Is Tendulkar a match-winner?

Is Tendulkar a match-winner?

Shoaib Akhtar has done it again. He is the centre of attention, managed to invite some controversy and started a debate that perhaps did not even cross the minds of cricket fans.

“I think players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid weren’t exactly match winners to start with, nor did they know the art of finishing the game,” Akhtar said on the eve of his book launch in India.

The auto-biography titled “Controversially Yours” is Akhtar at his candid best, and besides Tendulkar many personalities and cricketers come into the cross-hair.

But undoubtedly, the claims putting Tendulkar under the spot-light have managed to ruffle the most feathers, with most experts terming Akhtar’s words as nonsense.

While some members of the press have termed Akhtar “the sales man of the year”, some have put the claims against Tendulkar under the microscope.

The Indian legend’s record speaks for itself but is there any weight behind Akhtar’s claims?

Dawn.com invites its readers to give their view and suggestions.

 

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203 Responses to “Is Tendulkar a match-winner?”

  1. Muhammad Asif says:

    there is no doubt that sachin is one of the best batsmen cricketing world has ever seen besides bradman, lara, miandad, ponting etc. that is a fact and that cannot be denied. however, many times when sachin scores runs my little daughter gets worried. my wife says, “don’t worry, saching is playing good… india is going to lose this”. most of the times, she is proved correct.

    shoaib didn’t say he is not a good batter, he said what he meant “sachin is not a match winner”.

  2. Salim says:

    Shoaib Akhtar so called Rawalpindi Express hardly ever completed his spell of overs.Calling him

    Rawalpindi Goods Train would more appropriate.

  3. Ali Khan says:

    If Sachin couldnt win matches when he scored 100 and the team lost, its the failure of the rest of the 10 players playing the game, NOT Sachin’s..he did his job…….He’s a legend and his records say it all…..
    Shoiab, as great as a legend you yourself are, you were still no where near Sachin’s cricketing class and discipline…

  4. Ijlal says:

    One point to consider is that Sachin Tendulkar played in some mediocre Indian teams before the current crop rose to the top of the rankings. If his teammates didn’t contribute when required, why blame Tendulkar for the team’s shortcomings?

  5. Raj Venugopal says:

    I agree with Shoaib to an extent. Sachin is not a match winner in true sense, but a very good performer.

    • Naeem says:

      Totally agree with you Raj. Indian match winners are Sehwag, Dhoni and even Zahir. When they fail, India looses.

  6. Faisal Khan says:

    People are confusing Sachin of OdIs and tests, they are mixing him here, some saying he is an opener and hence can’t finish the match because it’s middle order’s job, but, I believe Akhyarvis talking about when Sachin faced Pakistan, he did not say abt his whole career. For example in 2004 Sachin scored a century in Rawalpindi ODI and he was running away with the game, only to be caught in the deep and India lost the match. On the other hand Inzi brought the Pak
    team within a striking distance of just 7 runs in
    the last over, a game earlier,

    Actually Pakistanis would never rate Sachin as high as Lara because Lara has won more
    matches against them the Sachin can even think of, Sharjah match in 1993 would
    ring a bell for some, just as an example,

    • Jaytirth says:

      Sharjah Match 1993? What about WC 1992 to WC 2011. Sachin has scored in almost all of them especially against Pakistan.

  7. Sharma Anil ( India ) says:

    It is lovely to watch Tendulkar batting when he is in good form. It is like watching a classical dance performance by an exponent. Forget about who wins in a match. Shoaib has not still recovered from the shock he received in the world cup semi-final.

  8. Anup says:

    Sachin, Rahul and their achievements when India Won are as follows:
    Sachin:
    Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100s 50s
    ODI 230 227 34 11012 200* 57.05 33 58 Plus 97 wickets @ 34.14
    Test 61 97 16 5473 248* 67.56 20 21
    Rahul:
    ODI 160 142 29 5729 153 50.69 8 47 Plus kept wickets for 73 matches with 84 wickets
    Test 54 89 14 4927 270 65.69 14 22

    Considering:
    RD plays @3 in test and used play @3 in ODIs
    SRT plays @4 in tests and opens in ODIs
    The above mentioned stats are best for India so far. I do not want to spend time on whats best for some other countries as many of their fans will do the job. So lets start with so called best Pakistani batters and their record when Pakistan was winning. For example we can take Saed Anwar or Aamir Sohail(opener) and Inzy or Yunis or Yusuf to compare with Sachin and RD. I am sure all these batters did well as well. But I am keen to have comparison. Other best comparisons can bemade with batters like Waugh brothers, Ponting, Lara etc. But lets do it here and solve the mystery and move on. I have o grudge against most of Pakistani players and I used to love watching their pace bowlers. But lets talk with the facts not with borrowed perceptions and idioms from talented but troubled, controversial, retired etc. person called Shoaib.

  9. Guri says:

    Both Sohaib and Sachin have been great in their respective field as a bowler and as a batsman. Sohaib was brilliant as long as he lasted, Sachin is still outstanding. The fact though is that Sachin has outlasted many cricketing greats because of disciplined lifestyle and sincerity towards the game. Sohaib has flamed out due to indiscipline and poor judgment. He is himself to blame for his short run in cricket. Finding faults in his captain, coaches, management is a sure sign of poor insight. Accepting that he has tampered with the ball does not make him any better player.

  10. Anup says:

    Sachin and his achievements when India Won are as follows:
    Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 0 4s 6s
    won match 1990-2011 230 227 34 11012 200* 57.05 12194 90.30 33 58 8 1251 114

  11. rick says:

    in the same vein, imran khan was nevera match winner.. wasim akram or waqar younis were match winners.. similarly ricky ponting wsa nevera match winner.. shane warne or glen mcgrath were the match winners..however what players like dravid or sachin do is the builda strong founadtion on which the team can build the innings.

    another important contribution from sachin and dravid is the character and morale they have brought into indian team.. and they made sure the dressing room is always pleasant and comfortable..

    • Naeem says:

      I agree with you Rick and no one will have any arguments with your comments. We are only discussing if Sachin is a match winner. And your answer is right,he is a foundation builder, a gentlemean, etc. You also failed to call him a match winner like Shoaib.

  12. romi says:

    Hello its not Tennis but cricket with 11players if not all atleast half the team have to contribute fully
    No its senseless to expect 1 sachin to take complete resonsibility of sucess or failure

  13. jokan says:

    shoaib is saying this to sell his book
    shoaib himself was an unfit cricketer who could never bowl more than 5 overs at a stretch

    however tendulkar has done poorly in 4th innings and has rarely played an innings of class in need, compare to Miandad, Chanderpaul, Hussey, Kallis and others who seem to come good always when the pressure in on

    Dravid is a good defender but not a match winner

  14. richie richardson says:

    firstly what is the definition of match winner? if staying there at then end is the only criteria then most no 5 and lower batsmen would be called match winners. sachin being an opener his main job is to give his team a good start against the best bowlers of the opposition and take them to around the 20th over at least. after that its job of middle order to take control over next 25 odd overs and set the game up for the big hitters down the order . u expect sachin to open the innings, give the team a good start , bat through the middle overs and then finish the game then u say he is not a mtach winner well with such logic no one can be called match winner . shoaib is anyways a cheat as he himself has admitted , so how much weightage should be given to his words …

    • Omer says:

      Mr. Richie Richardson,

      The definition of match winner you have assumed is i am afraid not correct. Many times a bowler has taken wickets and batsmen have scored runs but they end up on a losing side. what matters then is not only how many runs you make but how you make ! With all due respect to Sachin’s talent a 70 odd runs made by Viv Richards would almost destroy the opposition giving them no chance to pounce back. In case of sachin however there are numerous examples where he has been declared man of the match while india lost . I think sachin in his early days was more devastating and instilled fear in the minds of bowlers while now he is just letting himself treated like an average batsman.

      • Jaytirth says:

        Viv Richard’s team had the best bowlers and great openers. Sachin always played along side mediocre bowlers. How do you expect him to fight single handedly every time? Cricket is a team game.

  15. I think Mr. Shoaib Akhtar is absolutely right. Tendulkar and Dravid playing for a long time, and if anybody plays such a along time, he can also achieve lot of records and even better than Sachin and Dravid. For example, Gavaskar achieved the 34 centuries in 125 test matches, whereas Dravid played 155 test matches and achieved 34 centuries, so there is a 30 test match difference, which is a huge gulf. Also, Sachin has been playing alomost 22 years, such a long period is enough to achieve any distinction, and having played such a long time Sachin has not yet scored triple century in test match. Whereas Brian lara, played less test matches and even achieved 400 in a test match. That speak greatness and mastery of Brian Lara. Apart from this, the era Dravid and Sachin are playing, they do not have to face extra ordinary bowlers like Gavaskar and other batsmen in 70s and 80s had to face. In Gavaskar time, bowlers like Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, Lilee, Jeff Thompson, Andy Robert, Courtny Walsh, Sarfaraz Nawaz, etc were fearsome bowlers and to stand against such quickies was not a joke. Had Sachin and Dravid faced such a class of fast battery bowlers, I am very much sure they would not have scored many runs.

    • Vikas Gurung says:

      MR. ANEES LOKHANDE,

      Of course Lara was a great & stylish batsman and he scored 400 two times (I think both against England, first one sure against British) but result of both the matches was a dull draw. Here imagine, if Sachin did the same and both the matches results were same, then too your remarks were same for Sachin as for Lara, then people (especially we Indians, because for us “Ghar Ki Murgi Dal Brabar) say for Sachin – that he plays only for his records not for the team. That is the problem with peoples when they comments about Sachin. I am sure no other player in the world cricket play with so much pressure & expectations, except Sachin the Great, because people’s expectation is 100 in every match from him. Regarding Dravid, Bradman take less matches for his 29 centuries than Gavaskar.

      Regarding Sachin is playing almost from last 22 years, who have asked other players to hang their boots after 10 / 12 1/15 years, they can also play for more than 22 years and make records.

      Regarding match winner, in 1985 at Sharjah, Imran Khan took 6 Indian wicket at the cost of 14 runs & India were all out at 125, despite that India won the match after bundled the Pakistan at 87, in that terms Imran was not a match winner, it’s a team game Sir, not a tennis match

      Alone making runs & taking wickets doesn’t make a player great, in greatness everything is count, his behavior on & off the field, respect to other players, teams & umpires and their decisions, all these points make Sachin & Dravid distinguish from other players.

      • I have a high regard and respect for Sachin, but, I personally feel media has given him too much hype about his greatness. I rate Vivian Richard, Sobers, Bradman, Gavaskar, Hanes, Lara above Sachin,though they scored less centuries. Apart from this, many a time Sachine was a pure failure, but Indian Cricket has been very kind to him, given him ample time to settle down, whereas other players two or three times failure got them out of the Cricket Arena. You can say, Sachin is a destiny boy, rather than genius. And one thing, Gavaskar faced lot of pressure than Sachin, as he has to face extraordinary attack in his time in the form of Marshall, Andy, Garner, Walsh, Hadlee, Imran, and many more extra ordinary bowlers. Sachin is very lucky he has not to face such genius bowlers except Akram. So pressure is always less on Sachin.

    • Jaytirth says:

      Is it not an achievement in itself that he is in international cricket for last 22 years? Sachin did face the best bowlers like Wasim, Waqar, Imran Khan, Mcgrath, Walsh, Ambrose, Warne, Steyn, Lee, Murli.

      • When Sachin faced all such bowlers they were all in their declining age. It is a fact that though Sachin scored highest centuries, but he is not in the class of Gavaskar, Vivian Richard, Sobers, and Bradman.

        • Anup says:

          Dear Anees, every era has produced legends in cricket. In Sachins era we have seen Wasim, Waqar, Walsh, Amrose, Macgrath, Warne, Murali etc. All these bowlers have taken more wickets as compared to previous generation of bowlers. So stilll do you think bowling attack was ordinary? Its up to every individual to rate his favorite and nothing wrong with it. But when it comes to analysis made by experts for public it has to be done out of stats. And all sort of stats prove with opinions from Don, Warne, Lara etc. that Sachin is modern batting legend and great. Some ordinary people from public may or may not like it but this is what records and great people say.

        • jaytirth says:

          Where do u read about cricket? Waqar debuted in the same series as Sachin. Are you saying Lee, Steyn are older than Sachin? Wasim was just 22 when Sachin debuted. Walsh and Ambrose were at their peak. Warne and Murli were feared across the world.

          • It is a fact that Sachin is a destiny boy rather than a genius. Many a time he was pure failures but got ample opportunities, whereas other batsmen one or two failures got them out of the Cricket Arena. When Sachin faced Waqar, Imran, Wasim, they were not at their peak and most of the time he avoided to face Wasim and Waqar and whenever he faced them he did not score big. To me Sachin is an average batsman, who got lot of chances and luck was with him. I think Vivian Richard will be written as the greatest exponent of Cricket game owing to his uniqe style, grace and technique. Though Sachin has the highest centuries under his belt, but he is not in the class of Vivian Richard. It is only media hype which makes Sachin a great.

  16. Jaytirth says:

    Humans are strange. They look for achievements of the mediocres and failures of the great.

  17. Anwar says:

    Most Pakistanis will agree with Shoaib, naturally,
    while Indians and rest of the world agree Sachin is the greatest batsman of our time. Agree or disagree, Sachin’s numbers don’t lie, and he’s a world class batsman, who has out-lasted many others. His skill, professionalism, and style of play has earned him respect throughout the world, but, unfortunately, Pakistanis are pretty close-minded and can never accept that. That’s sad, and I am a Pakistani..

  18. TQ says:

    Being a Pakistani i am a fan of Shoaib. He was a great bast bowler who has faced Sachin and other great batsmen on the pitch on many occasions. His views may be justified from his experiences, so we can’t criticize him there. Still, Sachin is a class apart and one of the greatest batsmen in cricketing history. He is an opening batsmen and his job is to establish the innings of the team. Finishing is not his job, the team has to carry on from foundation that the opening batsmen establish.

  19. Azam says:

    Lads, check Sachin’s record and find in how many matches he scored centuries and India lost games? That will tell you the truth.

    • Jaytirth says:

      and what truth will it tell you? It only proves that only Sachin scored and no one else did. Cricket is a team game.

      • DD says:

        Cricket is not really a team game in the sam sense as football or hockey. In field games the team really has to be coordinated and act as a single unit. That is not the case in cricket. In cricket a teams performance is the sum of individual performances. That is why it is possible for a team to loose even if its star batsman scores a century and vice versa. You cant do that in football. You cant put Messi in the Indian or Pakistani team and expect them to win. Nor can you bring all the best players in the world into a single team and expect them to win without letting them practice coordination

  20. Cricket Fan says:

    I personally think the views vary from athlete to athlete simply because every one tries to out do the other by their skill on the field or off the field. Shoaib may have depicted one such instance where he might have the upper hand, so naturally he has highlighted those greener points. It is human nature to hight light your greener points . But at international level in case of professional sportsmen who are known across there should be some restrain an unwritten code which Shoaib has broken by taking childish digs !!!! Obviously no one is taking away what he has achieved and will achieve but it seems a bit childish on his part to speak such things when he has acheived so much not a good sign of maturity…

  21. imran Khan says:

    Shoaob akhtar is a failure who is he to comment on sachin? He is trying to sell his book
    Batting is harder then bowling. And shoiab has failed
    How many wickets he had in his career?
    Sachin is still playing. A trash always a trash.

  22. Ranadhir says:

    Shoaib has a point or two. No doubt, Sachin is a great batsman and moreover a great human being. He gives 100% on the field and for his team. His humbleness and simplicity are of top order. YET, one must agree that he buckles almost regularly under most demanding situation. In fact a visit to the statistics of Sachin finds that most of his runs had come from the first innings. Some good knock also came from the third innings, but there are hardly any score of mention (of respectable status) that had come from the fourth innings. The 4th innings is considered to be the most trying session in a test match. Probably the huge amount of expectation by the team/people/spectators from Sachin had a telling effect on his performance. Shoaib cannot be faulted when he says Sachin is a great batsman, yet not a match-winner. One must accept the reality

  23. Lucky Pinto says:

    Akthar is too small to comment anything about towering Tendulkar or Dravid. Akthar has a relative very unsuccessful career and was beaten badly every time by Indians.

    Akram, Shane Warne, Dennis Lillie or Ricky ponting are good to comment about Tendulkar or Dravid.

    • Omer says:

      Dude.

      Akhtar has always embarrassed the Indians in their own territory. For verification please check the scorecards of 1999 Pakistan tour to India where he was all over the Indian Supreme Batsmen like Ganguly, Sachin and Dravid. Sachin is a great player but not a match winner against big teams. I think only Ponting, Inzimam, Hussey deserves to be called Match Winners

  24. Jaytirth says:

    I am a bit surprised to see many Pakistanis saying that Sachin is not a match winner. Aren’t you relieved when Sachin gets out? Did they not get angry when Sachin was dropped five times in WC11 Semi-final? In WC2003, when Razaq dropped Sachin’s catch Wasim Akram scolded him saying ‘Tujhe pata hai tune kiska catch chodha hai?’. Sachin has consistently scored in world cups especially against Pakistan. He scored 194* in the historic test win in Multan. Sachin is an opening batsman and it is obvious that he cannot always last till the end of a match like Bevan who used to bat much later. Even when he was not in form, he was still good enough to be a part of the team. He has also contributed as a bowler often taking crucial wickets(e.g Hero cup).

  25. junejo says:

    Dear ALL , plz first respect the great players , every one has right to give his opinion if some one knows the cricket , it has been observed that S Tedulkhar is not match winner , even S Tendulkhar finds himself struggling to complete his hundred when he crosses 80 runs no doubt he has many hundreds but this is fact but unfortunately he not coming in class of match winner batsmen like VIV richards, Lara ,Miandad, Bevan, Inzy, Hussey ,etc , i have regards for S Tendulkhar as good player but this is fact ,
    now a days cricket has changed a lot ,even players can make hundred runs in T20 ,making hundred does not mean you are match winner =============

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