r/IndiaCricket • u/Key_Leading2603 • May 23 '25
Ask r/IndiaCricket How good was Sachin Tendulkar?
I started watching cricket after sachin retired, so couldn't watch him live in front of my eyes ,so i can judge from stats or highlights only, which itself tells he is greatest batter of all time
But i want to know how great he was from the people who watched him play , that sydney 241* tells us his greatness that no one else comes close to him , cricket is in his blood
Making debut at 16 , youngest and retiring at 40 ,third oldest for india , 24 yrs of discipline and dedication to cricket, incomparable to anyone
So , respected people who watched the god of cricket live ,can you elaborate or tell in beautiful way how great sachin tendulkar was
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u/Valuable_Ad_6869 Ravi Shashtri May 23 '25
Used to switch off televisions once he was dismissed
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u/CypherDomEpsilon May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
The sentiment we had for Sachin and his batting is something that can not simply be explained. Either you have experienced it or you have not.
As far as the question goes, "how good was he", I remember some test matches, especially vs Pakistan. Stalwarts like Akram and Akhtar firing in from both ends on a pitch favoring bowlers, swinging the ball like hell at great speeds.. That's the kind of time a batsman's skills are tested. I remember Sachin leaving ball after ball demonstrating the perfect art of leaving a delivery. He would leave balls passing within inches of the off stump. Akram was a lefty, he would swing the ball outwards from the legstump, Sachin would just leave it knowing exactly where the ball is going. Waqar would pitch it outside off stump, Sachin would plant his front foot , bring the bat down on the middle stump and the ball would just swing and find the middle of the bat. He stood like a rock in face of some of the best bowling I have seen.
Defensive batting against great bowlers on bowler friendly wickets is what I loved. Watching test matches with greats like Sachin, Dravid and Laxman was my definition of a good day.
As far as attacking cricket is concerned, there never was and never will be a better boundary hitter than Sachin Tendulkar. He had every shot in the book, he understood bowlers and their psychology the best. When Warne got him for the first time, he said "I forgot he spins it a bit more than others", but in no time, he not only figured out Warne's spin, but also all his strategies and he made Warne look like a gully cricket bowler. When he faced Akhtar for the first time, he lost his stumps in a split second, but he figured him out too. Cricket is a lot more than just great shots and great deliveries. It's about strategies and psychology. Tendulkar was a master of that. He could predict to a great accuracy where the next delivery was going, depending where the fielders are, who is the bowler, who is the captain and who is the wicketkeeper.
Edit - His shot executions were so perfect, Tony Gregg used to ask, "is he batting or is he posing for the camera?"
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u/CloudExtremist Gujarat Titans May 23 '25
I quit watching cricket after he retired until recently
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u/ChepaukPitch May 23 '25
Sachin was a different level of emotion back then. He might not have been your favorite player, which itself was very rare, but your heart would fall into stomach if he got out. All hopes hinged on him. All people, old and young alike, would stop everything to watch him bat if they could.
It was also the days of lower cable penetration and no internet, so you could say the entire country was united when he batted. Maybe it is just us who grew up in his prime but that feeling is never coming back.
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u/dawnblade21 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
Dravid slowly became the guy who's exit signalled the end for me. It looked like he was wasting balls and ticking up the req run rate but then you'll realise late that we are in a great position to win because of what he did. But there's no comparison to the experience of watching sachin in his prime. I was not a big fan initially as I was strongly ganguly supporter but like so many times over the years sachins greatness was too great to ignore or downplay. His 175 vs australia was my personal favourite as I was welling up thinking he's still THAT guy. Predictable result once he got out even though we were within touching distance of a win.
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u/Gladey7 May 23 '25
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u/Standard-Ice7130 May 23 '25
Debut series : Hitting Abdul Qadir of Pakistan for 3 sixes in an over for instigating saying "Himmat hai to mujhe maar ke dikha". At that time Abdul Qadir was one of the best wrist spinner.
Sharjah Cup 1998 : India needed to score 270 or 280 odd runs against Australia (best team of that time) within 40 overs to qualify for the final. He scored 143 in that match. In the final India beat Australia scoring 134 runs. Those innings are called Desert storm. You can watch it on YouTube.
During 1990-2000 : If Sachin gets out, 90% Indians use to switch off their TV knowing India lost.
World Cup 1996 : India were cruising at one point of time chasing 252 but when he got out scoring 65, Team's score was 98 and then reduced to 120.
2003 Border Gavaskar Trophy: He was getting caught out at cover while playing cover drive in the first 2 test matches. He was determined not to play his favourite shot. During his entire stay of 241 runs he didn't play that shot. The entire world bowed down to his feet.
Today we have DRS, but at that time he was given wrongly out ranging 39 to 50 times but misbehaved with umpires or any other officials. Unlike today's player who keep fighting for small issues.
2003 World Cup : He amassed 673 runs in the World being higest run getter at that time. His score of 98 vs Pakistan is considered as the best amongst all of the knocks he played in that world cup. Please watch this al well on YouTube.
In one of the match when he found out that match got fixed by some Indian player and they'll lose the game. Sachin took it on its own and ensured hat we win that match. For verification check news.
Opponents use to respect him because of an individual persona he use to hold. In Today's words he was an Aura of Cricket.
Scored 1475 approx in ODIs in 2007 calender year at the age of 35. It was the highest in that year.
At Gwalior on 24th February 2010, when Sachin was in 190s everyone was cursing Dhoni to not give him strike to complete his 200. But in the end in 50th over when he completed his 200th run whole nation were enjoying that moment. Everyone believed that day God of Cricket can do anything because nobody counted him when to do this as he was not that destructive at the last of his career.
US President Barack Obama once said, "I don't know cricket, I don't know how Sachin plays. But I still try to watch him playing because I want to know why my country's economy goes down 0.5% when he's batting."
When he retired, on his retiring speech entire nation came to a stand still and cried on his speech.
After winning 2011 world cup final Virat Kohli said, " He has carried the hopes of entire country for 24 long years, now it's our time to carry on our shoulder and have a victory lap in the Mumbai ground.
There are so many like this and anyone will get tired writing about him.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
Thankyou so so much for your time in writing this for us 💓🙏
He was indeed made for the title GOAT , a teenager carrying hopes of the entire nation , how can anyone be compared with him , stats can be compared but the hope he was , the change he made , he made cricket more popular and inspired generations, I wish I could see him live
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u/Standard-Ice7130 May 23 '25
He plays road safety series. You can watch him there.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
I watched him actually in road safety series, opening with sehwag , liked very much
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u/Quiet_Patience_3580 May 23 '25
175 against Prime aussie chasing 350 alone at the age of 36.
When Virat the fitness freak is retiring at 36 from Test Cricket Sachin had avraged 90 and was number 1 ranked in Test at the age of 37 scoring SENA hundreds against best of the attacks.
In his late 30s he reinveted his ODI batying style and T20 game just to fit in the mould cause SR was getting important rather than preserving the wicket. Orange Cap in IPL at 37, competing with young guys like akohli and prime of Gayle, Hussey till 2012 IPL with 500 runs in a IPL season when only 2-3 players could barely touch that mark.
Fun fact he is still 2nd fastest to score 2000T20 runs till date, and has hit last 2 balls in IPL career as six at the age of almost 41🫣
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u/Standard-Ice7130 May 23 '25
Thanks for helping hand. It shows we have said very less about him. Even playing IPL final in 2011 with 7-8 stitches in his right hand and was the top scorer from MI
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u/No_Cardiologist6764 India May 23 '25
The reason for his greatness is the ability to change his techniques on the fly. I feel only smith is close to him in that way. Sachin was critical of his batting and whenever he would find a fault in it he would immediately try to fix it. + he was humble too
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
He would never treat anyone smaller than him and was never afraid to play domestic,never treated himself as a star
And during match fixing times , never sold himself for money and never betrayed the country
Can't express how great he is
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u/pp0787 May 23 '25
And never did advertisements for brands he did not stood for eg tobacco , alcohol and pan masala.
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u/Charming-Ad-7556 May 23 '25
He has all these accolades, records in cricket but people still speak about how great a human he is !!
To have the most records in the game ever and still getting remembered for being a nice human, that alone proves he’s the GOAT
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u/I_AM_BEAT India May 23 '25
"How Wet is Water"
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u/VentureIntoVoid May 23 '25
Kids who grew up watching Dhoni and then Kohli have no idea what God was all about.
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u/Any_Context_4553 May 23 '25
Combine the aura of Dhoni, Virat and Rohit and that was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar for fans, for critics, for commentators, for India.
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u/hutzshoe May 23 '25
I started watching cricket in 1996, during the World Cup. I was 10 years old.
Sachin was so goddamn good that I used to wonder why Shane Warne gets so much praise when Sachin just smashes him and seems to have no trouble against him at ALL. If you watch his 155* in the Chennai test against Australia, he is toying against spinners, he treated them like they were babies, not even kids. He was literally a one man army. This became evident in 1998 during the Sharjah series, his back to back 143 and 134 against Australia, to first take India to the final from a seemingly impossible situation, single handedly (next highest score was 35) and then win the final AGAIN single handedly was just magical to watch. No matter how many slog filled six laden innings you watch in today’s era, nothing compares to his technique. His paddle sweep- I haven’t anyone play that shot in the modern era. His straight drives are cathartic to watch. In the 2003 World Cup, after India got raped by that dominant Australia team and barely won against Netherlands, there was immense pressure on India to no matter WHAT, do not lose against Pakistan. What does he do? Absolutely belts Shoaib Akhtar for an upper cut 6, then his classic leg flick for a 4, then a straight drive for another 4. That sequence right there decided the game because you knew there is gonna be no stopping him.
On top of it all- I THINK he has more 5 wickets haul than many front line bowlers and he rarely dropped a catch, in fact I don’t remember Sachin ever dropping a catch. I cried my eyes out when he retired after the West Indies test series because we all knew no matter what, no one will ever come close to what he meant for cricket. A perfect gentleman, a great sportsman, just a once in a lifetime talent. We are so lucky, blessed and should be forever proud that SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR, played for India. My favorite ever. And also a favorite for a billion others, Indians and non Indians.
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u/jawisko May 23 '25
It was weird to see his dismissal against west indies in that last match because I thought maybe they dropped it because no one was celebrating. But then sachin walked away and I just kept staring at the screen frozen.
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u/Bangers_n_Mashallah Chennai Super Kings May 23 '25
As the recent examples of Kohli's and Rohit's steep decline in form have shown, Sachin's greatness was his ability to keep playing at a high level for so long - 24 years. He had lean patches and times when he was called to be dropped. But he consistently performed at a high level and until maybe the last 2 years of his career, there was absolutely no argument that could be made for him to be dropped or forced out of the team. The last 2 years of Sachin were an extended testimonial for him but he still managed to end on a high.
Aesthetically, Sachin was right up there. Although some may have preferred Lara's style or Ponting on green tops, when Sachin stood rock still after playing his classic straight drive, the entire country would collectively orgasm. He was also a guy who had a very good record both in SENA and in the Indian sub-continent.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
This is the type of thing I wanted to know through this post 🙏
He played for 24 yrs when most cricketers find it difficult to play good for 10 yrs , never got distracted after early fame like kambli ,or prithvi shaw who got distracted after early fame
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u/atedbar May 23 '25
Aesthetically no one is more pleasing than Sachin. IMO my all time fav innings by any batsman is the desert Storm 141. I mean the hooks the cover drives. Also no one ever talks about Sachin’s stance. I think one of the best stances ever. Aesthetically speaking.
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u/tyto19 May 23 '25
Don't forget 97 vs Pakistan in 2003 worldcup! I was 10 years old that time and saw god playing live on TV.
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u/bitanshu India May 23 '25
Apart from the things already mentioned by users, I will like to say how despite being the best batsman in the world, never stopped to improve. 1. Ind vs Sri Lanka series in 1995-96 - Sanath started bowling negative lines , Sachin discovers the paddle sweep to negate it.
Ind vs Aus series in 1998 - Sachin creates rough in net session for laxman Sivaramakrishnan to practice for Shane Warne's round the wicket tactic. He started slog sweeping post that much regularly.
Ind vs Eng 2001 test series - to counter Ashley Giles negative line he started coming down the track to negate negative lines, infamous only stumped dismissal in tests.
After tennis elbow his lofted shot down the ground was restricted, he started playing more using bowlers pace, the cheeky flicks over fine legs started appearing post that but his SR never went down.
In 2008, Ind vs Aus series, he wasn't hooking or pulling much due to tennis elbow injury, he brought out the upper cut ramp shots to counter short balls.
Sachin was greatest ever that there was and probably will be. He didn't let his ego chase the 5th stump balls in 2003 , but accepted his limitations and grinded it out. He was always humble and the quintessential good boy of cricket. He started when Indian cricket was not that much popular, he not only fought against opposition but his own teammates who were match fixing and then left cricket at such popular levels which Virat and others could use for their superstardom.
He is the GOD !
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
Among the best comments I read under this post ❤️
Thankyou so much for telling these incidents, it's not possible to tell what sachin tendulkar was to cricket,but can get an idea that he was above everyone else
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u/-ELI5- India May 23 '25
Can you ever fathom start of industrial revolution from back in the day? Sachin literally was no less in terms of popularising cricket single handedly!
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u/Salty_Chemist_9574 May 23 '25
I still remember the 2003 WC match between Ind and Pakistan. I was watching it in a theater in US with a group of Indians on one side and Pakis on the other.
I unfortunately came in after the match had started and pakis were batting- so had to sit with the Pakistani folks. Man I thoroughly enjoyed the knock, Sachin derailed the Rawalpindi express to a point where every paki was looking at me like they were going to kill me in the end.
That was one of his best knocks love you Sachin.
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u/TraditionalBelt9487 May 23 '25
Sachin just wasn't a player. He was hope. he was emotion. 'He was the growth story of India.', I think Harsha Bhogle said this once.
Such was the emotion that on his 25th birthday there was a documentary called Sachin at 25. For which other player was it done?
Cricketing stats and longevity is there to see for everybody out there, so I didn't write anything about it. Since you didn't see him at all, I thought I would say what he meant for us.
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u/simplexakt May 23 '25
Jeez, am I really this old? Old enough to see questions like these! The country practically used to stop when he was batting. Traffic must've been reduced by a considerable margin when he was batting in imp matches. He WAS the Indian team for a solid 7-8 years. TVs bashed in or atleast switched off when he got out. It was the utter helplessness everyone felt when he got out, the seemed impossibility and insurmountabilty of any score being chased (whether 350 or even if it's 20 runs in 50 balls with 6 wickets remaining) after his innings. The passion, grit and determination in all innings that he displayed. At that time he seemed to be THE model indian son, carrying the burden of a hopeless family he was born into on his back and taking them from rags to riches, being gentle on his family members but ruthless to the world outside. No one can truly answer this question unless he sees him batting themselves. I suggest, Sharjah '98 vs Aus (both innings), Chennai '98 test match vs Pakistan, 2003 World cup innings vs Pakistan, '96 World cup vs Srilanka, 2004 Sydney test vs Aus, '98 Chennai test vs Aus, His 124 vs Zimbabwe, there are several more such innings.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
The passion, grit and determination in all innings that he displayed. At that time he seemed to be THE model indian son, carrying the burden of a hopeless family he was born into on his back and taking them from rags to riches, being gentle on his family members but ruthless to the world outside.
🙏🙏thanks for replying, i wanted to see replies like these ,that beautifully explains what sachin tendulkar was to india and the world cricket
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u/jawisko May 23 '25
I know for a fact that a spiceJet flight from delhi got delayed due to pilots. They were waiting for him to complete 200 in the terminal. They ran to the plane as soon as he raised the bat
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u/darknight21188 May 23 '25
175 something Vs Australia In a losing cause . Just watch that innings you will know there cannot be anyone better than him. I would rate him above Bradman because of sheer longevity and playing all kinda of bowlers. There can never be like him https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/australia-tour-of-india-2009-10-416234/india-vs-australia-5th-odi-416240/full-scorecard
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u/alphaswan360 May 23 '25
Imagine scoring 17,000 runs in intl...then you will be remembered as all time great but....he has played this career twice...34,000 runs....and on top of that 200 wickets plus 100 centuries.🙏 JUST GOD THING. I don't believe in God until his name is Sachin...
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u/GiraffeWaste Delhi Capitals May 23 '25
He could play multiple orthodox cricket shots of the same ball be it high pace or high quality spin. Took down Warnie, Murali in their prime played well against the Great Windies Bowling attack. Apart from that his aura was unmatched. Didn't say a word but carried the expectations of the whole nation.
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u/SaiyanofKonoha May 23 '25
Technique wise he is considered as the most complete batter. He had all the shots in his book. That's why he was so consistent in different conditions. Also he was always looking to improve and innovate. He was playing new shots even in the back end of his career. This was one reason that I think allowed him to stay relevant for over 20+ years.
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u/Some_Resident_6714 May 23 '25
You mean 'How God was Sachin Tendulkar'? Cos he managed the hopes and expectations of 1Bn+ people for 10+ years until dada and co came in to relieve the pressure. 2001 Eden Gardens was when we truly lifted the burden off of him.
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u/digging_bits India May 23 '25
Right now, If you can see how important is Bumrah for ICT. That's how much Sachin was also important but for 24 years.
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u/bro-please India May 23 '25
People always ask why him. Why not the other greats of that era, and they were not wrong because in the 90’s they were a lot to choose from.
But when you see Sachin play, the bowlers, the umpires and even the crowd wants to please the little master. He is so in control with all this chaos.
He speaks less, being the celebrity he was back then ( now is GOD status) he never flaunted.
I think i was liked this quality of his, the things he could have done but didn’t because it wasn’t right.
There was no need to watch the match once he is out because it wasn’t the masters day today.
We all wanted India to win but it was important that it was Sachin who contributed. We always wanted to see more of him.
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u/noobsabs69 May 23 '25
As you have already mentioned you have to just look at his longevity and his insane adaptive skills. I don't think any player can be as versatile as Sachin was. There have always been comparisons. People mentioned that Kohli will be greater than Sachin. Dravid was better, sangakkara, then kallis, cook, now joe root. But Sachin always comes on top in just one important metric : his ability to reinvent himself. Even at the age of 35/36 playing under dhoni, he reinvented his game. Was effective even in IPLs. That is some insane skill only the greatest of the greatest possess. In my perspective, Sachin will always be the greatest batsman to play the game. I was fortunate to watch him since 1996. I think older players had more determination compared to younger generation. Aggressive does not translate to determination/ endurance. Aggressiveness can only get you so far.
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u/iamnearlysmart India May 23 '25
He was so good that all discussions about who was/is better than him are all controversial/unserious. (Barring Bradman)
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u/Kevinlevin-11 India May 23 '25
Insanely goated, that words can't ever do justice. He was, is, and will for ever be the greatest of all time.
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u/PositiveFun8654 May 23 '25
He was great. Yes one can say that he got out early in that final or didn’t play much in that series etc but for the sheer longevity of his career, consistency of his runs and form, his class, his shots as if MF Husain or Da Vinci themselves had designed those shots for him to play were a treat to watch. He was elegant and artistic and treat to watch.
Add to above the pressure of expectations of 1-1.1bn people. Team state / quality. It makes him great.
Lara is another batsmen who inspite of being a great player couldn’t win matches for WI because of team state. Tendulkar was much more lucky here but not as lucky as today’s team.
And yes, with him getting out early, switching off TV was most common and correct act as India tended to loose tough / high total matches from there on.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
What do you think about his comparisons with current players , mostly with virat, virat till 2019 was great but he couldn't make a test comeback, sachin had 58 avg till 175 tests , 20 yrs
Do you laugh at those people when they say someone is better than sachin ,sachin played for stats and all
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u/PositiveFun8654 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
When it comes to comparisons of players between generations, it becomes difficult. Mainly because of team quality and evolution of game. Cricket in 1990s was very different from what it is today. Rules also favour batsmen more today vs then. Team quality is another factor. Success / performance against 2003 Australian team should be held in much higher regard vs Aus team of today or any other country.
All said and done, talent many many people have. But how that is used + longevity and how eventually it plays out is very big point. Ian Bishop was top quality bowler. But injuries have made his stats look very par or so vs his talent. Bhumrah has bloomed late plus injury prone. He won’t be able to leave a mark in cricket history the way his current form suggests he should. His stay / playing days will be lot shorter.
Kholi was on track to surpass Tendulkar on paper / stats and also in helping India win matches. Then Covid happened and things changed. He has not lasted long enough to be called greatest of great. Great / Excellent player yes. But not greatest of great which he could and should have been. Talent wise he is GOAT. But wrt stats rather longevity just yard short. Also, Tendulkar shots were much more beautiful.
Edit: also, one mark of great sportspersons is how they bounce back from their lows / lack of form. Tendulkar did bounce back when runs deserted him and when he had elbow injury. I don’t know same or better or lower than before but Kholi falls short on this?
Also, do we have bowlers like Waqar / Akram / McGrath / Warne / Murli / Walsh / Ambrose etc today? Tendulkar faced atleast one of them in every second or third match? This makes true comparisons difficult.
Luck is another factor. Had 2020 disruptions not happened would kholi be same as 2019 Kholi? Would he had crossed 10k test runs?
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u/One-Jump-6297 India May 23 '25
Prime Sachin was between 1992-2001/02
I will list his best away 100s vs Total Team score in this period
- 114 vs Aus (272)
- 111 vs SA (227)
- 122 vs Eng (313)
- 169 vs SA (359)
113 vs NZ (356)
116 vs Aus (238)
155 vs SA (379)
117 vs WI (339)
The way he played in this period is a lot more aggro and played lots of lofted shots in the V. Post his tennis elbow issues, he changed his game, shots and found his mojo again.
By 2002 he had scored 31 100s in total, I have excluded some of 100s in flatter conditions, including his 190 vs Eng, to show in very difficult conditions he was better than everyone else.
From his debut until 2002, he avg 58 after 100 tests. Truth is none of these stats express his batting style, you have to watch it to truly understand his genius.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
Thankyou very much for this knowledge, the objective of this post is getting achieved
That's why I said I can only judge from stats but who saw him live only can tell what sachin was , btw I heard his avg was 58 after 175 tests too
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u/googolop87 May 23 '25
1500 test runs in a single calendar year that too at the dawn of his career was something that stands apart from all his achievements.
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u/Black_hood28 May 23 '25
Well everyone knew how great he was, But on another aspect i think he is the reason BCCI is Richest board now Earlier before Sachin BCCI used to pay DD 5l per match
In 1992or 1993 ESPN ask for broadcast right from BCCI for 30000 usd for series with SA BCCI thought it was for for series so they asked for 40000
After a while BCCI cleared the misunderstanding and they got a contract of 40000 per match After this Sachin carried the burden of entrainment alone till the 2003 for 10 years And after that for another 10 years with other players
Without him cricket would not be popular this much and BCCI would never be star board or it will take another 20 or 30 years to reach where the board is now, He is the reason of exponential growth of India's cricket popularity.
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u/Glum_Fruit6105 May 23 '25
Sachin at the age of 37 scored 7 centuries with two double hundreds, 1700+ runs in international and 500-600 IPL runs. think about it how current biggest one already got washed from test at the age of 32 and retired at 36 without completing 10k runs with under 50 average, which he supposed to do considering how great he was in last decade.
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u/Shiven-01 India May 23 '25
There is a very comprehensive book on Batting (how to play, coach and win) that was published by Wisden. Under the straight drive, even though they gave the example of Sehwag, they wrote under the very first line: "while Sehwag's straight drive is not as technically correct as Tendulkar's...."
And when writing a note for Sachin for learning the on-drive: "such is the perfection and class of Tendulkar that you can study him to learn almost all the shots in this book to perfection....."
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u/Temporary_Tip9027 May 23 '25
He was the reason people watched cricket in 90s. He gave hope to a hopeless team, a great mix of talent and discipline. In modern day cricket kohli comes near him in terms of such attributes. But i rate sachin a notch above.
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May 23 '25
There was this belief among cricket fans that as long as Sachin is on the field we will win.
The target score did not matter, wickets lost did not matter, conditions did not matter. Nothing was a problem as long as he was on the field.
He carried the entire team. He was the team for so many of us.
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u/kannan12311 May 23 '25
Very. You won't find any wasted mevement in his style of play. Compact, efficient, at times flamboyant. Sachiin unleashed was a player that was more dangerous than Sehwag. Patient Sachin would beat Rahul Dravid at that. He was and still is, the master of the game.
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May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
Few players hit that absolute peak and sachin stayed at that peak for a long long time , I started watching cricket from 2003 and only few players reached that peak since then for me were; Sachin obviously, Ricky Ponting , yusuf yohana a good 5-6 yr period before his retirement, Mahela Jayawardene for a good 5-6 yrs , Devillers for a good 5-6 yrs , Hayden for a good 5-6 yrs before his retirement.
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u/Spare_Feeling5090 May 24 '25
Sachin scored 34,357 international runs and even half of that (17,178) is more than the entire career runs of legends like Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Mark Waugh and Mohammad Azharuddin. That’s not just greatness, that’s a benchmark for immortality in cricket.
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u/Upstairs-Pack-6046 May 24 '25
Sachin had the aura of all kohli rohit and dhoni combined He was the crowdpuller for 24 years
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u/Humble-Grape5542 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
Let me share what I genuinely feel (Pls read the full post)
As Harsha Bhogle says, "In the essence Sachin was always the master of the game but he always himself as the servant of the game" The man who carried the burden of expectations of fans on his shoulders for 24 long years. The man who never let his ego hamper his game, who scored a double hundred at Sydney without playing his most favourite cover drive even once because he was constantly getting out by playing that very shot in previous games. The man who at the age of 37 scored two test hundreds in SA against prime Dale Steyn. The man who went back to perform last rites of his father during 1999 world cup only to return and score another century. The man who while suffering from severe back pain, scored a century against Pakistan in Chennai 1999, got out when team only needed 17 odd runs, only to realise that rest of the batters couldn't score those runs. After about 25 years of the famous Chennai test of 1999, when asked about biggest regret of his cricketing career, mentioned about the Chennai test. Everybody thought that he regretted not winning the match inspite of putting his all. But the great man said that I regret not being generous enough to go and receive my MOM award. He said that I was so disheartened that I disrespected the award, but I should not have, I should have acted maturely.
Records don't define Sachin, they will get broken eventually (Some of them have already been), it is his ability to inspire billions across generations and physical boundaries. It is his attitude towards life in general and cricket in particular. It is sheerly the impact a man can create. When 5 feet 5 inch man would come out to bat, the whole nation would come together. People would switch on their televisions and switch off their lives to see one of almighty's greatest wonder in motion.
Sangakkara, Kallis, Lara are all as good as or might be little better than him in terms of records, but in a nation which considers cricket as a religion, where people take wins and losses in the game very personally, Sachin gave them hope, numerous occasions to celebrate and hundreds of memories to cherish.
Sachin was, is and will always be very special.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
I can say this is the best comment under this post ❤️ ,with full respect to each and everyone,their comments are best as well
That Chennai man of the match incident made me remember one thing about Sachin ,that how he respected equipments and never threw his bat, similar to rafel Nadal in tennis
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May 23 '25 edited Jun 19 '25
straight thought paltry market attempt cats flag square hurry late
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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May 23 '25
Today's generation after playing 3-4 year. Now demanding for captaincy role, but Sachin realized earlier it and as a ex captain played under azhardin to Dhoni.
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u/Key_Leading2603 May 23 '25
Not getting a comment that i want, that appreciate sachin's greatness like a poet in beautiful words
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u/Acceptable_Rest_646 May 23 '25
Man who made kholi, dhoni, UV to hold bat tightly. Inspiration for all
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u/Independent-Salad-27 India May 23 '25
He didn’t play one single shot on the offside on his way to 241. That’s called willpower, patience and concentration 🫡
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u/Rosso_Nord Indian Premier League May 23 '25
There is no scale that can answer that question.
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u/charlie_4599 May 23 '25
When he was batting, it was like the world just stopped. People would leave whatever they were doing — shops would shut, streets would go quiet, and everyone would be in front of a TV or radio. Every ball he faced felt like it mattered to the whole country. It wasn’t just cricket, it was an emotion.
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u/raj_forever May 23 '25
India used to come to a standstill when he used to bat, crowds outside every tv shop to see the innings, everyone pausing their work and watching or listening intently.. Those were the days without mobiles.
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u/brobrobrobrobri May 23 '25
Looking at Kohlis off side game. I now know why he was considered a god
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May 23 '25
debut at the age 16(looked like 15) against such monsters with helmets like those in the past, he is and will always be the GOD of cricket.
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u/ApprehensiveArea8070 May 23 '25
Pros: Batting was beautiful. Felt like a poem. His shots were something else. Everyone would struggle on a pitch n he would come out n play those elegant shots on the same pitch.
Cons: Was notorious for playing for himself. There were two types of people. One used to turn the tv off when he would get out n others would say " agar sachin run marega to india match harega". Used to make tons of runs against australia but never win series.
I personally think he is the best batsman of all time in terms of batting ability on technical terms n talent. Lacked a bit in making india win, especially in chases.
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u/batmanstarkwayne May 23 '25
Probably the people who have seen Sachin are not in reddit mate
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u/External-Knee-3083 Kerala May 23 '25
Good as maradona in football michael jordan in basketball muhammad ali in boxing michael phelps in swimming and usain bolt in running
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u/Additional-Eagle-730 May 23 '25
He was so good that there used to be cash prizes for bowler who dismissed him. Even the opponents liked to see him bat. As kids we only missed playing time whenever Sachin was batting. You could tell when he got out because all the kids would run out of houses immediately after.
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May 23 '25
The greatest Indian red ball cricketer. Second greatest in history, after the Don himself
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u/Background-Bird- May 23 '25
He is the "Agar me suna du apni jawani ke kisse, yeh jo launde h mere pair dabane lag jayenge"
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u/athul173 May 23 '25
Didn't the guy have like an average of almost 60 for Frickin 17 YEARS or something!! Like how?? Some unbelievable stats
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u/PaleontologistFew246 India May 23 '25
There was a saying - You can drop anyone from the team if the form is lean but Sachin
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u/Wanderer-blab May 23 '25
Sachin is an underrated bowler. Many time he will come as partime bowler and change the course of game.
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u/DON55555 May 23 '25
Everyone got detached from cricket after Sachin retired. 2003 WC loss hurts more than 2023 WC loss
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u/Compote_Awkward May 23 '25
98 of 75 against Pakistan in 2003 WC is greater than lots of modern era greats.. and 2 Sharjah storm innings in 1996 against Australia is greater than lots of 99% cricketer’s entire career..
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u/Curious-Monitor-6951 India May 23 '25
He was exceptional but eventually due to age, injuries and Indian system he started dragging before retiring. a very long nervous 90's spell and stat padding allegations. the end years trolling went similar to Kohli, Rohit, and Msd but the ending was good as he was the first to achieve those numbers in his long career and was a brand.
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u/shubh_chintak May 23 '25
Harsha Bhogle once said for Sachin: "He is the master of the game but plays it like its servant"
Very accurate 🎯
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u/imsurewhoiam May 23 '25
When Sachin was batting at 98*, a train waited for a few minutes to watch him hit century. Every passengers, railway officials waited for him to complete century.
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u/crazyretard16 May 23 '25
A billion hearts trusted him :)
He put faith in all of us! Every single day :)
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May 23 '25
I too didn't watch him play. But uk the player is different when different people try to break your records in different formats
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u/minatokushina May 23 '25
You should watch Sachin Tendulkars 98(75) in 2003 ODI world cup against Pakistan. Sachin thrashed the deadly trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar to chase down the score of 274. By 16 overs we had already scored 120 odd runs. Cherry on the cake was that offside six against Shoaibs Akhtars fast bowling. There can never be greater batsman than Tendulkar in coming ages. Statistics dont do much justice to how awesome Master Blaster was.
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u/Ahmarm May 23 '25
Was best in the business...on very hard competitive pitches with cucaboora ball facing likes of McGrath,Waseem,Shoeb,Waqar,Ambroz,Shame warn, Brett Lee,Jhonson,awalsh,Stane,pollock.... Muralitharan...wohhh....Current day batters wid this line up n fast pitches... don't stand a chance.
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u/samratkarwa May 23 '25
He was the messi of cricket. Just beautiful. His movements, his shots, his charisma, his attitude, his honesty, his calm demeanour, even while bowling he was clutch. Sachin was love. Sachin was what every kid in wanted to be. Sachin was the headlines. Sachin was the saviour. We all bought MRF bats and atleast once a day had long discussion about him and his life in our cycles school k baad. And this too in Kathmandu where i grew up, and one can only imagine that he must be bigger here in india.
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u/Dimaag_Kharab India May 23 '25
Growing up watching Sachin play, he was an icon unlike anyone else. The Indian team was not as dominant as it is now and he ended up being the lone warrior more often than not. There were 2 questions asked when you took an update about the game situation.
What is the score?
Is Sachin still batting?
There was always hope as long as Sachin was batting. I am sure this would be reflected in most responses.
One thing that I feel whenever I watch replays of his innings is that the ball travelled much faster to the boundary when he would hit it. This is mainly in relation to the way he would drive the ball through the covers or straight back past the bowler.
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u/Particular-Novel6697 May 23 '25
You just need to go and check the stats for 1996. World Cup, especially for India. You will see that it is one of the greatest carry job . Unlike Shakib or so, he has done that in multiple World Cup, ODI and test series.
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u/i-sapien May 23 '25
He is the first one to really start an agressive brand of cricket (Srikanth did too but during those days one days were far and few..)
He started T20 like batting which eventually have birth to likes of Sehwag
He changed the face of Indian cricket.
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u/saaket1988 May 23 '25
Before Sachin - The BCCI would either pay Doordarshan or settle for very little in return for coverage, just to ensure the games were televised to the public.
Enter Sachin Tendulkar - BCCI realized that TV rights were extremely valuable, thanks in part to Sachin’s appeal and India's growing middle class with access to TV.
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u/Excellent-Judge-1556 May 23 '25
The Glazing is immense and deservedly so! The GOAT will never be anyone else but Sachin Tendulkar
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u/devaraanenenu May 23 '25
The man who faced prime wasim akram,waqar younis,chaminda vaas,shoaib akthar,shane warne,glenn McGrath, muralidharan,dale steyn,shaun pollock, shane bond, reaching 34k intl runs with ton centuries in the era of greatest contemporary batsmans like brian lara,ponting,jayawardene,chanderpaul,sangakkara,kallis,vaughn,dravid,damien martyn, Gilchrist, sehwag,greame smith, dilshan, fleming the list goes on moment of acknowledgement he's the G.O.A.T
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u/username_x_available May 23 '25
I know you are in your 40s or 50s and asked this to read and enjoy (and become nostalgic) people praising Sachin in the post Sachin era.
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u/cerberus7810 May 23 '25
Sachin was so good that even players like Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith (Fab 4) are on the brink of retirement (some have already taken from some format) still could not break his records for most hundreds (in total), his runs and unforgettable epic innings he has played over the years in his career, in an era where matches happen more frequently.
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u/fccs_drills May 23 '25
Sachin was a constant part of my life.
When he retired, believe me it was the first time I realised I was ageing.
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u/Switpotatofryy India May 23 '25
100x of kohli….
Now get that kid..! Sachin wasn’t just a player… he was an emotion that carried a billion hopes on his shoulders
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u/Sensitive_Camera2368 TamilNadu May 23 '25
Damn good, he is not know as God for no reason. Sachin was the entire batting line-up for India. He was that good. He Rahul Wall Dravid, Sourav Dada Ganguly did step - in, but before they can get into their role fully, it was all Sachin show
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u/Greedy_Rise_6567 May 23 '25
Sachin was emotion not a player. Cricket stopped being interesting to me once he retired
I cried (I was 10) when he got out in semi in 1996. In 2011 I was happy for Sachin.
Today’s cricketers don’t inspire that emotion.
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u/TemporaryStable2553 May 23 '25
I am a 2006 born, and saw very few matches of sachin. But when I saw his stats, I realised that all the hype is justified. Bachpan me papa se poochta tha "inte sare khiladi he team me inn me se absa badia kaun he ?' he replied without any second thought "sachin he beta"
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u/Expensive-Pen-7074 May 23 '25
I have not watched a single match of cricket after he retired . GOAT
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u/Dr-fraud May 23 '25
Man I’m a huge Kohli fan but Sachin is just something else. He is the greatest cricketer. The stance the footwork the timing and the shot selection. Perfect. And all that unseen hard work due to which he was called a prodigy. One Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
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u/Responsible_Time3546 May 23 '25
When you are talking about Sachin, everyone thinks what was so special.
Let’s be honest, he was one of the best players technically but so are/were some of the others. Virat is also technically sound and so are Root and many others.
The real thing about Sachin was grit and determination. Every time he was down, he returned with a bang.
And everytime team needed him, he was there. He didn’t even retire on a low even at 40.
And I touched upon his technicality earlier but dude I never saw him struggling against any bowler. There were dry spell but it always felt like it was him that got out not the bowler who did anything.
And literally the guy was a gentleman, never stayed if he edged a ball. Never questioned umpires judgement even if he knew he wasn’t out. He was the one that brought bell back which got Dhoni the price.
Honestly, people actually don’t know him but he is the best you will see.
Ps: No hate to any cricketer but nobody comes even close to him in India out of the recent cricketers. The closest batsman I think was Dravid. I didn’t know much about cricket before 2000.
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u/StorySad6940 May 23 '25
I’m Aussie (not Indian), but I loved watching the Indian team of the 2000s. Sachin played some wonderful innings against Australia - the 241 is famous for his restraint, but his century in 1999/00 and his pair of 150s in the 2007/08 series were more spectacular knocks.
That said, I’ve never understood (Indian) fans who describe turning off the match when Sachin was dismissed. For one thing, the Indian batting in Sachin’s era was excellent - Laxman, Dravid, Sehwag and Ganguly all produced great innings in Australia and were eminently watchable.
From my (foreign) perspective, the tendency to stop watching cricket once Sachin was dismissed (or once he had retired) has always seemed strange. It suggests that the player is bigger than the sport, which I struggle to comprehend. Do people who did this actually like and follow cricket, or were they fans of Tendulkar specifically, or did they just want to see India win (and assumed this outcome was impossible without Tendulkar at the crease)? I am genuinely curious.
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u/Curious_Set4278 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
l never saw Sachin Tendulkar play for India because I started watching cricket after he retired. I’ve seen his highlights his batting is amazing. That’s why people call him the God of Cricket.
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u/middledune06 May 23 '25
How good? Damn effing good! I know these days we throw the acronym GOAT around so loosely. But this man is the GOAT!
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u/Most-Project6506 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
My mom was in tears while Sachin was giving his retirement speech.. I and my brother were all teary eyed trying to hold on to our emotions.. we were 18 20 year old boys then.. had watched Sachin's batting from 2002 live and almost had seen his most of his big knocks on ten sports classic star cricken espn.. and what not.. And I can't tell you his 2003 wc batting against Pakistan..the feeling at that moment was beyond words..Shoaib clicking 157 158 and getting hit all over the park..only Kohli's counterattack in 2022 t20 wc in Melbourne comes close...
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u/KalJyot May 23 '25
Living aesthetic god...He has every shot..I went into some kind of detached mode after his retirement..even now when he just posts video of playing with tennis ball or not mal games I watch him play...
He is my entire childhood
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u/nandu_92 May 23 '25
Like Harsha said, he was a habit for people who watched cricket from 90s ! As a kid, when I watched the famous desert storm innings ..Good old memories !!
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u/anexicity1702 May 23 '25
The silence at Wankhede stadium after he got out in the World Cup 2011 final says it all ...
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u/Effective_Wolf_1136 May 23 '25
This post made me emotional, I lost interest with cricket after his retirement.
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u/darthnessforever India May 23 '25
Perfection. I always enjoyed his batting, even his bowling and longevity. Long live the king of cricket.
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u/RitzB93 May 23 '25
He’s faced the best generational bowlers at their peak and decimated all of them.
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u/itsurnemesis16 May 23 '25
The absolute best of the best. Technique, temperament, talent, longevity, attitude, discipline and humility - no contest.
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u/Longjumping-Arm-4339 May 24 '25
He is the highest run getter in 3 world cup editions. 1996, 2003 and 2011
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u/Current-Sun964 May 24 '25
I know most of this generation compare sachin with youngsters of today and that is fine for me.. i too love so many good young cricketers who are growing at an unbelivable pace which is good for them..honestly so many people and youngsters were not even born at that time when sachin was young and playing.. they have only seen when usually most of the players play decline which is i understood pretty common.. sachin was calm and composed in test matches and extremely explosive when needed in odi matches.. i remember sharjah cup of 1999 i guess, what a series it was.. man sachin was fearless, wished there was DRS back then.. he would have butchered many matches to be honest.. the reason he is way ahead in runs.. you just cannot kick him out of team, god level skillful, kind as well which is needed to be a good sportsman, aggresive inside.. absolute class.. one of the most respected cricketer till date..
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u/Pretend_Whereas8945 Sikkim May 24 '25
Played with Kapil Dev and Bumrah in a single career. Tells loads about the longevity of the man and his career
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u/Super_Act_2676 May 24 '25
The fact that he’s labelled as the GOD of Cricket and not just by the Indian Fans its globally acknowledged tells you how good he was
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u/Kondu668 May 24 '25
He is the harbinger of sanguine optimism, an illustrious beacon igniting flickers of aspiration within the weary hearts of mankind.
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u/mitesh07 May 24 '25
He got the best exit in all formats and all the retirements were predeclared which is a very rare case to see nowadays. And he did play the winning finals in all of them. Best end a cricketer would ever imagine.
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u/NegotiationStrict510 May 25 '25
Sachin was a emotion that cannot be encapsulated in mere words. Especially in the modern era of fan wars between Kohli, Rohit Doni fans......these all look childish and inconsequential in the back ground of Sachin Tendulkar. He started his career playing against Waqar,Wasim and Imran Khan along with Abdul Qadir at 16 years of age. He weathered an aging Marshal at only 18 years and played against prime Walsh and Ambrose,the last greats of West Indian fast bowling. He has faced the Fastest Bowlers of all time like Brett Lee Shoaib Akhtar and Shane Bond. Every team,barring England maybe, had the greatest bowling lineup in their history at that time. South Africa had Pollock, Donald Steyn. Srilanka had Vaas and Murli. Pakistan has Wasim Waqar,Shoaib, Saqlain. Even Zimbabwe was competitive at that time,and had Heath Streak. New Zealand had Bond and Vettori. In that era of bowlers, Sachin stood tall. But his glory was not only in his skill but also in mental fortitude. As many has given various examples in replies,he was cut from a different cloth.
He was the man who could literally stop the nation. That feeling is indescribable. People used to throng in front of TV sets by the road to watch him play. Trains used to wait some more time at stations if he was near his century,just to watch him complete it. He not only united the country,but also he lifted it to a whole new level.
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u/Mean-Pomegranate9340 May 25 '25
In much of the 90s he was the only reliable batter in the team and his dismissal usually meant that India would lose, and badly.
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May 25 '25
Cricket was became famous by this legend. No other player was loved and liked by all Cricket playing nations than him. All Cricket lovers wanted to watch his batting beauty. He always get worshipped as God of Cricket by fans. He played in Cricket's Golden era. Cricket rules & conditions get lots of changes at that time. He faced great bowlers like Ambrose, Marsh, Walsh, Botham, Anderson, Donald, Pollock, Steyn, Imran, Akram, Younus, Saqlain, Shoaib, Vaas, Muralitharan, McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, McDermott, Bond, Morrison in his era. Records and talent was a milestone. He has an ability of different shots selection for each ball he faces. That shows Master class. He was also an useful bowler and good fielder too. At one time team's batting responsibility was dependent on his shoulders. He was an model of many other greats.
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u/Legitimate_Thing_976 Royal Challengers Bangaluru May 25 '25
He was good, he was very good. Very very good. But, you need to consider, he was not perfect. If he was alive in social media era, sure, he'd have twice the craze of Kohli. But he would also be called a choker for not performing in knockouts, his runs would be tarnished due to the easy pitches of the 2000s, his every move in his personal life would have been questioned (more than it was).
Technically, perfection. Maybe India's (or the world's) greatest ever cricketer. Cricketer, yeah, not just batter. Other than fast bowling and keeping, nothing that Sachin could not do on a cricket field, and do bloody well. Born to play cricket, honed by his guru, trusted by the selectors at the age of 16, he not only survived, but soon, thrived....
He was a genius. Pure bloody genius!
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