The world is running out of superlatives for Sachin Tendulkar. I had always felt that I had missed the boat with the Little Master. A relative latecomer to the game (sadly one of those jumping on the Ashes 2005 bandwagon - I just managed to stay on it!), I starting watching at a time when he seemed to be in decline, dogged by an elbow injury and seemingly winding down on a farewell tour in front of adoring fans. And then something changed. In the last 3 calendar years alone he has hit 13 Test tons, 7 of them in 2010, his most productive year of all, 2 whole decades after he first entered the international fray. Suddenly, I found myself enjoying Sachin's golden autumn, possibly even more magical than everything he had accomplished before. It is astonishing to see the power that a man of his stature manages to generate and combined with the strength and elegance packed into wrists, it makes him a force to be reckoned with on all surfaces, not just the featherbeds of the subcontinent. His cover drives and cut shots are still the best in the game.
Then there is the temperament of the man. Apparently there are 2 billion Christians in the world, all of whom worship God. There are 1 billion Indians, all of whom revere Tendulkar. Essentially, he has half the following of an omnipotent being and actually exists to have to deal with all of the pressure that comes with this reverance. And yet his enthusiasm for cricket, be it a Test for India or a T20 for his beloved Mumbai Indians, is undampened, his attitude never called into question by his superiors - the cult of celebrity which dogs many a talented footballer has never penetrated the mind of SRT. Here is a true role model to those who idolise him. I don't particularly like the Indian cricket team and the obsessive fanaticism which follows them everywhere, but I admire Tendulkar, and have taken great pleasure in watching him - I begrudge him nothing.
Now, as I have said previously, I am not just following the Ashes this winter. You may recall my cheeky wee prediction that Tendulkar would record his 50th Test century in Centurion. Well, I was right. 111 unbeaten runs in the second innings, in which he demonstrated all of his great strengths against the best pace attack in the world, and history was made. He will probably go on to make 15,000 Test runs in the near future and will enjoy one last tour to England next summer in what is sure to be a classic series. And yet, he is not the only true great to make a little bit of history at SuperSport Park. Sometimes, the result of a match (India got slaughtered by an innings and 25 runs) is not important. It is what the individuals achieve that makes it so memorable. This is what makes cricket unique amongst team sports.
I'm talking, of course, about Jacques Henry Kallis. Kallis has just celebrated 15 years in the international game and for my money is by far South Africa's best player since the readmission. Contrast his average (56.82) to Tendulkar's (56.91). When you've played as much cricket as these two, the difference is negligible. On top of that, Kallis has also taken 269 Test wickets with his fast medium swing bowling, which remains effective to this day, even if Kallis prefers to stand at slip to the younger, quicker men! There was just one blot on his CV - no double century. What better stage than against the World No.1 side to right the wrong? 201* did very nicely.
So why is Kallis so much less revered than Tendulkar? The first reason is the sheer volume of cricket in India in contrast to South Africa, which must compete with rugby and football. Kabaddi just doesn't cut it! Kallis' brand of cricket makes it to a far narrower audience. This brand in itself is far less watchable than Tendulkar, preferring to biff the ball around or accumulate stodgily, rather than caressing the ball into the gaps. Finally, there is Kallis' attitude, most prominently brought to light in former teammate Herschelle Gibbs' autobiography. It was claimed that Kallis, along with other senior players, ruled the dressing room and soured the atmosphere. This is sheer pish from a bitter man who, while clearly a more talented batsman than Kallis, never lived up to his potential. However, it is true that his fitness has often been an issue and his batting style has been said to be quite selfish at times, a trait never associated with Tendulkar.
All that said, just because he is less celebrated in the wider public, does not mean that we at Beyond the Cliche value him any less than the Little Master. Both have accomplished great things in the game in their own way and their performances in Centurion were equally worthy of praise. You do not have to entertain, or capture the spirit of a nation, to excel in your game - a fact worth remembering in all walks of life.
Gordon Brown for example...
RM
Then there is the temperament of the man. Apparently there are 2 billion Christians in the world, all of whom worship God. There are 1 billion Indians, all of whom revere Tendulkar. Essentially, he has half the following of an omnipotent being and actually exists to have to deal with all of the pressure that comes with this reverance. And yet his enthusiasm for cricket, be it a Test for India or a T20 for his beloved Mumbai Indians, is undampened, his attitude never called into question by his superiors - the cult of celebrity which dogs many a talented footballer has never penetrated the mind of SRT. Here is a true role model to those who idolise him. I don't particularly like the Indian cricket team and the obsessive fanaticism which follows them everywhere, but I admire Tendulkar, and have taken great pleasure in watching him - I begrudge him nothing.
Now, as I have said previously, I am not just following the Ashes this winter. You may recall my cheeky wee prediction that Tendulkar would record his 50th Test century in Centurion. Well, I was right. 111 unbeaten runs in the second innings, in which he demonstrated all of his great strengths against the best pace attack in the world, and history was made. He will probably go on to make 15,000 Test runs in the near future and will enjoy one last tour to England next summer in what is sure to be a classic series. And yet, he is not the only true great to make a little bit of history at SuperSport Park. Sometimes, the result of a match (India got slaughtered by an innings and 25 runs) is not important. It is what the individuals achieve that makes it so memorable. This is what makes cricket unique amongst team sports.
I'm talking, of course, about Jacques Henry Kallis. Kallis has just celebrated 15 years in the international game and for my money is by far South Africa's best player since the readmission. Contrast his average (56.82) to Tendulkar's (56.91). When you've played as much cricket as these two, the difference is negligible. On top of that, Kallis has also taken 269 Test wickets with his fast medium swing bowling, which remains effective to this day, even if Kallis prefers to stand at slip to the younger, quicker men! There was just one blot on his CV - no double century. What better stage than against the World No.1 side to right the wrong? 201* did very nicely.
So why is Kallis so much less revered than Tendulkar? The first reason is the sheer volume of cricket in India in contrast to South Africa, which must compete with rugby and football. Kabaddi just doesn't cut it! Kallis' brand of cricket makes it to a far narrower audience. This brand in itself is far less watchable than Tendulkar, preferring to biff the ball around or accumulate stodgily, rather than caressing the ball into the gaps. Finally, there is Kallis' attitude, most prominently brought to light in former teammate Herschelle Gibbs' autobiography. It was claimed that Kallis, along with other senior players, ruled the dressing room and soured the atmosphere. This is sheer pish from a bitter man who, while clearly a more talented batsman than Kallis, never lived up to his potential. However, it is true that his fitness has often been an issue and his batting style has been said to be quite selfish at times, a trait never associated with Tendulkar.
All that said, just because he is less celebrated in the wider public, does not mean that we at Beyond the Cliche value him any less than the Little Master. Both have accomplished great things in the game in their own way and their performances in Centurion were equally worthy of praise. You do not have to entertain, or capture the spirit of a nation, to excel in your game - a fact worth remembering in all walks of life.
Gordon Brown for example...
RM
No comments:
Post a Comment