The Little Master Bows Out...

[SckizoBoy]

Sachin Tendulkar calls it a day... [http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/24476273]

I know there aren't many cricket fans on the Escapist, but I'll post this anyway...

200 Tests, 100 (& still counting) international centuries and a host of records. Definitely India's best cricketer, probably the Subcontinent's greatest cricketer ever, and debatably the best cricketer ever.

Thoughts on his retirement?

 

[DasDestroyer]

Cricketer? So does he earn a living by lighting Cricket lighters?


I really just posted for that terrible pun, I don't follow any kind of sports, much less ones that are played primarily in other countries. D:

 

[SillyBear]

I'm amazed he managed to play successfully for so long.

The man is absolutely incredible. I always sit down to watch when he is batting and even towards the end of his career his ability was awe inspiring.

His absence will be felt, but it's time to move on.

and debatably the best cricketer ever.

Oh lord Jesus no. No, no. Top five material probably - but how the fuck can anyone touch Bradman? 99.94 average in 52 tests and 95.14 average in 234 first class matches, on uncovered pitches. For comparison, Tendulkar played 302 first class matches on flat, covered subcontinent pitches that are a batsman's paradise and he averages 57.89. I can't see how anyone could realistically call Sachin the best ever.

Bradman is not only the best cricketer ever he is, in my mind, the best sportsmen (of any sport) ever. If we judge sportsmen by just how far above their peers they are statistically then Bradman has it in the bag by a mile.

Tendulkar is probably the all round greatest batsmen I've seen in my lifetime. However Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara at the peak of their careers were the better players. But Tendulkar had so much more consistency than them and did it for longer. He is definitely one of the greats.

 

[SckizoBoy]

snip

Ah... hence my use of the word 'debatably', because it comes down to the non-Indian view that Tendulkar is, unfortunately, only a legend in India, but not really in world cricket.

Even as far as averages are concerned, Rahul Dravid outscored him throughout his career, so Tendulkar's selling point is that his 24 years have been so consistent. He's the boring kind of great, rather than Bradman's explosiveness, Lara's natural flair and artistry and so on and so forth. Lasting so long and playing so well over this time (only a couple blips, like in 2006) is what sets him apart... so... eh... you can argue it any number of ways.

 

[Triangulon]

Imagine my surprise. I was expecting to post something about Sachin on a completely unrelated topic as a joke. Definitely the greatest batsman I have seen. The fact that he rarely interviews has really added to a slight air of mystery around him. Outside of India anyway. I would say top 5 batsmen for me. It is difficult to compare with older batsmen like Bradman, not just because of pitches but also the difference in bowlers.