Leapfrogging Comparisons - Part II

In the first part of this series, I compared the career graphs of two sportsmen of different disciplines (Ravi Shastri and Andy Roddick). Having leapfrogged so, I am back again with another couple of individuals. In my previous attempt, I took up the case of retired players. This time however, I want to discuss the similarities between two stalwarts of the modern game, Jacques Kallis and Rafael Nadal.

Not deviating entirely from my previous article, I have once again ensured that the sportsmen whom I have picked for this article belong to cricket and tennis.

The players, chosen for this article, are second to none in terms of what they have achieved thus far. Whenever there are talks surrounding cricket and tennis, as much as we orate about Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer, we cannot stop cogitating about these two men upon whom this article of mine is primarily based.

Working on their achievements and traits, following are the similarities I could end up with.

Hard-earned skills:

When Jacques Kallis debuted in the latter half of the 90s, the batting scene was dominated by the likes of Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Aravinda De Silva and Mark Waugh, whose flamboyance was not matched by the South African. Yet, with his flawless technique and impeccable temperament, Kallis has been able to match his peers, and has become one of the most consistent batsmen in the international circuit over the last decade. Much like Rahul Dravid, he was initially blamed for a sluggishness in his run-scoring. Despite being equipped with a massive arsenal of strokes, it took him time to make his name.However, having come to terms with the modern game, Kallis now holds an average of 45 in ODI cricket, which speaks volumes about the player he has become.

Likewise, in tennis, Rafael Nadal had a very limited skill set to start with. Not as naturally talented as Roger Federer and Marat Safin, he had to put in a lot of efforts on the court to match the top players on tour. Barring his inside-out forehand, he did not have much in his armory to challenge the bigger stars on the tour. However, he has enhanced his grinding abilities so much that he can now force errors from his opponents by merely frustrating them.

Chasing records:

In any sport, a sportsman is identified by the records he creates or equals. Statistics usually determine the potential of a player, no matter which sport he is playing, and both Kallis and Nadal have swept past many records in their long careers and as every year goes by, are inching closer towards creating new ones.

Jacques Kallis, 3 years younger to Sachin Tendulkar, has amassed 12641 runs at an average of 56.4 in tests. The South African, by virtue of his consistency, has every chance of overtaking the Indian maestro, who has seen a loss of form for quite a while now. The batsman from Capetown also has 43 centuries against his name, and just needs eight more to level the batting genius from India.

Similarly, Nadal, who is just 25 years of age, has the greatest chance of surpassing the count of Federer’s Grand Slam titles. Nadal, with 11 majors against his name, has already established his kingdom firmly in the clay courts of Roland Garros. If he can get the better of his injury problems in the near future and keep himself fit for the next four years or so, he can displace the great Swiss from his throne at the top.

Impeccable in defense:

Kallis is one of the toughest batsmen in the world to beat , with his rock-solid technique forcing bowlers to work hard to claim his wicket. Yet, there was a time earlier in the South African’s career when spinners like Warne used to go through his defence regularly. In fact, the Australian spin wizard claimed his 300th test wicket by a top spinner which breached Kallis’ front foot and realigned his stumps. Kallis has steadily improved however, and the willow of the fourth highest scorer in test cricket now rarely allows a ball to penetrate past it.

Nadal’s defensive instincts are similar to Kallis’, as the Spaniard works hard to stay consistent and wear his opposition down. Compatriot Fernando Verdasco once remarked: “A player needs to hit atleast three winners to earn a point against Rafa.” The statement says it all, doesn’t it? Nadal is so quick on his feet that he fetches and returns almost every ball, which has the ability to torment his adversaries.

Improved players on all surfaces:

Like most South African batsmen, Kallis initially struggled on pitches that induced spin and stayed low, as his batting was more adaptable to wickets which had bounce and pace. However, when South Africa toured India in 2000, Herschelle Gibbs and Kallis bossed the home spinners and handed India a very rare test series defeat on their own home soil. Since then, he has been scoring all over the world and has become one of the best all-round batsmen in the world.

Rafael Nadal won his first Grand Slam title in the clay courts of Roland Garros and thereafter made a habit of winning it till 2009. In that period, Wimbledon 2008 was the only non-clay court major the Spaniard was able to capture. Soon afterwards, the Spaniard clinched an Australian Open title in 2009 by beating Roger Federer, and in the very next year completed his career Grand Slam by prevailing over Novak Djokovic in a four-setter final in the hard courts of US Open.

Tireless sportsmen:

Fatigue is one thing which neither the South African cricketer nor the Spanish Armada are not accustomed to. Kallis can play a long innings for two days and still return to the field as one of his side’s top bowlers. Not one to shed his responsibilities on the field, he has always been ready to do his best with the bat as well as the ball.

Nadal, similarly, can play a marathon five-setter on one day and can still leave enough in the tank to repeat it within 48 hours of the first game. In 2009, Nadal played a five-hour match against Verdasco on Friday and still went on to beat Federer two days later, despite the Swiss player having a relatively easier outing in his semifinal. The Spaniard is used to physically-brutal games, and seldom allows fatigue to set in.

This ends the second part of my series ‘Leapfrogging’, which strolls on the similarities in the qualities of Rafael Nadal and Jacques Kallis, two different sportsmen who are still going strong.