5 Test batsmen with most runs scored in losing causes

Sachin Tendulkar; India

It is natural for the most successful player in the history of Test cricket to be embroiled in controversies and arguments; wherein his stature and his aura will be dissected by every fanatic that has grown up watching the sport.

If Sachin Tendulkar indeed was the best batsman of his generation, why was his average of 37.16 in losses not higher? If the team around him was inconsistent, why did he not put up his hand and perform better than the 4088 runs in 112 innings, which would have given indications of his brilliance even in defeats? When the team around him was crumbling, why did he not emerge a saviour and at least try to help the side sail through?

The above questions are directed in haste without even noticing the fact that the Indian player's average in wins crossed 60. It is but natural for a player to fail when he has played for 24 years, but his inability to remain a warrior in defeats has not gone unnoticed by many.

However, it is not that Tendulkar failed miserably when India lost a game. He averaged 39.7 in Australia and 50.84 in South Africa in losses. Though only 11 of his centuries were scored in matches that ended in defeat, it also gives a hint of the importance of the maestro in the Indian Test arena. Whenever he failed, the team succumbed and when he flourished, the team benefited as well.

However, Tendulkar, being a player that set such high standards, became a victim of his own greatness, wherein fans and experts all over questioned his inability to rise in somber situations, failing to realize that he too was human, prone to downfalls like the rest of mankind.