generation - who came after Sehwag, Ganguly and Laxman had already restored Indian pride. He would never be the only one for all of India to look up to - but one of many.

Subjectively though, I know who I'd rather have in my team if I want to win games of cricket.

 

[Tusker]

1. Wisden

The guy who wrote that article is a tool ... he gets constantly owned by those who know their cricket and has acknowledged the mistakes he made. Recently he was trying to argue that the 2001 kolkatta Testmatch was not the biggest comeback from the dead - predictably he got owned - quite badly.

 

[Slog]

People don’t understand popularity of Sachin if they think any Indian player can overcome him in terms of popularity. His popularity is due to external factors in addition to cricket which can’t be compared to anyone else.

Well then that is purely in Indian context I suppose

I thought the thread was about global appeal

 

[Slog]

Brian Lara cricket was really popular in the 90s and early 2000s and for many casuals into gaming was their introduction to cricket

 

[big_gamer007]

Well then that is purely in Indian context I suppose

I thought the thread was about global appeal

Global appeal for cricketers is negligible apart from cricket playing nations cricket is virtually a dead sport..

In terms of cricket watching audience Sachin is biggest star due to amount of Asian contingent..

Anyways ultimately such threads cannever cone to a conclusion

 

[Darkrai]

I think if we get another player like Don Bradman in this era then yes.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

1. Wisden
2. Does not change the fact that Lara was extremely popular and he got a cricket game on his name.
3. Tendulkar even lost to Sanga of all people and that too in ODI Competition in an Australia poll. You, Indians, are free to worship him but don't expect everyone else to do so.

Wisden also mentions him above lara and imran in top 100 cricketers.
What makes you believe that no one would buy sachins cricket game?

 

[Fire Bird]

Brian Lara cricket was really popular in the 90s and early 2000s and for many casuals into gaming was their introduction to cricket

Have you not heard of cricket 97 from EA Sports. That was the basic PC gaming in my time .

 

[The_Odd_One]

Bold.

Tendulkar is the GOAT batsman all formats considered and only Bradman was better in tests.

How does it change the fact that there was a Brian Lara cricket game? Lara was extremely popular in the 90s and that's when those games started coming.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Tendulkar is the most loved and popular sportsman India has ever produced. However, it is extremely annoying when his fans try to call him #1 in every KPI. I understand their point of view, though. When you have a bang mediocre team and then you get a really outstanding sportsman, he will be of course hyped to the moon. If India produces another batsman of his class (Kohli has a strong case), he will still not beat the original Tendulkar.

 

[R3verse Swing]

Brian Lara cricket was really popular in the 90s and early 2000s and for many casuals into gaming was their introduction to cricket

Yup. Brian Lara's cricket was released on multiple consoles, including Sega and PS, plus on PC and Amiga too. 6 or 7 releases in total.

I think the SRT game is only available on smartphone.

 

[leatherface58]

Saxhin did not transcend the sport of cricket. Heck I don't think any cricketer ever has...

Unless you follow cricket or have some connection to it (let's say a friend is a cricket fanatic or you belong to a cricket crazy country) it is unlikely you will know any cricketer.

People like Messi, Maradona. Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan etc transcend their sport where random people who don't know anything about their particular sport atleast know of these sportsman

Sachin is not as popular as Ronaldo or Messi because the sport itself is niche and you have the ICC to thank for that. Even after so many years, you have barely 10, sometimes 15 teams playing in the biggest event of the sport and the fans are strangely okay with it. No wonder test cricket is getting obsolete, one day matches do not draw much except for WC and sometimes matches in the subcontinent or Australia.

 

[Slog]

Yup. Brian Lara's cricket was released on multiple consoles, including Sega and PS, plus on PC and Amiga too. 6 or 7 releases in total.

I think the SRT game is only available on smartphone.

Wait there was a sachin game?

Honestly I never knew

 

[Send1983]

Tendulkar is the most loved and popular sportsman India has ever produced. However, it is extremely annoying when his fans try to call him #1 in every KPI. I understand their point of view, though. When you have a bang mediocre team and then you get a really outstanding sportsman, he will be of course hyped to the moon. If India produces another batsman of his class (Kohli has a strong case), he will still not beat the original Tendulkar.

Wisden does not rate Lara in the top 10 and most of the pundits put Sachin in top 5 and Lara hardly found a spot in eleven of anyone. Now you are saying Lara was more popular than Sachin. Videos are there above where all those England and Aus fans showed their respect to the legend. If you want to be delusional, that’s fine. Don’t talk like you are very knowledgeable here. All I see here is hatred from you and other poster slog when anything comes to Sachin or Kohli.

 

[Send1983]

Wait there was a sachin game?

Honestly I never knew

So that makes Lara more popular than Sachin?

 

[R3verse Swing]

Wait there was a sachin game?

Honestly I never knew

Well my man, that's how popular SRT's game was!

 

[Sadevdesai]

With the sheer numbers of Indians rooting for him ..... it won't be easy to dislodge Tendulkar !!!!! But as a fan of Cricket it is not easy to ignore the numbers he has put up !!!!! Even non Indians and Pakistanis rave about him !!!! Sooooo ..... if one can't unseat him .... it is best to to join the crowed.

 

[Asch Ali]

If you’re talking number wise. Of course Sanchin is more popular because there’s 1,000,000,000 fricking indians.

But if we’re taking about real popularity. Imran Khan is the popular one. Imran is more liked and supported by non-Asians than Sachin.

So Winner: Imran Khan

Pakistan Zindabad

 

[Rahul1]

1. Wisden
2. Does not change the fact that Lara was extremely popular and he got a cricket game on his name.
3. Tendulkar even lost to Sanga of all people and that too in ODI Competition in an Australia poll. You, Indians, are free to worship him but don't expect everyone else to do so.

According to the same wisden, Anil kumble is a better bowler than ANY pakistani bowler ever.

Make of that what you will.

 

[Rahul1]

People are comparing Sachin and Lara based on...video games? Seriously?

 

[BreadPakoda]

SRT got the highest respect from arguably the greatest in the game - Sir Donald Bradman. That too when SRT was just 7-8 years into his career. And there are people who say he was famous only in India. Laughable.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Honestly, like most debates it comes down to SRT Vs Bradman. Unfortunately cricket wasn’t a very popular sport when the latter played, and of course the telecast wasn’t there in many countries. Otherwise Bradman could have been the most popular player (I know - should avoid could have, should have etc.). I don’t think any other player would be able to surpass SRT. One not only needs to be a child prodigy but also play as the best cricketer across generations. SRT started off in late 80s and finished in early 10s, and did that. In comparison, probably the next best, Virat has been the best only for 6 years. Lol.

 

[The_Odd_One]

According to the same wisden, Anil kumble is a better bowler than ANY pakistani bowler ever.

Make of that what you will.

Source?

I used Wisden as a neutral source because a poster questioned my statement that Lara played better knocks than Tendulkar.

 

[Send1983]

People are comparing Sachin and Lara based on...video games? Seriously?

What can you expect from delusional fans?

 

[The_Odd_One]

People are comparing Sachin and Lara based on...video games? Seriously?

Why not? It can be used for popularity comparison. You see games like WWE: Shut your mouth, here comes the pain, etc because the Rock and Brock Lesnar were extremely popular. There are cricket games like Bradman cricket, Lara, Border, etc. You won't see a Rahul Dravid or Jacques Kallis cricket.

 

[Oligochaetes]

Why not? It can be used for popularity comparison. You see games like WWE: Shut your mouth, here comes the pain, etc because the Rock and Brock Lesnar were extremely popular. There are cricket games like Bradman cricket, Lara, Border, etc. You won't see a Rahul Dravid or Jacques Kallis cricket.

I have seen cricket gaming apps named after Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja..

 

[Rahul1]

Source?

I used Wisden as a neutral source because a poster questioned my statement that Lara played better knocks than Tendulkar.

http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2001/jul/30bow100.htm

 

[WildSwing]

http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2001/jul/30bow100.htm

lol great find, according to this even harbhajan is greater than all pakistani bowlers in history

 

[Adijazz1706]

lol great find, according to this even harbhajan is greater than all pakistani bowlers in history

Wrong title, its the top bowling in an inns not top bowlers

 

[WildSwing]

Wrong title, its the top bowling in an inns not top bowlers

Yeah probably, but still a good counter to people who bring up wisden not rating a single sachin performance in top 100, so not a single pakistani bowler has given a better performance in an innings than bhajji and kumble

 

[BreadPakoda]

Yeah probably, but still a good counter to people who bring up wisden not rating a single sachin performance in top 100, so not a single pakistani bowler has given a better performance in an innings than bhajji and kumble

Kumble has a 10 wickets in an innings. A bit difficult to beat that, innit?

 

[Adijazz1706]

lol great find, according to this even harbhajan is greater than all pakistani bowlers in history

Sarfaraz Nawaz is the top ranked Pak bowler there at 15 while Sachin was at 100, open your eyes mate

 

[WildSwing]

Sarfaraz Nawaz is the top ranked Pak bowler there at 15 while Sachin was at 100, open your eyes mate

Doesn't matter, both bhajji and kumble were better

 

[Madplayer]

Doesn't matter, both bhajji and kumble were better

So bhajji and kumble are better cricketers than Sachin . Okay.

 

[WildSwing]

So bhajji and kumble are better cricketers than Sachin . Okay.

How did you reach that conclusion?

 

[Adijazz1706]

Doesn't matter, both bhajji and kumble were better

It was close though, unlike Sachin vs and Mahmood which was a knockout

 

[WildSwing]

It was close though, unlike Sachin vs and Mahmood which was a knockout

As long as you acknowledge that no pakistani bowler has ever produced a better bowling performance than bhajji and kumble, I have no problems with your views on sachin's innings in top 100 list, we have laxman representing us in the top batting performances. So glad it is settled then, that no pakistani bowler or batsman has ever produced a performance better than Indian bowlers and batsmen

 

[Adijazz1706]

has proven his popularity, has anyone ever cared about any of Sachin's tweets?

Thought so

 

[Ab Fan]

Why not? It can be used for popularity comparison. You see games like WWE: Shut your mouth, here comes the pain, etc because the Rock and Brock Lesnar were extremely popular. There are cricket games like Bradman cricket, Lara, Border, etc. You won't see a Rahul Dravid or Jacques Kallis cricket.

They should make a AB de Villiers cricket game too in non-white costumes.

 

[silent ischemia]

In Ind and amongst Inds, but if you showed a picture of him to people in other countries he wouldnt be as well known as IK. Everyone that would know Sachin would know IK and IK has a much higher profile in the UK and around the world.

Forget IK. No bigger crowd puller than Afridi in this part of the world

 

[R3verse Swing]

People using Wisden and player stats to determine popularity are making the fundamental mistake of equating popularity with quality. The question is not who is the highest quality cricketer, but who is the most popular.

While the debate was alive and well last week, this week we have conclusive evidence and proof of who is the most popular cricketer - Afridi.

 

[Adijazz1706]

I'm not even Indian and that gave me chills. Similar to when I caught Messi during an Argentina friendly; the adulation is almost reverential from anyone who follows the game. No one will surpass the kind of standing that Tendulkar had in the overall game is what I'd wager.

I'm not a huge fan of Sachin the person though. The Indian media did a fantastic job of building him up as a holy cow that cannot be criticized that obviously helped. Sitting on the other side of the border, Dravid always seemed like a more genuine gentleman.

Even kids know that Messi can never reach El Diego in popularity in Argentina, not really an apt comparison

 

[Bhaijaan]

People using Wisden and player stats to determine popularity are making the fundamental mistake of equating popularity with quality. The question is not who is the highest quality cricketer, but who is the most popular.

While the debate was alive and well last week, this week we have conclusive evidence and proof of who is the most popular cricketer - Afridi.

You are actually BANG ON except for the obvious fans that you got it wrong in placing Afridi over Tendulkar in popularity. But you are one of the few posters here who actually understood the point of thread and the meaning of popularity in true sense.

Afridi is truly way more over with the crowd than Wasim, Was at, Indy, Akhtar ever were. I've not lived in Imran's times but I highly doubt he had the mad following of the level Afridi has. Afridi fills stadiums. He just has that presence.


In my most honest opinion the three most popular and outrageously over cricketers of my generation are :-

1. Tendulkar by far and in another league
2. Warne
3. Afridi

Honourable mentions to Akhtar, Kohli, Lara, Ponting, Pietersen, Flintoff, Gayle Lee.

 

[Rishta Aunty]

Even kids know that Messi can never reach El Diego in popularity in Argentina, not really an apt comparison

Yes, but the point was that more than 90% of the fans in the game were non-Argentinian. Messi's popularity overall in terms of the crowd respect that he gets is unbelievable. I've seen similar with Tendulkar. Noone else get's that level of respect in Australia/England.etc

The reason why the Argentinians hold Maradona higher is down to what he did in WC86(especially against England after the Falklands war) and because he epitomizes the street spirit of the cities. Messi, rightly or wrongly, is seen closer to the Barca way than Argentinian.

 

[Adijazz1706]

You are actually BANG ON except for the obvious fans that you got it wrong in placing Afridi over Tendulkar in popularity. But you are one of the few posters here who actually understood the point of thread and the meaning of popularity in true sense.

Afridi is truly way more over with the crowd than Wasim, Was at, Indy, Akhtar ever were. I've not lived in Imran's times but I highly doubt he had the mad following of the level Afridi has. Afridi fills stadiums. He just has that presence.


In my most honest opinion the three most popular and outrageously over cricketers of my generation are :-

1. Tendulkar by far and in another league
2. Warne
3. Afridi

Honourable mentions to Akhtar, Kohli, Lara, Ponting, Pietersen, Flintoff, Gayle Lee.

Afridi also triggers a billion plus populace and an entire country's media and their international cricketers, Sachin can't even reapond properly

 

[Adijazz1706]

Yes, but the point was that more than 90% of the fans in the game were non-Argentinian. Messi's popularity overall in terms of the crowd respect that he gets is unbelievable. I've seen similar with Tendulkar. Noone else get's that level of respect in Australia/England.etc

The reason why the Argentinians hold Maradona higher is down to what he did in WC86(especially against England after the Falklands war) and because he epitomizes the street spirit of the cities. Messi, rightly or wrongly, is seen closer to the Barca way than Argentinian.

Messi and Sachin also have tax evasion as a common trait in addition to their boring personalities and lack of charisma and leadership. Turning put to be an interesting comparison this

 

[Rishta Aunty]

Messi and Sachin also have tax evasion as a common trait in addition to their boring personalities and lack of charisma and leadership. Turning put to be an interesting comparison this

Of course. Both are low-key personalities, with a definite lack of leadership. But lots of people love the 'humble, child superstar'. And that's why Messi and Sachin are so popular as well. You've seen them grown from precocious teenage talent, to dominating genius, and finally to un-impeachable statesmen. Atleast that's the media spin

 

[Bhaijaan]

Kohli is finding it hard to dominate even the IPL.

 

[Ab Fan]

Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting are smarter and superior version of Tendulkar.

 

[RainMan_]

If we take all the formats into consideration Tendulkar will come out as the greatest batsman of all time.

Viv is a close second.

But the cricket world still hasn't managed produce a single batsman who is remotely as good as these two giants. Good things about Sachin and Viv is that both of them r two of the biggest big match players of all time.

 

[gani999]

I remember that when Gavaskar retired, people said pretty much the same things about him being the most popular player and the most prolific run scorer who was irreplaceable yada yada.
Along came Sachin, who tossed Gavaskar aside in every respect, whether in the number runs scored or in popularity.

Sachin too will be tossed aside in a few years by someone else. Right now the most likely candidate is Kohli.

Of course, Sachin has his army of Sachinistas who will always treat him as a god. Gavaskar never had that good fortune, as he played in an India that was a lot saner in many ways back then. Kohli may get his fan club too.

 

[Bhaijaan]

I remember that when Gavaskar retired, people said pretty much the same things about him being the most popular player and the most prolific run scorer who was irreplaceable yada yada.
Along came Sachin, who tossed Gavaskar aside in every respect, whether in the number runs scored or in popularity.

Sachin too will be tossed aside in a few years by someone else. Right now the most likely candidate is Kohli.

Of course, Sachin has his army of Sachinistas who will always treat him as a god. Gavaskar never had that good fortune, as he played in an India that was a lot saner in many ways back then. Kohli may get his fan club too.

Gavaskar is still the sweetheart of elders and kids alike. Don’t say disrespectful things like tossing legends aside. We never did that. Tendulkar was special as a person which is why he became a rage.

So far Kohli has the numbers but the hype is nothing like Sachin. Tendulkar had achieved demi god status by this age.

There is a big vacuum in terms of popularity. There is Sachin then many tiers below there is Afridi and everyone else.

Kohli is not even at Afridi level right now popularity wise.

 

[Ikball]

Few years ago i was unsure. I thought maybe if an Indian matches him in numbers and style his popularity might just be surpassed but as i see it now Kohli and Smith both have terrific numbers and none of them are anywhere near as hot as Tendulkar was in the same age and even before.


Our elders didn't have serious acceptance issues in putting Tendulkar above their past heroes i.e., Gavaskar/Richards. They revered Sachin but most of this generation and the soon to be elders are finding it difficult to put Kohli over Sachin despite clearly accepting Kohli is better in many things.

At Kohli's age Tendulkar was drawing crowds to the stadiums like crazy. Kohli is nowhere near as a crowd puller. Not many would pay to watch him over Tendulkar.

That just brings you back to the question.

Are we going to see a player in our lifetime who will be as popular if not more than Tendulkar was in late 90s and has been ever since?

Inside INDIA : NO
Rest of the world : Already few players like ABDV, Kohli, Afridi

 

[Big Mac]

No one. Sachin was insanely over to the point that he could score ducks in every match for a while and still get crazy pops from the crowd. PPers love to troll in his name but the guy transcended the sport. He did not have crazy charisma or a fiery personality but the crowd just took to him.

 

[Chrish]

It's impossible to suppress SRT's popularity for any non-indian player for the obvious reasons..

Of course popularity here would be classified as the number of fans any given player has.

 

[anoop]

Inside INDIA : NO
Rest of the world : Already feDew players like ABDV, Kohli, Afridi

None of them you listed are as popular as sachin.

 

[Bhaijaan]

It's impossible to suppress SRT's popularity for any non-indian player for the obvious reasons..

Of course popularity here would be classified as the number of fans any given player has.

Not really.

Kohli today might well surpass Tendulkar in terms of twitter followers but the kind of mad things Tendulkar's fans do for him, Kohli doesn't have that sort of followers, or nearly as much as Sachin does.

I mentioned Afridi's fan following. In pure numbers his followers could well be less than an average Indian cricketer yet the obsession with Afridi is unreal. No cricketer in India except Sachin has that sort of following.

Chris Gayle had mad following. He didnt't need to be Indian to be the universe boss.

 

[Darkrai]

The only player that has a chance in Kohli. Although it will be very difficult, i do think Kohli has what it takes to surpass Sachin in terms of Popularity. Kohli will have to continue to elevate as a batsmen, especially in test cricket. Being as good as Sachin won't be enough, he will have to surpass Sachin. Sachin is well renowned for many impressive records, such as most international 100s and most runs. Kohli will have to at least break some of the records to elevate himself to the next level. Winning the WC as a captain will definitely have a major impact on his legacy as an Indian cricketer. The last think i believe he needs to do is to control his emotions on and off the field-act more mature. If he successfully does all these things then i think he will surpass Sachin.

 

[ArsenalFC]

LOL SRT isn't even the most popular cricketer it is Imran Khan even in his playing days he was well known in America, UK and Australia let alone Asia.

When asked, Maria Sharapova had never heard of him while he was there at Wimbledon to watch her (or her tennis).

 

[Savage]

AB Devilliers is surely one of the contender