Life after 40: Numbers that should be a source of great inspiration for Sachin Tendulkar
So far only 101 cricketers have played Test cricket after the age of 40 and Sachin Tendulkar (above) is fifth in the all-time longest careers list © Getty Images
By Sarang Bhalerao
Sachin Tendulkar’s numbers in international cricket are staggering to say the least. His consistency and longevity speaks volumes of his ability as a cricketer.
So far only 101 cricketers have played Test cricket after the age of 40 and Sachin Tendulkar is fifth in the all-time longest careers list:
| Player | Period | Duration | Tests |
| Wilfred Rhodes (Eng) | Jun 1, 1899-Apr 12, 1930 | 30 years 315 days | 58 |
| Brian Close (Eng) | Jul 23, 1949- Jul 13, 1976 | 26 years 356 days | 22 |
| Frank Woolley(Eng) | Aug 9, 1909-Aug 22, 1934 | 25 years 13 days | 64 |
| George Headley (WI) | Jan 11, 1930-Jan 21, 1954 | 24 years, 10 days | 22 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) | Nov 15, 1989- Mar 24, 2013 | 23 years, 129 days | 198 |
How Sachin Tendulkar has fared between the age of 35-40 years
(Minimum qualification 3000 runs)
| Player | Span | Tests | I | Runs | HS | Avg | 100s | 50s |
| GA Gooch (Eng) | 1988-1994 | 45 | 82 | 4227 | 333 | 52.83 | 12 | 20 |
| SR Tendulkar (Ind) | 2008-2013 | 51 | 89 | 4055 | 214 | 50.06 | 12 | 18 |
| RS Dravid (Ind) | 2008-2012 | 47 | 85 | 3493 | 191 | 45.36 | 12 | 13 |
| AJ Stewart (Eng) | 1998-2003 | 58 | 101 | 3310 | 164 | 37.19 | 5 | 18 |
| G Boycott (Eng) | 1977-1981 | 41 | 75 | 3223 | 191 | 48.10 | 9 | 14 |
Does life get easier after 40?
(Minimum qualification 750 runs)
| Player | Span | T | I | Runs | HS | 100s | 50s | Avg | Career Avg | Deviation |
| JB Hobbs (Eng) | 1924-1930 | 27 | 43 | 2440 | 211 | 8 | 11 | 58.09 | 56.94 | +1.15 |
| Pasty Hendren (Eng) | 1929-1935 | 24 | 42 | 1901 | 205* | 3 | 12 | 50.02 | 47.63 | +2.39 |
| Tom Graveney (Eng) | 1967-1969 | 19 | 29 | 1243 | 151 | 3 | 6 | 44.39 | 44.38 | +0.01 |
| G Boycott (Eng) | 1981-1982 | 14 | 28 | 999 | 137 | 3 | 4 | 38.42 | 47.72 | -9.3 |
| Eric Rowan (SA) | 1949-1951 | 10 | 19 | 919 | 236 | 2 | 6 | 51.05 | 43.66 | 7.39 |
| Herbie Taylor (SA) | 1929-1932 | 13 | 22 | 843 | 121 | 2 | 5 | 40.14 | 40.77 | -0.63 |
| GA Gooch | 1993-1993 | 13 | 24 | 798 | 210 | 1 | 3 | 33.25 | 42.58 | -9.33 |
The above table show the legendary Jack Hobbs outperformed after 40 his efforts before his 40th birthday!
After the age of 40
- 36 centuries have been scored by batsmen
- Eric Rowan’s (SA) 236 against England at Leeds in 1951 is the highest score
- There have been only five double hundreds
- For India, Vijay Merchant’s 154 against England at Delhi in 1951 is the only hundred in the post-40 age-group.
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)