Mantle of greatness
Who is the greatest batsman of all time? Sachin Tendulkar or Donald Bradman? The debate continues with R.F. LAMBERT adding his share.

WHAT defines a great mountain-climber? Of course, his ability to defy the odds. An ability that is actually decided on the jagged edges of the mountains. This is also true of great sport.
Who then, is the greatest batsman of all time, in the cricketing world? For those who have revered Sir Donald Bradman as the greatest, it is perhaps preposterous to even suggest that Sachin Tendulkar is greater. Yet, that is precisely what emerges from an analysis of the facts. When you realistically compare the odds that these men faced, the Mumbai lad beats the Australian by miles or "out of the ground".
Cricket analysts (and all of them say the Don is the greatest) talk of Bradman's staying power (his ability to bat for days at a stretch), his ability to come good when Australia needed a big, match-winning score from him and his incredible scoring rate. They also point to Bradman's amazing temperament, concentration and iron will that saw him make a mockery of even the most devious "bodyline" bowling.
Sadly, these analysts forget that Bradman was simply the right man in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had all the qualities to be the greatest, but the environment and context he was in, simply did not test him enough to justifiably wear that crown. Especially if that crown reads: "greatest batsman of all time"!
Over his 20-year career (1928-1948) the Don — even if he did not play all those 20 years — faced only four opponents (England, India, West Indies and South Africa). Most of the time, his opponent was England, against whom he scored 72 per cent of all his 6,996 international Test runs (19 of his 29 centuries were against England; nine scored in Australia and the remaining 10 in England). He literally saw pretty much the same bowlers for a long time. So the bowler's face, manner, body language clues, strategy and skill were rarely new.
In his 13-year career (1989-2002), Sachin, on the other hand, has played nine Test opponents (Australia, England, West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh) and seen a new face running toward him on every tour. Not one of them has he played more than 15 per cent of the time and he has scored centuries (20 in all; 14 at home and the rest overseas) against all of them, except Bangladesh.
Of course in that time, and apart from his haul of 8,500 Test runs, he has also scored well over 12,000 runs (including 34 centuries) in one-day internationals (that are several times more difficult to score than in Test cricket). He has demolished the best bowlers from all these nine teams — a total of 64 tons in international cricket. Roughly, around two tons for every year of his lifetime, not just his career.
The Don played in only nine grounds in the world; Melbourne was his arena for 30 per cent of that time. He was used to the pitches, the crowds and the playing conditions. While Sachin, apart from the eight grounds in India, has played on 12 grounds in nine countries spread across four continents.
Yet figures do not always tell the whole story. There are a countless other factors. When the Don played, competitiveness on the field was fierce, but its manifestation as it hit his bat was positively meek compared to what Sachin has faced. The moving ball that Sachin thrashes into the stands comes at him at speeds — often close to 160 kmph — that the Don could never have dreamt of (despite pacemen like Larwood and Voce). Balls are now honed by the latest technology to move faster, smoother across the "fastest" and hardest pitches in the world, giving the batsman only a fraction of a second to pick his shot. Sachin has faced the fastest bowlers in the world and hammered them; the same cannot be said of the Don for he never got the chance to face a genuine pace attack on a genuinely fast pitch.
Swing was rarely, if ever, used at the time the Don played and he had to essentially contend with ridiculously modest spin and pace and, of course, line, length and body bowling. Whereas Sachin has had to contend with lethal swing, reverse swing, the deceptive slow-ball and seam wetting commonly used to affect the ball's trajectory. A fielder today would most certainly pick up a four and a six hit by a batsman of the Don's era since then diving was not standard of teams in their spotless flannels.
Return throws from the boundary that shatter the wickets were unheard of in the 1930s and 1940s. It does not matter to today's fielder whether the ball is near the pitch or hurtling toward the boundary line. Balls that seem destined to reach streets outside the ground are often returned to the bowler by cover or gully, a mere second after they have left the bat.
Lbw, run-out and caught-behind decisions during the Don's time were left entirely down to the umpires on the field; invariably English or Australian! Omniscient roving cameras today catch all their mistakes. Apart from the two on the field (from several nationalities), Sachin has had to beat the third umpire, slow-motion TV replays and murderous appealing that, on several occasions, has "forced" the umpire's working finger. It is certain that the Don got away on more occasions than he would have bothered to count, while Sachin has had to walk toward the pavilion, a victim of dubious "finger work".
Captains, who led teams against Australia in the 1930s and 1940s, just did not have the cricketing knowledge and experience that present-day captains have had. Experience that comes from watching a century of cricket, from watching slow-motion replays, from setting fields to a bowler's line of attack.
The Don's incredible batting average, scoring rate and huge innings totals look like mountains when compared to Sachin's exploits. But when you see what Sachin has been up against, you realise that the Don — and indeed all his contemporaries — had it far easier.
Although the Mumbai boy lacks the Don's formidable powers of concentration and often throws away his wicket, Sachin is a more complete and rounded player. He has dictated terms to the best of bowling in the world in the most demanding and competitive circumstances, with an astonishing array of shots. It is a grave injustice to cricket and to Sachin to refer to him as second to anyone — even if that someone is the justly revered Sir Don. He performed in conditions that were, by no means as daunting as those in present-day cricket. It is time cricket's Hall of Fame gave Sachin his rightful place.The Don was the greatest batsman of his time and accepting Sachin as the greatest batsman of all time, does not detract from the Don's greatness. Yes, it is likely that some day a lad from the next century will unseat Sachin, merely on the strength of having faced heavier odds. Until then...