Did ODI cricket miss the opportunity to see another Sobers in Tendulkar?
Did we miss opportunity to see another Sobers in Sachin?
By Madan Mohan
On April 24, celebrations of Sachin Tendulkar’s greatness will touch crescendo and several column inches worth of articles will stare back at you. There will be the inevitable comparisons with Sir Don Bradman, which have become ever more vociferous since he scored the first-ever double century in One-Day Internationals.
At the end of Tendulkar’s long career, the one thing we’ll never know is if he could have been the next Garfield Sobers – at any rate, in ODIs. A return of 154 wickets with four four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls is commendable. The economy rate of 5.10 is on the higher side, but probably acceptable for part timer. His exploits in the Hero Cup and again in the ICC Knock-Out Trophy encounter against Australia in 1998 are particularly memorable. His ability to mix up leg-breaks, off-breaks and seam-up deliveries is remarkable and has sprung surprises on batsmen lulled into complacency by the sight of part-timer. He has often extracted more turn from his leg-breaks and off-breaks than Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh respectively!
He has had much less success in Test matches, given that batsmen are more intent on preserving their wicket and content to see him off. But he has, on the odd occasion, given crucial breakthroughs to the team. Most notably, he dismissed Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in the second innings of the epic 2001 India-Australia Test match at Kolkata.
Over the years, though, Tendulkar the bowler hasn’t really blossomed along side Tendulkar the batsman. In my opinion, no Indian captain after Mohammed Azharuddin really used him well on a consistent basis. Batsmen have also learnt to play him with respect and know that he is prone to concede a few loose balls which they can target to keep the scoreboard ticking.
The spate of injuries that haunted a significant phase of his career has played a part in curtailing the amount of bowling he could without risking another hiatus. But where Tendulkar has time and again reinvented himself as a batsman and remained a reliable bulwark of the batting line up, his bag of tricks as a bowler has gotten old and less effective than before.
Strange, when you consider how eagerly he aspired to be a bowler in the years before he began playing international cricket. He had even gone for trails to MRF Pace Academy but was sent back by Dennis Lillee felt he was too short to be a fast bowler. Quite possibly, he may not have graduated to the Master Blaster we know him to be, but for this discouraging slight to his bowling prowess. But over the years, his bowling hasn’t developed nor has he been used regularly, even if only in short spells.
Perhaps, dedicating all his energy to mastering batting and constantly maintaining the level of perfection achieved left him no time to get more out of his bowling. Perhaps, his batting contribution was too crucial to the team to risk distracting his focus by utilizing his bowling skills more. Also, with an increasing number of part-time spin or seam options at the disposal of later captains, they probably didn’t have to turn to Tendulkar all that often any more for that elusive breakthrough.
The reasons are many, but Tendulkar’s bowling career offers tantalizing promise for a part timer and seems consigned not to make good on that promise. Given that he is also an enthusiastic fielder, he could have matured into a batting all rounder and heaven knows India badly needs some all rounders. But India needed Tendulkar the batsman far more than it needed Tendulkar the bowler, and the choice was an easy one to make for him.
The question is: Will the great man look back with a tinge of regret on his less spectacular bowling achievements when he’s through?
(Madan Mohan, a 25-year old CA from Mumbai, is passionate about writing, music and cricket. Writing on cricket is like the icing on the cake.)