“If I had to choose somebody to bat for my life, I’d choose Steve Waugh”, blurted a famous ex-cricketer.
It is no surprise then that a lot of people have considered Steve Waugh to be better player than Sachin Tendulkar because of the number of matches he has won for his country. Similarly, Tendulkar has been chastised, abused and wholesomely criticized for his inability to do the same. Many a times his dismal record in the 3rdth/4th innings of a test match has been cited as a reason for India’s poor test record. Kapil Dev further stoked the fire recently, when he questioned Tendulkar’s ability to preform under pressure in crunch situations.
“Every time people hope big things from Sachin Tendulkar but often it is only disappointment that we are left with,” Kapil told Aaj Tak, a Hindi news channel. “He is thought to be the backbone of the Indian team but many times he has not stood up to the occasion.”
Though Tendulkar hasn’t been as successful as Sunil Gavaskar or some other players with his performances in the 2nd innings, when the numbers for Steve Waugh & Australia and Sachin Tendulkar & India were compared some interesting results were thrown up.
Steve Waugh, has scored a mere 2 centuries as opposed to Tendulkar’s 9 in the 2nd innings i.e. 3rd/4th innings of the test match. And when you compare their averages in the second innings Waugh averages a pathetic 32.45 compared to Tendulkar’s 42.79.
Yet in 168 matches that Steve Waugh has played, Australia has won 86 and lost 46 while Tendulkar has played 139 matches of which India has managed to win 44 and lose 56.
In the matches played between Dec 1985 to Jan 2004 Australian batsmen have averaged 38.3 when we include Steve Waugh’s scores and the average falls marginally to 37.89 when Steve Waugh’s scores are not included. In Tendulkar’s case these averages for the corresponding period i.e. Nov 1989 to Jul 2007 are 36.1 and 34.54 respectively. It clearly shows that Australian batsman have consistently scored nearly 60 to 80 runs more in the matches compared to India. Also Australia hasn’t relied on Steve Waugh as much as India has had to rely on Tendulkar. To put it differently, for Australia other batsman have scored runs as consistently as Steve Waugh has. The same can’t be said about Tendulkar and other Indian batsmen.
During Steve Waugh’s entire career span - Dec 1985 to Jan 2004 - he has had bowlers like Mcgrath, Warne, Mcdermott, Gillespie, Brett Lee, to back him and take the much needed 20 wickets to win test matches. Tendulkar - Nov 1989 to Jul 2007 - on the other hand has had for company the mediocrity of some run of the mill bowlers barring a few exceptions like Kumble - who has only lately been successful abroad - and Srinath. Australian bowlers in all the matches from Dec 1985 to Jan 2004 have averaged 29.2 while Indian bowlers from Nov 1989 to Jul 2007 have averaged 36.1. In home games the averages are 28.6 and 30.0 while in away games they are 30.4 and 38.2 for Australia and India respectively.
Even if the batters put up the runs on the board, the bowlers have to bowl the opposition out twice to win a test match. India’s abysmal record has got more to do with its inability to get those twenty wickets.
Tendulkar may not have won a lot of matches for India but then the fact is that he couldn’t have done so all by himself without support from other batters and bowlers.
Also by Amit Panhale
- Not the right Formula - June 25th, 2007
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have made it so much easier by providing the relevant stats. The fact some Tendulkar baiters just don’t seem to get is that the man literally carried the Indian team on his back for such a long time and that is his greatness.
sorry mate but i disagree with..
the query s not just 2nd innings and so on..
its about “Pressure”..
Steve Waugh centuries in both innings @ headingley when Aust when 1-0 down in the 97′Ashes and the ball was swingin all ova the place, 164 @ Durban when his team was tottering @ 80/5 vs S.Africa (Greg blewett got 200), his gutsy 100 vs Windies in the 95 tour when he starred Curtly Ambrose in his eyes when batsmen were afraid to face him with a bat in their hands, and even his very last innings vs India where he got 84 to save the match for Aust @ Sydney vs India and the list just goes on…
Statistics do not show the kind of pressure the batsman is under. Sachin, for a majority of his career had world-class batsman like Mohd.Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Saourav ganguly, VVS Laxman who backed him up as well..
It was Tugga’s determination, agrressiveness n ruthlessness that makes him better than tendulkar “UNDER PRESSURE”..
YES, sACHIN has played many a superb innings and is the Best Batsman to hv ever played the game after ir Don Bradman..I totally agree..
but if my life is depending on an innings, none other that Steve Waugh ‘the iceman’ would be my choice !!
Arjun, the instances that you cite in ways more than certain, portray Tugga as a batsman who has done admirably well, on some occasions, under trying conditions.
But I tend to disagree with you on three counts.
1. When Steve Waugh scored those centuries, he had the backing of the bowlers which resulted in a favourable result for his team. The same didn’t happen with Tendulkar when he scored his 169 at capetown, two centuries in Australia on 99-00 tour, the century @ manchester in 1990 and his 177 @ trent bridge in 1996, and the list goes on.
2. If Sachin had the likes of dravid, laxman, ganguly for company, in the same period Steve Waugh had hayden, langer, slater, blewett, ponting, gilchrist, martyn and the list goes on..to bat alongside him.
3. and lets not talk of pressure on tendulkar vis-a-vis steve waugh. it doesn’t require exceptional acumen to realise that it was many times more on tendlya than it was on tugga.
ya tendlya may not be the greatest batsman under pressure, in fact far from it, but to me the elevated status that tugga enjoys for his performances under similar conditions is unjustified.
Good piece!
I believe Steve Waugh was one over rated batsman… Sachin is a GOD - the greatest who ever lived.
Ask Shane Warne if you have your doubts.
@ Amit
dude amit.. u got it wrong again.. ur team winning is immaterial in determining the concept we are examining..
Quote amit, “ya tendlya may not be the greatest batsman under pressure, in fact far from it,”
There u go.. thats the point am tryin to make to the author.. he was referring to a person who quoted somebody sayin “If I had to choose somebody to bat for my life, I’d choose Steve Waugh”..
so goin with it, batting for a person s life s all abt pressure and in such a situation, it Steve wld score more points than Tendulkar.
and mate..mind the tone (quote amit),”but to me the elevated status that tugga enjoys for his performances under similar conditions is unjustified.”
God Bless