Sachin Tendulkar v/s Sunil Gavskar

One of my closest buddy wrote this article and I felt compelling to add it to my blog. Here it is -

There is an art and a science to every skill. I do not think anyone of us is qualified to speak on how artful these two players are in their trade. If Wasim Akram and Shane Warne say Sachin is the best, then we should shut up and accept. If Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee jointly thought that Gavaskar's was the best show on earth, then we should let that be. The best we mortals can do is to crunch numbers and analyze the science part of their batting.

Discipline, resolve, grace, hunger and unsurpassed technical skill are the common mark of these batsmen; both blessed with huge (metaphorical) shoulders that have carried their teams through the passage of time. However, you are talking about two players who functioned under different themes. The idiom during Gavaskar's era was to not lose; the paradigm under which Sachin Tendulkar plays demands that his team wins. The short answer to your question is that both of these players evolved to the highest heights possible for a human being, in their respective timelines. Gavaskar was the Mercedes sedan of his time - well engineered, precise, classy, solid and trustworthy. Tendulkar is the Lexus sedan of our time - super refined, sophisticated, able to adapt to any driving conditions without breaking a sweat, highest standards of quality, and a benchmark in everything. They are the untouchables of their own time.

Gavaskar retired with practically every batting record under his belt. Most of those are owned by Sachin now.One is knighted by the janata as a Master Blaster, the other as was the original Little Master.

Sachin Tendulkar plays in a media-propelled era of spectators that is over reactive, low on patience and high on drama. A single failure can rouse an extreme reaction from the hero-starved janata of our India. No other player in the history of cricket, or perhaps any game, has been subject to more intense scrutiny and expectation of performance, than has Sachin Tendulkar. Gavaskar predominantly played on the Radio. Tendulkar plays on TV and the internet, thus appearing before an audience a thousand times bigger than Gavaskar did; where even the way he chins up his helmet is observed and scrutinized by millions instantaenously, even before he takes guard. There was a period in Tendulkar's career that he was considered to have 'failed' if he returned from the crease without scoring a hundred. Even today, if India doesn't win a match, the first person to get singled out for criticism is Sachin Tendulkar. We would never know how Gavaskar would have taken to such extreme exposure

Sachin's aggregate of 6207 Test runs in century scores is unlikely to get overtaken by anyone in near future. A testimony of a batsman's ability to play a long innings is his average century score. Tendulkar's average century score of 214 easily surpasses Gavaskar's 177. Ever since Sachin's Test batting average touched 50 (initially he played at the #7 spot), his cumulative batting average has dipped below 50 just twice in his entire career thereof, never going below 49.3…and of those two instances, one lasted for just a single match after which it popped right back above the 50 mark. Sunil Gavaskar's cumulative batting average dipped below 50 thrice during his career, his longest lean patch lasting from January 1977 to October 1978. Sachin has scored an unprecedented 7000+ Test runs on foreign soil, and he is still an active test player. Just the sheer weight of this number is enough to set him apart from any batsman in the world, from any era. Add to it no less than 24 centuries on foreign turf and we can see why this small man is such a giant in the record books. The other little man, Gavaskar, too scored 18 neat test hundreds on foreign soil, in just 60 tests, which technically is a better ratio than Sachin's, and an achievement in itself considering that Gavaskar spent almost all his career playing for the Indian side that was considered as a minnow, especially when it came to touring outside.

That Sachin is a role model for professionalism, and has the highest morals, is an undisputed issue. One can not imagine Sachin walking off with his batting partner after being annoyed at a decision by the umpire, a la Gavaskar at Melbourne in 1981. There is a silent strength in Sachin's demeanor that accentuates his tendency to let the bat do the talking. Gavaskar had a bit of a cheeky, pugnacious streak in him and it seemed like he wouldn't hesitate to take on a Malcolm Marshall or a Sarfraj Nawaz with more than just the bat, if pushed to the edge.

Gavaskar platooned with the elite such as Greg Chappell, Geoff Boycott, David Gower, Javed Miandad, Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Zaheer Abbas, Alan Border, Clive Lloyd, Doug Walters, Allwyn Kallicharan, Graham Gooch, Desmond Haynes etc. for his spot of respect. Tendulkar hustles alongside the equally impressive club of Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Jaques Kallis, Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Inzamam Ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Matthew Hayden, Virendar Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist et all, for his honours.

On the prospect of facing some of the premier fast bowlers of their respective time zones, the argument may be even. Tendulkar averages just 8 runs against Shaun Pollock in head to heads, 12 against Allan Donald, 5 against Shoaib Akhtar, 22 against Glenn McGrath, 15 against Waqar Younis. Gavaskar? Just 1 against John Snow, 12 against Bob Willis, 12 against Len Pascoe, 12 against Malcolm Marshall, 15 against Andy Roberts. However, what increases the credibility of all the successful batsmen of the past era is the simple fact that they played in a more balanced game of bat and ball. The bowler of the past had a bit more to his assistance than the one today. There were really no rules against intimidatory bowling as they are nowadays. There were no disciplinary committees listening in on hidden microphones and camera's in stumps to assess player behavior on the field. A hot headed fast bowler, aided by 10 of his mates, sledged and threatened the batsman unbarred. Helmets were unknown, as were the myriad of body protection accessories. The batsman of the past was not as cushioned and protected in body and mind as is the batsman today. Umpires were not 'neutral', and umpiring was not aided by technology as is today.

What could be more thrilling than to see a tiny Gavaskar, with not even a hat on his head, take on Jeff Thomson on the first morning at Perth ? Today even the wicket keeper wears a helmet while keeping to a spinner. It isn’t Tendulkar's fault that the trends and technology in the game have changed. But on the issue of sheer courage I think Gavaskar should involuntarily score over Tendulkar, with no discredit to Tendulkar.

Here's one more interesting analysis. Tendulkar has played 261 Test innings, and 140 individual bowlers have claimed his wicket so far. Gavaskar played in 214 innings and lost his wicket to only 91 individual bowlers. This indicates Tendulkar's propensity to fall to a bowler who was not expected to take his wicket (I can myself remember so many ocassions where Sachin has fallen to a blatant rookie)…which conversely means that Gavaskar was a bit more stable against non-regular relief bowlers than Tendulkar is. Despite his feeble record as a Test captain, Gavaskar seemed to be a better leader / man-manager than Tendulkar. It may have to do with the fact that Gavaskar's persona effused shrewdness, craftiness and tactical manipulation. Tendulkar never came across as someone more than a simpleton enjoying his game. Even today, at the twilight of his career, Tendulkar has a tinge of boyish innocence even in the most intense moments on the field.

Gavaskar was supremely fit. An awesome fact is that he appeared in 125 of the 129 Test matches that were played by India during his career. Sachin may have had his share of absences by injury, but the argument could be that he also had an even more successful and hectic parallel career going on in One Day matches, which means his body has been abused more than Gavaskar's. For every 100 runs in tests, Sachin has 133 in One dayers. The body is naturally going to be rattled more. Gavaskar's bane was the One Dayers. Though a decent ODI batsman, Gavaskar never really made it to the list of even the top 25 one day batsmen of his time.

There is one area where Gavaskar easily tops Tendulkar, namely the innings split. For every 100 runs that Gavaskar made, 40 came in the second innings of the match. Tendulkar's corresponding number is just 27. Gavaskar's 60/40 split against Tendulkar's 73/27 is an easy indicator that Sachin is top heavy while Gavaskar's scoring is more balanced across the two innings of a match. As a subsidiary analysis, Gavaskar excels over Tendulkar on the fourth batting average (i.e. 4th inning of the Test). Playing 4th in a test, gavaskar averaged a solid 57, compared to 36 for Tendulkar. On the other hand, Tendulkar's first batting average (i.e. batting in the very first inning of the match) is 71, compared to 41 for Gavaskar.While we are on averages; Tendulkar averages 65 in his 51 won matches. He has scored 16 centuries in those 51 won matches. Gavaskar only averaged 44 in his 23 victories, with 6 century scores. 22 of Gavaskar's centuries went into drawn matches, indicating that his role was more that of an anchor who should see his team through the 5 days without losing. Tendulkar, on the other hand, with Dravid-Ganguly-Laxman at his side has played the role of an aggressor.

One could conclude to a certain extent that if God were to choose one of these two to better his chances of winning a match, the he'd pick Tendulkar. However, if God wanted to bet his last dollar on someone to play the entire 5th day to save a match, then he'd probably pick Gavaskar.

Should I go on? :)

HIS ways are best ways!!!

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Puppies for Sale

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he Felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy. Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies." "Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money." The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?""Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle,"Here,Dolly!" he called.Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this One noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...."I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need Someone who understands."
The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Mother's day

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars." The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose."He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother." She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

Building your own house!!!!

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!
What you build today, you live in it for tomorrow...