Top 11 Batsmen against pace bowling in the last four decades

Sachin Tendulkar

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Considered by some as the best batsman of his era, certified by the great Don Bradman himself of having gifts similar to those of Don, Tendulkar is probably the only batsman amongst his contemporaries who has faced all the great fast bowling generations – the West Indies of early 90s, Pakistan of the early 90s, Australia of early 2000s and South Africa through the 90s and 2000s.

From swing in England to pace in Australia, especially in Perth, and bounce in Durban, Sachin has faced every type of seam attack and has come out with flying colours.

He is No.4 on the list of visiting batsmen with most runs in Australia – 1809 at an incredible average of 53. Only two greats, Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe have a better average after scoring 1500 runs in Australia. Sachin also tops the list of most runs scored against South Africa in South Africa by a visiting batsman – 1161 at 46.44 with 5 centuries.

Sachin also averages close to his normal average against bowling attacks which were above the median (in terms of ferocity) especially away from home. Most importantly, his playing style was as correct and complete as it could get, without an obvious flaw.

Good off the front and the back foot, offside and onside and with the drives as well as with the cut, pull and hook, showing he possessed rare dexterity when it comes to dealing with pace bowling!