Sachin Tendulkar – Defying the Odds
Lahore: Jun 4, 2005 “The positions of Jupiter and Mars are not good. I wish I am wrong but this is what the stars tell. Sachin’s career will be over soon.” Said the famous astrologer of Pakistan, Abdullah Shaukat Chowdhry
The famous Indian astrologer Bejan Daruwalla said the same. They were right, what followed was some of the most forgettable times for Sachin Tendulkar fans. He struggled with multiple injuries, by the time his tennis elbow got cured, he started having shoulder problem. What followed after this prediction was poor performances by Sachin in both forms of the game for the next two years.
| Period | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
| Test Matches between Jan 2005 to Dec 2006 | 14 | 711 | 33.85 | 47.14 | 1/4 |
| ODI Matches between Jan 2005 to Dec 2006 | 32 | 1040 | 35.86 | 77.15 | 3/5 |
Many factors led to this slump. The major factor was he played under a coach, who asked him to warm the bench if he was not willing to play down the order. India had a forgettable captain who said “YES SIR” to all the coach’s orders.
This can be backed by the stats of Sachin when he played under different captains and under Dravid/Chappel.
| Captain | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s/50s |
| Dravid (2003-2007) | 21 | 1304 | 40.75 | 4/6 |
| Dravid (Under Chappel 2005-06) | 10 | 414 | 29.57 | 1/1 |
| Azhar (1990-99) | 47 | 3767 | 59.79 | 15/15 |
| Ganguly(2000-2005) | 42 | 3768 | 62.80 | 11/15 |
| Dhoni(2008-2010) | 17 | 1952 | 81.33 | 9/7 |
Even in ODIs, his record under Dravid/Chappel is far less, an average of mid 30s with a strike rate of 77. At the end of this phase despite knowing world cup history, (India got eliminated early whenever Sachin played down the order and whenever he opened India went on to play semi-final and the final of previous world cups) he was forced to play down the order. India got eliminated from the world cup, losing even to Bangladesh and the whole of the country pointed fingers at Sachin Tendulkar. The guru Greg questioned the attitude of Sachin, and Sachin was rested for the series against Bangladesh. During this phase every cricket critic crucified him,
Kapil Dev: “Tendulkar fails to deliver under pressure” , “He is thought to be backbone of Indian team but many times he has not stood up to the occasion”, “People expect big things, but often it is only disappointment that we are left with”, “Figures say that Sachin has not been able to perform under pressure”, “Sachin has big records to his names, but he has never won matches for India”
“Sachin Tendulkar should retire. A player should know when his time is over, like Gavaskar. People asked him, why now? Instead of why not retiring.”
Sanjay Manjerekar: “He is an elephant in the room no one wants to talk about” after a lean patch, “He was afraid of failures and getting out”, “He often sits out citing injury”
Ian Chappel: “Knowing when to stop is a much more difficult decision for the modern player. When the money was not there, it was much easier to move on.“, “At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career; build on a glittering array of statistics. If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately.”
If Tendulkar had found an honest mirror three years ago and asked the question; ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the best batsman of all?‘ It would’ve answered; ‘Brian Charles Lara.’ If he asked that same mirror right now; ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall should I retire?‘ The answer would be; ‘Yes.‘
Sambit Bal: “Watching Tendulkar was embarrassing “, “He had a recovering elbow and a bad back, but none quite explained the crawl that he subjected himself to”, “He looked like a man weighed down by his own doubts”
Siddharth Monga: “Tendulkar has been batting in this perplexing, defensive mode more often recently.”
Greg Chappel (in his leaked report): “The return of Ganguly and Sachin’s captaincy aspirations, had a destabilising effect on the team, forming groups within the players, and stifling the growth of young cricketers who are trying to make a mark”. “Ganguly, Sachin, Sehwag and Harbajan have serious attitude problems that spoils the team harmony”.
An athlete however good would succumb to such pressure. The pressure of a billion people pointing fingers, the injuries, lack of runs, captain/coach working against him, the so called cricket experts advising him to hang his boots and even the planets were against him.
Tendulkar who often let just his batting talk, took the onus on himself to set things straight. Greg Chappel accused him of working against the youngsters, but the entire team rallied around him. The players went on to say “We all stay together and with Sachin”, “Give us a foreigner, give us an Indian, give us anyone but him”, “A coach is supposed to give the players confidence, not create insecurity in the team” “He is manipulative and untrustworthy” “Dravid had bought into Chappell’s ways too much and had not stood up for the players”.
Only the collective pressure of the team saved Sehwag and Harbajan from being axed. Chappel was sacked by the Board, Dravid understanding the pressure quit. Sachin refused to take up captaincy and forwarded the name of Dhoni to Sharad Pawar and the board. Dhoni was appointed the captain of team India in ODIs and Kumble in test matches, everything fell in place.
Exactly 2 and a half years and the planets shifted, so did Sachin. At the age of 34 with that kind of pressure very few would have expected his career to have a second coming, but then he is destiny’s own child. If at 18 he can play like a 35 year old veteran, at 35 he can still play like the 18 year old. He proved that to the world. What followed was a period of golden run which matched or even exceeded his golden run of 1998-99.
| Period | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
| ODI Matches from Jan 2007 onwards | 68 | 3061 | 51.01 | 90.10 | 6/19 |
| Test Matches from Jan 2007 onwards | 37 | 3650 | 64.03 | 56.28 | 14/16 |
He simply proved to the world that he is still the best batsman in both forms of the game. There has been lot of comebacks by players. After a prolonged slump Gooch came back as a better player, Ganguly after being dropped came back and played some useful knocks, and there are numerous examples, but nothing can be as miraculous like this.
It requires a Sachin to have a comeback, and be the best batsman in every form of the game. He is the only batsman to average more than 50 in both forms of the game during this period (Test average of 60 and ODI average of 51 at a strike rate of 90). No batsman has ever dominated both forms of the game like what Sachin has done over the last three seasons.
The same critics who blasted Sachin before came out with totally different opinions
Kapil Dev:
“Sachin has touched several milestones during his 20-year career in the international cricket. He certainly deserves the Bharat Ratna. We will be very happy if he gets the highest honour of the country, Even if Sachin would have got a duck in this innings, still I would say that he deserves the honour. No decision should be taken on the basis of performance in one match, but I am keeping in mind his overall contribution.”
Ian Chappell:
It’s not just the number of runs he’s scored in this prolific period (although four Test centuries in six innings is pretty impressive); rather it’s the manner of his run-gathering. In his scintillating 175 against Australia and the double-century that demolished South Africa, it was his dominance that stood out. Both innings rattled along at much better than a run-a-ball,s and when he is regularly punching drives off the back foot you know Tendulkar is master of all he surveys.
Sanjay Manjerekar:
“A man in his 20th year of cricket getting a double hundred is a special moment. In the end he was running those singles and doubles for the partner at the other end, unlike Saeed Anwar who ran his last 90 runs with a runner.
“It shows Tendulkar’s commitment. Truly, this was a once-in-a-lifetime innings.”
Sambit Bal:
“Tendulkar transcends every format, to watch the master in Chennai was to be reminded of how he unites India, and also of how his batting has remained pure”.
“Sachin was a happy reminder of the things we adore about cricket”.
Sidharth Monga:
“Nobody plays solos better than Sachin, for two decades he has carried Indian dreams on his shoulders”.
While the critics ate back their words, the other blemish which people often said about Sachin is that he has slowed down and is not suited for T20s. John Buchannan went on records saying that this game is not for Sachin and he cannot succeed in this form of the game which requires fresh legs and aggressive batsmanship. Sachin went on to become the leading run scorer of any IPL tournament, with excellent average and strike rate. Such is the fickle minded critics and the audience that they wanted Sachin to play the world T20 (from which he retired), despite calling him a misfit a couple of seasons ago.
When he is playing people wanted him to retire and when he has retired from a particular format, people and the critics want him to comeback. There was no one like Sachin and there will be no one like him in the future. He is the Greatest Cricketer to walk on this planet. Period.
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Category: Ajith's Straight Drive, Columns, Sachin Zone
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Why SACH Is LIFE™!! : Cric Ages | November 15, 2010
- Rise of the Minnows – Bangladesh and West Indies | Cric Ages | March 21, 2012
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Ajith set the planets revolve around Sachin, who made planets oscillate at his will, when the planets were ticking the “time” against Sachin. Brilliant !!!!!
What a wonderful article Ajith… Yeah… That period hurt a lot… But I bet there were many like me who didnt want him to retire even then…
I used to console myself with– Hey.. At least he scored a 10 or faced 8 balls or the like…
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a phenomenon.. And I will never tire of saying that we are damn lucky to see him bat…
@ Anand I used to console myself with– Hey.. At least he scored a 10 or faced 8 balls or the like…
this line brought tears
I too have many many bitter stories during this phase( 2005-06), some mocked him in front of me. Till date i never forgiven thm and they still chase to get the same relation back, which will never ever happen from my side.
During 2005-06 i used to rush the shops running when he was having worst form ever, by the time i used to reach he used to get out( many times though)
had a grudge or the anger, since Then started to watch his batting in rains, sunlight nearby shops:):), let may come wht.. i felt blissed then and now i feel it will be part of my life.
What an article man! Tendulkar is beyond Greatness!! Such a Great career after so many hurdles! What a Player, what a wonderful player!!
@ Anand
Very true, there was a phase when we rejoiced his mere presence in the field. It has more to do with the injuries and the skipped matches, I could not watch cricket at all without Sachin playing, so even his 10s and 20s during that phase was a treasure.
@ Deepak
Thanks mate. ture.. sachin is beyond greatness. Like Andy flower once said, “There are two kind of cricketers, Sachin and the rest”.
Nice article Ajith.Please also place the comments of the same critics (stupid chappel brothers,Kapil etc) about Sachin in these 3 years.Ian Chappel never praises Sachin.Rather he always praises the only one Indian Sehwag.But when India plays against Australia,all those Aussie critics say that SACHIN IS THE DANGER MAN.So yes,they are fickle minded.
Those times (under Dravid/chappel) were most testing times, not only for Sachin but also for his fans like me who used to defend him everytime in any discussions we used to have about him retiring..thank God that period is over and Sachin is playing awesome-blossom now..like a true champ..
Superb article Ajith..
@ Girish
I purposefully avoided how these critics changed their stance, it is not worth talking about these people. That too not about ian chappel at all. For him everyone will be better than sachin. first he said lara is better than sachin, then he said ponting is better than lara and sachin, and now he is saying duminy is the future and he will better ponting someday.
@Kushal
You are right. to me even that period was good, because only that period made us to rejoice the current success of Sachin. Had he performed well during that phase too then there would have been no twist in the tale. Winning is one thing, but winning against the odds, and winning to prove everyone wrong and make every eat words is a different this. This kind of comeback actually makes him a bigger hero.
He is the best batsman ever…
he always shows his abilities & capabilities with his game not by his tongue he is not only best batsman but a g8 human being too…
player like sachin takes the birth in centuries & we are fortunate enough to be the part of that century!!!
Dear All,
every one know about sachi… i want to say one thing for sachin he is best forever he have to may record when he play than india win u can see 2003 world cup when ganguly was caption dont show finger on little master ……
wow…this is one of the finest article and statistics that i have ever read. Super presentation and it will definitely let the cricketing world , who are jelous of Tendulkar know the truth and silence the critics.And of no doubt will create more spirit in the heart of all beloved Sachin Tendulkar Fans…..
Always Critics roam around the best things.. & YES it’s Sachin Every time…..
Ultimate .. simply awesome !!!!
This was a dream comeback .. and only Sachin could have done it !!!!!
Nice one, u r the real fan of sachin tendulkar keep it up.
Excellent article, good work.
I just love to read about Sachin and you presented an indispensable article, it was worth reading it.
thnks dude 4 this article………….i m spechless
Well said,Brilliant article.Congrats to author..
Sachin is The greatest batsman world has ever seen,And will remain…
hey,sachin is god of cricket
join me on orkut akashv69@gmail.com
if there’s one reason i watch cricket nowadays..after taking my time out from the busy work schedule..its only because sachin is playing..n i prefer to watch only those matches where he plays..irrespective of whatever he has scored.. to some extent sehwag’s innings are a close second but there’s no third. During 2005-06, India won some bilateral series against srilanka, england and pakistan n drew one with south africa and with the emergence of dhonis n rainas n pathans n yuvrajs, we forgot that sachin too is a part of this team and many others forgot that sachin’s 93 at nagpur, 70 at mohali, 100, 42 and 95 in pakistan made the victories look like a cake walk. Its hard to believe now, that the same man, when got bowled by asif at karachi, the headlines read “from tendulkar to endulkar” and after a week it read from “tendulkar to ‘ton’dulkar” and have been singing glowries about sachin’s achievements ever since. It was never his followers who had lost faith in him, it was this “How to improve your TRP’s” game, that was played by media on us. Its a shame that a man who received a standing ovation every time he went out to bat in Australia got brickbats from the crowd at his very own home ground. The bottom line is, that we are too small to realize the greatness of this gentleman, and are no one to comment on it. He knows his job the best. Its cricket. We are attached to the game because he has forced us to remain for the last 21 years. Its time now that we salute his achievements, end those debates with laras and pontings and dravids of the world and enjoy whatever cricket he has to offer us in the next 2-3 years.
Great Article … I agree with Girish, recent statements from all these cricket pandits should be included to show them what they said and remind them to ask the mirror again about who is the best batsman and should Sachin retire .. Cheers.
@ Agransh Anand
very well said !!!
Nice one Ajith. For us (I mean “we” Sachin fans), Sachin has been a university that has taught us life. Being humble,aggressive,using ur potential to the fullest,aiming for the stars… there are many things we’ve learnt from him. In this period under Dravid-Chappell, Sachin gave us another lesson “never say die”.If you have confidence in urself and faith,you can take on the world.What an exemplary cricketer!And what a master of a human being!! They don’t make them any better than this.His life itself is an ideal example of how one should conduct himself in life.
Loved the article and the fire with which u have written. All the best!
@ agransh anand
Good comment ya……..
“Its time now that we salute his achievements, end those debates with laras and pontings and dravids of the world and enjoy whatever cricket he has to offer us in the next 2-3 years.”
this line make me very emotional
@ Ajith: Yes.Ian Chappell is the Pele of Cricket.Whatever he says, the opposite happens.
Hope this rule does not affect Virender Sehwag as Ian always praises him.
I am also a Fan of Sachin …..would never want him to retire ….
The age of Sachin Tendulkar, that is how India will be remembered when the present is closed and presented in the history books tomorrow.
No one can match sachin. he is all time great.
Yes he is truely the greates. All his crictics should come forward and criticise him more so that he can prove them wrong and we laugh all along the way…
Jai ho SACHIN
fantastic player wid fantastic record he really god of cricket no one predict about him.
When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam.
When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy.
It seems while Time was having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had a Sachin Tendulkar and we never will.
@ Vikki
Very true.. Can’t agree more.
Iam speechless, this is the best article I have read about Sachin. Thanks to the author. I love watching cricket when Sachin bats, bowls or fields. I still watch your 2003 World Cup Knocks. Keep going Sachin, let these critics keep their mouth shut. You are the best, no comparisons.
Kapil Dev, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ian Chappel etc, have always been against Sachin. So no point in reading their comments as critics.Sachin is always the BEST….
A superb article on the Master. The same critics who thought sachin should retire have eaten their words. N no one else than Sachin himself has the capability to do that. Here’s a salute to the greatest cricketer ever that we have seen..
Awesome article on the God !!! nice work there on the stats…made his critics worship him now…may Sachin own every record that is to own !!! May he help India win a World Cup !!!
grt 1 n i hope chappel saw dis article n never dare to comment on SACHIN who is da “god if cricket is religion”…………………..
Very nicely articulated. Absolutely wonderful to read!
Sachin you are a true legend…. You are Just born to play the game… and you should till your heart says….
We all have faith in you the day you think you are not performing to the level you can you will quit the game…
These Experts were / are really loosers . They cannot even dream of one % of fame what God has showered on him and merely jealous of him. I think Commenting on Sachin is like showing lamp to Sun.
Watching Sachin bat is the utmost pleasure . I have watched and batting by the the legend Don also and in front of Sachin he would come distant second. No one can match the purity in his strokes , perfect timing and the wya he makes the bowlers look helpless. I wish him continued success and fitness. I think cricket will never be same once he decides to retire.
what a beautiful article. absolutely terrible article.
Those who criticize sachin, they himself dont know how to make a come back. they dont have the confidence to make a comeback. they have totally different articles at both times. i dont believe even kapil dev made such a statement. Long Live sachin. may GOD bless GOD.
These are ass hole peoples wants to make money out of the comments on Sachin. Sachin is greatest and he will be. The stupid astrologer from pakistan has no work rather than blaming Indians. Go and see your future first.
A kapil dev to whom i have great regards for indian world cup glory.But having such a dual behavior can only suggests that he has some complex for sachin.
It is needless to comment on chapell brothers as both being ex captains of ausi,understandably have problems with great talents. & these so called critics have nothing but a great command on english so whenever read any critics concentrate on english as it may couse u good.
Superb article…
the first section hurts badly but still…
Even GOD has critisizers but he still loves them and proves them wrong, that’s why he is a GOD. Same applies to SACHIN. How does positions of plannets matter for the creator of planets ?
SACHIN is creator of his own destiny and a destiny of INDIAN cricket otherwise all other cricketers would have no value or a very little value in terms of money and position as well.
@ Anand I used to console myself with– Hey.. At least he scored a 10 or faced 8 balls or the like…
this line brought tears
Ha ha ha – keep crying douche.
Sachin is God.That sums up everything.
Well, I am “one of those who was angry at him, when he had bad patch”. I grew up seeing him play, would switch off the TV once sachin is out. So it was imprinted in my mind, for India to win sachin has to play! A natural conclusion is if it looses sachin is to be blamed, becoz I believe he is the only one who can win a match from any situation. What we must realize that he is beyond a phenomenon, he is a soul which makes every Indian forget their problems, sorrows and shortcomings. The fact that he is “tendlya” makes him a friend, brother, son to every Indian and right to criticize him like our own. And his achievements belonged to each and every Indian and hence the the wide spread criticism. All those ” big names” are just one of us, as they too relish in his success.
He will always remain the greatest cricketer, no matter what a certain jack has to say.
- To the only GOD I have seen!
I remember I had a hot debate with a group of my friends who were always Anti-Sachin…. I waz alone and they were like 5 or 6 , and still I won that debate ,,,,, I didn’t choose the safer side, but the word came from the emotion within ,,, from what I have seen in Tv growing up . the stats speaks itself so I think an anti-sachin can,t be a winner any where in the world
Really A God….!!!!!By Reading This Article Really one Can Ask Bradman Hm……….Now What Whoe’s Great…….