GOD and his Challengers

SACHIN TENDULKAR
Age:                                  40 (24/04/1973)
International debut     16 (15/11/1989)
Role                                  Batsmen
Batting Style:                 Right Handed
Bowling Style:               Off break

The 1990s was a mixed time for Indian cricket lovers. Sachin Tendulkar was at his peak, and the nation’s hopes rested on his five-foot-five-inch pocket-sized frame. The outfit in blue didn’t always win but even when they didn’t, Tendulkar’s brilliance always stood out. 

He was a class apart, but you would only know that if you looked at what he was up against.

Over 24 years, as you would expect, he’s had some epic one-on-ones against the best in the business, starting with Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and Glenn McGgrath in the ’90s, and running all the way down to the likes of Brett Lee and James Anderson in the last 10 years.

Let’s take a quick look at how those battles panned out.

Shane Warne: The blonde magician first bowled at Sachin in his debut Test in 1991 and finished with figures of 1/150, with Sachin’s unbeaten 148 overshadowed – only marginally – by Ravi Shastri’s double ton. Warne and Sachin were part of some legendary contests over the years, most notably in 1998 – the first time Sachin took on the leg-spinner on turning Indian tracks in Tests. Sachin dominated that series in spectacular fashion, dismantling Warne’s leg-stump attack with surgical precision. Tendulkar averaged 54.25 against the leggie and fell to the Australian on just four occasions across all formats. Sachin’s unbeaten 155 against Australia in the second innings of the 1998 Chennai Test was testament to his dominance over Warne.

Now: Warne, who made his debut two years after Sachin, retired from international cricket in 2007 but played in T20 leagues in India and Australia. He is now a fixture in the commentary box.

Muttiah Muralitharan: Murali and Sachin came face to face for the first time in the second Test of India’s tour to Sri Lanka in 1993. Murali was playing only his sixth game, while Sachin had already established his credentials, playing in his 28th Test. Since then their paths have often crossed with both claiming bragging rights from time to time. Murali has dismissed Sachin 13 times across all formats, with only Brett Lee (14) getting more success. But Sachin also held his own, hitting five centuries and four 50s in the 19 Tests against the wily off-spinner. In ODIs, he averages 46.97 in the 47 games featuring Murali with five centuries and 12 half-centuries. 

Now: Murali made his debut three years after Sachin, retired in 2011 and is now actively involved with his charity Foundation of Goodness that supports local communities through education, training and health care.

Glenn McGrath: McGrath is one of the few bowlers who could boast of winning the battle against Sachin. The lanky Aussie, known for his nagging line and length, made his debut in 1993 and faced-off against Sachin for the first time in an ODI in Sharjah next year. McGrath got just one wicket, yup, that of Tendulkar but India won the game by seven wickets. Since then, the pair has crossed paths on nine occasions in Tests and 23 times in ODIs. Sachin has not found it easy against Australia with McGrath in the team, averaging 36 in ODIs and 36.77 in Tests. McGrath has also dismissed the master 13 times across the two formats and thrice for a duck, the most by any bowler.

Now: McGrath retired in 2007 and is now actively involved with the McGrath Cancer Foundation which he started with his wife Jane, who passed away in 2008 after battling breast cancer for several years.

Shaun Pollock: McGrath did not concede a lot of runs against Sachin but Pollock was even better. The South African made his Test debut in 1995, played ODIs for the first time a year later and quickly established himself as one of the better bowlers going around. The two played against each other for the first time in an ODI in 1996 and have played 12 Tests and 28 ODIs against each other. Pollock accounted for Sachin on 12 occasions but what’s more interesting is that he averaged just 6.15 against the pacer.

Now: Pollock retired in 2008 and crossed the fence to join Sachin at Mumbai Indians first as a player and then as mentor and bowling coach.

Chaminda Vaas: Easily Sri Lanka’s best pace bowler until Lasith Malinga established himself, the battles between Sachin and Vaas were a delight since the late 1990s. The left-arm seamer made his debut in 1994 and took on Tendulkar in the same year in an ODI in Rajkot. In the 49 ODIs and 11 Tests, Vaas got the better of Tendulkar 12 times but the Indian too had his say often, averaging 53.41 in Tests and 48.60 in ODIs when Vaas was part of the team.

Now: Vaas, once the bowler to dismiss Sachin on most occasions, hung his boots in 2009 and is now coach of the Kandurata Maroons, who participated in the Champions League T20 in 2013. 

Brett Lee: The fastest bowler to play cricket, well at least since the speed gun was invented. He spearheaded Australia’s pace-attack and sent a shiver down the spine of many a batsman. Tendulkar found him too hot to handle as well, falling to the speedster 14 times. That is the most times he has fallen to any bowler.

Now: After retiring in 2012, Lee continued to fire is rapid deliveries in the IPL and the Big Bash League.

This lot was the exception. They managed to hold their own and at times, dominated Tendulkar, giving rise to personal battles that developed into interesting sub-plots through the years.

It was his struggle against these bowlers that showed Tendulkar was human, after all pace wasn’t his Achilles heel; he averaged 33 against Courtney Walsh, 56.14 against Damien Fleming and 45.33 versus Imran Khan. Spin wasn’t the problem either; he dismissed Saqlain Mushtaq with disdain, averaging 61.80 against the offie who looked unplayable against lesser batsmen.

Over time, Tendulkar found himself battling against the likes of Saeed Ajmal and Anderson. With a shift in generation came a shift in the type of challenge; doosras, carrom balls, reverse-swing and slower deliveries. Despite the changing challenges, his run-tally of 34,273 at an average of 48.54 and the records he broke showed how he always had the upper-hand over his adversaries. Besides, not many batsmen can boast of overcoming challenges across several generations of quality bowlers.