Sachin Tendulkar – The atlas

One-day matches

Tendulkar in action during an ODI

If India’s Test match fortunes define the Sachin legend, its One-day fortunes further cement it. India performed reasonably better in ODIs, thanks to the exploits of its opening pair of Tendulkar and Ganguly. India won 31 out of the 85 ODIs it played in that period, 15 of them in 1998, a year in which Tendulkar scored 1894 runs and 9 centuries (both records still stand).

Tendulkar was the top aggregator in ODIs, scoring 657 runs more than his closest competitor. When comparing top contributors from each team, one notices that although Tendulkar emerges as the highest contributor (16.34%), he is not very far ahead of the next placed Mark Waugh (16.28%), and Grant Flower (15.90%)

Table 5: Batsman Runs as a % of team runs (1 Jan’96-31 Dec’99)

Team	Top Batsman	Runs	Team Runs	% of team runs
Australia	Mark Waugh	3960	24327	16.28%
South Africa	Gary Kirsten	3061	23101	13.25%
Pakistan	Saeed Anwar	4224	28631	14.75%
New Zealand	Nathan Astle	2667	18432	14.47%
England	Alec Stewart	1713	14142	12.11%
West Indies	Brian Lara	2464	16421	15.01%
Sri Lanka	Aravinda De Silva	3488	24724	14.11%
India	Sachin Tendulkar	5359	32806	16.34%
Zimbabwe	Grant Flower	3027	19041	15.90%

Nevertheless, Tendulkar contributed significantly in matches that India won, scoring almost 2% more runs for his team than the next placed Brian Lara. It can be seen that 5 of the 9 batsmen in the list are opening batsmen, since the potential to play more number of balls goes some distance in determining the percentage contribution. But then, there is no alternative to performance, solid performance.

Table 6: Batsman Runs in Wins, as a % of team runs (1 Jan’96-31 Dec’99)

Team	Top Batsman	Runs	Team Runs	% of team runs
Australia	Mark Waugh	2656	14260	18.6%
South Africa	Gary Kirsten	2761	18062	15.3%
Pakistan	Saeed Anwar	3041	16582	18.3%
New Zealand	Nathan Astle	1384	7717	17.9%
England	Alec Stewart	1015	6178	16.4%
West Indies	Brian Lara	1753	8959	19.6%
Sri Lanka	Aravinda De Silva	2452	14448	17.0%
India	Sachin Tendulkar	3364	15622	21.5%
Zimbabwe	Andy Flower	1283	7233	17.7%

What is interesting, and most representative of Tendulkar’s importance to India, is the fact that his batting average in matches that India won in this period (76.45) is way higher than his average in matches that India lost (28.80). If this stat is not a clear indicator of his value to the team, then no other is.

A point often brought up by Tendulkar’s critics is his lack of nerve in tournament finals. His numbers comprehensively refute this argument (in the period considered).Only Michael Bevan and Grant Flower (although in much fewer matches) averaged more than Sachin Tendulkar in tournament semi-finals and finals. Tendulkar also scored more runs and centuries in such games than any other player.

Table 7: Average in tournament Semi-Finals and Finals (Qual-Min 4 Matches)- 1 Jan’96-31 Dec’99

Batsman	Mtchs	Runs	Average	100s
Michael Bevan	16	558	69.75	0
Sachin Tendulkar	19	1177	69.23	5
Grau Kirsten	12	494	61.75	2
Grant Flower	5	306	61.20	1
Paul Strang	5	61	61	0
Aravinda De Silva	17	756	54	2

Included in this list are his 134 vs Australia at Sharjah (Coca Cola Cup Final - 1998), 124 vs Zimbabwe at Sharjah (Coca Cola Cup Final - 1998), 128 vs Sri Lanka at Colombo (Akai-Nidahas trophy final - 1998), & 88 vs Australia at Bangalore (Titan Cup Final - 1996).

The certainty of Sachin Tendulkar - the prodigy becoming a legend was never more ingrained, apart from the case of Don Bradman. This is perhaps another point of comparison between two of the foremost exponents of batsmanship of their respective generations. Sachin’s domination of the maidans of Mumbai in the late ‘80s was legion, ask anyone who saw him play during that time and he would tell you how the news of Sachin batting in a match would spread like a wildfire, filling the air with an expectation never experienced since.

He carried this halo with him to the international arena where for a brief while, as Sharda Ugra once said, his brilliance made irrelevant all possible comparisons. One is compelled to believe that his own teammates must have been in absolute awe of him, so much so that all hopes of an Indian victory rested just and just on his shoulders.

The chant ‘Sachiin, Sachin..’, can trace its origins somewhere during this period.