The thousands of man hours spent debating which one is “greater” – Lara or Tendulkar, far outnumber the thousands of runs both those men have scored. And the debates continue. As they would for a qualifier as subjective as “greater”. Both men are inarguably legends, demigods not only in their own countries but throughout the cricketing world. They have given us many memorable moments or enchanting strokeplay and sheer genius. Which one of them is greater is less an argument that starts from first principles and ends on a conclusion, and more a rhetorical exercise that starts with a favored conclusion and goes on to provide supporting facts.
There is one side-show in the Lara-Tendulkar debates that has become somewhat of a pet peeve of mine. Many, indeed most cricket fans I know, including some extremely knowledgeable ones (and including some hardcore Sachin supporters), seem to take it as a given that Lara was a better fourth innings batsman than Tendulkar. Very often, someone will fling a variant of that claim my way. And it has me nearly frothing at the mouth, because it is at best a cherry-picking of facts, and at worst, an urban legend.
Let me first say that I absolutely LOVE Brian Lara. I have watched almost all his centuries live on television, whenever academics and work permitted. In terms of the sheer orgasmic delight of watching an elegant craftsman at work, it is my (admittedly subjective) opinion that Lara is miles ahead of Tendulkar. If I were forced to watch the recordings of only one batsman’s innings for the rest of my life, it’d be Lara by a wide margin. But we’re not talking elegance. We’re talking 4th innings miracles. We’re talking to people like a very good (and knowledgeable) friend of mine who wrote to me in an email – “Sachin’s 4th innings record is decent, but does not match up against Lara’s many 4th innings epics”.
“Many” 4th innings epics? How many epics did Lara score? In fact, forget epicworthiness. How many 4th innings centuries did Lara score? Take a guess.
Two. 2. Do. Dos. Only two of his 34 centuries came in 4th innings. One of them, undoubtedly an epic, is probably the source of this urban myth. I remember my parents’ indignation at my ignoring my first year engineering studies as I stayed up late nights watching every moment of that absorbing test series between West Indies and Australia. After Australia had garnered a healthy first innings lead in the Barbados test (the series in balance at 1-1), those two crafty men – Ambrose and Walsh, bowled with hostile intensity to dismiss the Aussies in under two sessions for something around 150. West Indies were set a shade over 300 for victory with ample time.
Lara walked in towards the end of the 4th day’s play, at the fall of the 3rd wicket (nightwatchman). It was 85/3 at stumps, already a precarious position. Two more wickets fell within half an hour on the 5th day leaving West Indies at 100 or so for 5, still 200+ away from victory. And then that stubborn stonewaller Jimmy Adams stepped up. He crawled along, guarding his wicket against McGrath, Gillespie, Warne, and McGill for almost three hours, allowing Lara at the other end to unleash a dazzling but cautious array of strokes. There was a lot of drama. Lara and McGrath seemed close to coming to blows after a bouncer hit Lara on the back and McGrath seemed intent of following it up with some lip. Gillespie went off the ground after another one of his frequent niggles. And there was a lot being said all around; definitely one of the most sledging-heavy matches ever, with Lara frequently responding to the Aussies’ taunts. But what spoke louder was Lara’s bat as he played what is for me the best innings of his life (forget the 277, 375 and 400). During that partnership, he must have scored at a strike rate of at least 80, unleashing his full array of strokes. Vicious pulls and precise drives. Lara brought up his hundred with a lofted on drive off Warne. All seemed to be going well.
With Adams looking solid and Lara looking imperious, the target was now less than a 100 runs away. My mom woke up for a glass of water, approached me with the intent of chastising me for being up this late watching cricket and not studying, but was drawn into the drama. A few minutes later, we both groaned in disappointment as McGrath managed to break through Adams’ stubborn defense, with a delivery that cut away, knocked back the off-stump and went to the slips. Just as Ridley Jacobs started showing promise, McGrath trapped him in front, with one that straightened almost miraculously. Nehemiah Perry fell on the very next ball with the ball cutting the other way. After Ambrose survived the hattrick, my mom told me to go to sleep. The match had all the makings of a typical West Indian chokefest, she said. Just watch the highlights tomorrow. I ignored her and kept watching. More out of recalcitrance than actual hope. 60 runs to get with only Ambrose and Walsh for company? Yep, the writing was on the wall.
I watched, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it took a while. Ambrose hung around, even collecting a couple of boundaries. Lara kept going fluently. the Australians grew even more irksome and vocal. Lara was harsh on Warne, alternately stepping out to hit him down the ground and leaning back to drive him through the covers. Even Ambrose joined in the fun, changing his stroke mid-shot to cut a wide McGrath delivery to the point boundary, The Barbadians were going insane. Calypso music was blaring so loudly, at times it drowned out the commentators.
In just over an hour, the 300 was up. Less than ten runs needed. Oh wow, I thought to myself, they might actually do this. But a fear lingered, arising from a two-month old memory. The memory of India falling short of Pakistan’s significantly easier target in Chennai so recently, after Tendulkar’s dismissal against the run of play. Just as I was thinking about that heartbreak and Sachin’s back, Gillespie who had returned after nursing his back, pitched one back of length on middle moving away. It seemed to happen in slow motion – Lara went for it, edged and it flew to Healy. I let out a sigh of relief as Healy, very uncharacteristically, flubbed it. Bullet dodged. But there was now a growing sinking feeling in my stomach that my mom might be proved right.
That sinking feeling in my stomach turned into a crater as just moments later, Gillespie bowled a similar delivery, and Ambrose, perhaps looking to repeat his point boundary, went for it, handing an easy catch to 3rd or 4th slip.. In came Courtney Walsh who back then either held or was close to capturing the record for most ducks in test cricket. Next ball – a no ball. It brought the target down to 5, but also meant that Walsh would have to survive an extra Gillespie delivery. He kept a straight bat and played out 3 deliveries. McGrath to Lara. 5 to get. Surely it would end happily in the next over. Kensington Oval seemed set to celebrate. Even Gary Sobers, watching from the stands, had a smile on his face.
The next delivery, the smile all but disappeared from West Indian faces. McGrath bowling round the wicket and wide off the crease sent down an incoming delivery. Lara brought his bat down, and the ball flew off the outside edge. Luckily it flew just wide of a diving Warne at first slip and was headed to the thirdman boundary before it was intercepted. Another narrow escape, and 2 more runs shaved off. Then, a sure sign that the pressure was getting to the normally unflappable McGrath as he delivered a bouncer outside off that went for a massive massive wide. 2 to win. Then another bouncer, this time well directed. Lara swung his bat hoping for a boundary, but didn’t connect very well. Just a single. Scores tied, with Walsh on strike. Walsh now had to either score the winning run or defend against McGrath. If he fell, the two teams would have yet another tied test.
Luckily, McGrath was off target and Walsh survived. Lara back on strike, facing Gillespie with one run to win. The ball was decent, almost identical in length to the one that almost gave Gillespie Lara’s wicket 2 overs ago. But this time, Lara moved perfectly, and unleashed that beautiful cover drive he’s known for. The ball raced away. I roared in unison with the Barbados crowd, making my parents wake up. Lara, having completed a famous win, hugged his teammates.
See how awesome that epic was? I set out to describe it in a few sentences and ended up rambling on and on. Well, it was THAT special. It also came with some luck, as we saw. But in the end, Lara scripted a saga that was memorable and magical. And magical enough to build an entire urban legend – of his 4th innings winning expertise.
Barbados 1999 is where the 4th innings expertise begins and ends. Two years later, he seemed set to repeat his triumph against South Africa, but fell to Kallis short of a century, and West Indies ended up losing comfortably. Two more years later, chasing 400 or so against Aussies, he made a fluent century but fell with West Indies miles and miles away. A couple of seasons later in South Africa, set 450 to win in 100 overs, he scored an entertaining 80-odd but fell with almost 2 sessions to go, leaving Sarwan, Hinds, and Smith to grind out a face-saving draw.
All these other near-misses and failures do not show him as a 4th innings failure per se, but don’t make him a 4th innings god either. Certainly does not make him “way better” than Sachin in the 4th innings. Sachin has some near-misses himself, the aforementioned Chennai century being the most famous one. But he also has two famous successes. The first such being of course, famously, his maiden test century. An unbeaten century coming in at No. 6 to salvage a draw at Old Trafford. The other being his last ball hundred at Chennai against England two seasons ago.
Even in terms of pure numbers, there’s little separating the two greats when it comes to 4th innings performances. In fact Sachin’s 4th innings average at 38.77 (49 innings) is higher than Lara’s at 35.12 (46 innings). Sachin has 3 centuries, Lara has 2. Sachin has 5 half centuries, Lara has 7. And, interestingly, Sachin has 3 4th innings duck, and Lara has 7. These numbers don’t speak strongly for either of the two gentlemen.
All things considered, both Lara and Tendulkar are neck-to-neck in this regard – 4th innings records, as they are in most other regards when it comes to debating which one is greater. I am writing this post not to claim that Sachin was better, but to say that it’s too close to call.
So the Lara myth comes from that magical nail-biting century in the Barbados win. You saw how I waxed lyrical about it. It was unforgettable. But so was Sachin’s Chennai century against Pakistan just two months before. Sadly for him, the chance he offered with victory in sight was taken. And that century is associated with a painful failing, not a famous win. In a parallel universe, Sachin’s catch was dropped, Lara’s was held, and people are touting Sachin as the 4th innings master, and Lara as the choker.
Thus ends this rather self-indulgent exercise in mythbusting. The next time someone says, “Sachin is great, but Lara’s 4th innings record was much better” throw this post in their face. And if you were one of those who used this to bait Sachin fans, worry not. Let me give you another name. Let’s see…. let me think of some random name – Smith sounds as random as any. It’s very common and is often chosen as a fake name. So go with Smith. Tell them, “Sachin is great, but a dude named Smith has a much better 4th innings record”.
——————————
Article by Gaurav Sabnis
sanakazmi
December 6, 2010
for some reason, i was expecting an analysis of how many man-of-the-match awards* each of the two has for their 4th-innings performances.
but if you do want to go the route of stats, i don’t see how either of them can count as “a 4th-innings master” with those 4th-innings averages. also, the point about lara having a paltry two 4th-innings centuries is not fair. if you look at the top 4th innings performers of all time (top 100 batsmen scoring 500 or more runs in 4th innings at http://bit.ly/i4oVN2) there’s only 4 who have scored 4 centuries each in the 4th innings.
(*they only count if their side won, not bogus MoTM awards like this one: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63828.html
)
karachikhatmal
December 7, 2010
well that’s my urban legend busted, and only because you wrote so beautifully about THAT innings that i couldn’t dismiss it as another sachin-savior blog. excellent piece, brilliant read.
Gaurav
December 7, 2010
Sana, you’re right. Neither of them counts as a 4th innings master the way Smith or Ponting do. The point is to just show that both of them have similar, fairly average 4th innings records. People recognize that about Sachin, but have built a myth around Lara that I wanted to to bust.
knowledge_eater
December 7, 2010
Brilliant writing, 6-12 paragraphs, very well Put. This is what brilliant inning can do to your perception of a batsman, just like the perception that Sachin have scored more runs, while India is losing.
And currently sadly for Australian supporter, great Ricky 4th inning player is not in good touch. Let’s hope he beats Yuni then SMG then Bradman.
Ritesh
December 7, 2010
This is just an awesome write up, in the beginning I thought it was all about hailing Lara (no doubt he was a great batsman, ofcourse second to Sachin
) but then I read the witty side of you, lol, Lara was dropped twice by the world number team of that time in that epic innings of 153, and Tendulkar was caught by the team who are known for dropping more than catching.
Really good one to read. Keep writing mate !
Ameya
December 7, 2010
Nice Post Gaurav.. after a long time, pleasure to read.
BP
December 7, 2010
Really excellent piece! So many great points, and a brilliant recounting of Lara’s epic.
In my eyes too, Lara was probably the most stylish and artistic batsman one could hope to see, but he was no 4th innings genius. In fact, I’d go further than you have and argue that Tendulkar has been the better 4th innings player…higher average + higher century count and that too despite playing more games in India and SL where spinners made merry on days 4 & 5 for most of his career.
In fact, though Smith and Ponting both have exceptional 4th innings records (avg of 50+), one has to factor in that days 4 and 5 are typically far less helpful to spinners in SA and Aus. No surprise then that in Indian conditions, Smith averages only 36 and Ponting 26.
PS: @sanakazmi, actually a career avg. of ~39 (Tendulkar) is decent for the 4th innings, especially for a subcontinent player. Consider the 4th inn averages of 2 great Pakistani batsmen: Inzi avgd 38 with 1 hundred while Saeed Anwar avgd 35 with no hundreds. And I also have to disagree with your “bogus MoM” comment…when a man scores 136 in the 4th innings in Indian conditions, and takes his team to the brink of victory when his team is 70/5…and that too against 2 masters of reverse swing (2Ws) and a master of spin (Saqlain…who had recently invented the doosra), how can you ignore the context and choose to disregard such an effort? And obviously, the MoM panel (which included Holding + Pakistani representation) could not disregard it.
Masuud Qazi
December 7, 2010
BP- I guess I have answered your point here too, when you say Sachin was better than Lara. Do check my mentions of their major knocks and the other details please.
Also, you say Sachin has been better in India and SL than Lara. How is this possible when Lara only played one innings of 45 in SL and 2 innings in India (scored miserly 3 runs). While, Sachin has also played only 2 innings in SL (62 runs, avg 31), and obviously India being his home, he has played 23 innings there. In Pakistan, Lara played only one innings for 49 and Sachin also has just one innings for 26.
So their comparison in subcontinent is not possible, esp if India is taken into consideration.
And agree with your Ponting analysis, he has failed in India but Smith hasn’t even played in India yet, or eve Pakistan; just 2 innings to his name in SL so far. So, we will have to wait before he plays in Ind and SL to decide if he is equally good there as he is in Aus, SA, Eng etc.
BP
December 7, 2010
Lots of detailed stats, Masuud! Kudos. But you partially misunderstood what I said. What I meant was that a lot of Sachin’s 4th innings cricket came in India and SL, where spinners typically enjoy conditions on days 4 & 5 and make life tough for batsmen… much more so than on most pitches in WI or Eng or SA. And you too may have heard pundits like Boycott, Chappell and Gavaskar talk about how challenging it is to score on days 4 & 5 in India and SL (whereas in places like England and NZ, it is the 1st innings which is highly challenging for batsmen). So my point was that despite playing a lot of his 4th innings on the subcontinent, Sachin had a better average than Lara.
As for Smith, I was actually referring to his overall average (considering both inngs) in India…which is 36…I think he’s played around 5 tests so far in India. If despite including scores from the 1st innings you only average 36, chances are that you probably wouldn’t average 50 on days 4 & 5 (when the 3rd and 4th innings usually occur) in spin-friendly conditions of the subcontinent.
Masuud Qazi
December 7, 2010
First of all, this is one helluva piece. One, it narrates my most favorite innings by the genius Lara, and two, it drifts on the path of comparing Lara and Sachin. And as you put it, thousands of man hours have been spent in comprehending their greatness and then comparisons, and we all know, this may never end till a next generation of such batting gods come face-to-face (which seems highly unlikely considering what these two embody and comprise of).
As for the innings, it has been very well put here. It was a masterclass, lets just put it that way, typifying Lara in the real sense- charismatic, aggressive, electrifying and what not. I watched it live on telly and I was 12 then (my earliest cricketing memory is at 5 years old, just for the record), so understandably its one of those embedded memories of mine which are authentic and dear for their references. Even a simple package of highlights of it makes it a must for a cricket collection. As controversial be the Wisden’s top 10 test innings of all time, it surely deserved a spot in there, which it ultimately did at no. 2.
Masuud Qazi
December 7, 2010
Now, on the 4th innings expertise point, I would like to do my input here on both of them as well as the best in business (since I did a statistical piece on Younis Khan, who is one of the top 4th innings player currently, both aggregate and match-effect wise, and during that research, I came up with stats on these 2 as well).
1. I don’t agree fully on the point that is perceived as a kind of benchmark of scoring 100s in the 4th innings. Yes, they are important without doubt, yet as everybody understanding test cricket should be aware of that when you’re chasing or saving a game in the final innings, you can’t or don’t need to score heavily (esp. when playing for a draw), and that even targets of 200-250+ in the final innings are a herculean tasks.
So, as much as hundreds count in the 4th innings, big 50s such as 70, 80+ matter a lot in the ultimate outcome of the match.
2. Winning a test match while chasing in the 4th innings is a team effort in most cases (well, cricket is a team game, after all), not an individual brilliance. Just like Lara’s 153 is considered to be a magnificent individual effort by most, think yourself would it have been possible if Adams didn’t give him the support? Or Walsh hadn’t played out those few deliveries? Obviously not. And here, I’m in no way taking away the due credit from Lara.
Now, apply the same to Sachin’s 136 at Chennai. The guy took India from 82-5 to the brink of victory only to get out with a handful remaining. One, if it wasn’t for Mongia’s half century, Sachin wouldn’t have been able to play the way he did and India wouldn’t have ended that close. Two, if the tail (last 3 wickets here) had put on those 16 runs rather than just 4 runs, India would have won, yet they didn’t.
Many matches in the 4th innings have had such examples, with some brilliant individual knocks and support from others resulting in a terrific successful chase while on the other hand, some remarkable individual efforts have been unable to produce the winning results, due to either hard luck of going on and finishing the job or the absence of required support from others, and in some cases, both.
Masuud Qazi
December 7, 2010
I’m putting some stats based on the two points I mentioned above.
First, lets look at some other major efforts in the 4th innings by Lara & Sachin haven’t been remembered as much as the ones which are, for either winning the test or being brink of it.
Lets take Lara, first.
WI won – Lara scored 80* v SL in Kingston 03′, needing 212, aided by Sarwan’s 82. http://goo.gl/r3end
WI lost – Lara scored 122 v Aus in Port of Spain 03′, needing 407. The next major score was 35. http://goo.gl/IKsQP
Helped WI drew – Lara scored 86 v SA in Cape Town 04′, needing to bat out the final day and a bit, aided by Dwayne Smith century. http://goo.gl/Sf6bd
WI lost – Lara scored 91 v SA in Antigua 01′, chasing 323, he was the only one with a major score with the next being 29. http://goo.gl/U4Fil
So, you see, Lara’s efforts like 122, 91 couldn’t make WI win or draw the game only because no one else bothered to turn up.
Also, scores such as 86 and 80* were crucial enough to salvage a draw and win the test respectively. Hence, a 100 is not what is always needed to do the job in the 4th innings.
Now, lets take Sachin.
Ind drew – Sachin made 119* v Eng in Manchester 90′. Ind batted out 90 overs with useful contributions from Manjrekar (50) and Prabhakar (67*). http://goo.gl/bWARK
Ind lost – 86 v WI in Kingston 02′. India needing 408, were all out for 252, with the next best score being 30.
And the match you mentioned, at Chennai 08′ v Eng in which Sachin made 103*. http://goo.gl/SefTC
In that innings, Shewag (85), Gambir (66), Yuvraj (85*) made his job easier.
So, we see in Kingston, he did a lone hand, nobody else could make a contribution where as at Chennai and Manchester, he had 3 and 2 half century makers respectively. So, without the support of others, it wasn’t possible for him to have India winning or drawing those games.
As for comparing those two in the 4th innings, I guess as you have stated, there’s hardly anything to choose between the two, but if you really need to stake a claim, it has to be Lara. Why? Because, the number of major innings played in the 4th innings (scores of 70-80+ to hundreds), be it in winning, losing or drawing the game, Lara has more (do your own stats search, you’ll end up with the same major knocks which I have put them here) and has done comparatively better than Sachin.
Also, against Australia, which had been unarguably the toughest test team both players faced, here are the stats.
Lara – 15 innings, 502 runs, 38.69 average, 2 hundreds, 1 fifty.
Sachin – 14 innings, 297 runs, 24.75 average, 2 fifties.
Against other major test playing nations, its nearly neck to neck with one bettering the other against different teams.
p.s. This comparison in no way means Lara or Sachin were the masters of 4th innings, as the averages and the results are just not convincing enough and as you yourself have pointed out.
Masuud Qazi
December 7, 2010
Last one on the mention of Smith and Ponting as the best in business right now. As much as stats do support them in this regard, yet 2 players need special mentions: Younis Khan and Kallis.
Younis averages 57+ and has scored 800+ runs. 3 fifties and 4 hundreds (highest in 4th innings along with couple of other players), out of which 3 hundreds resulted in saving the games, also has formidable record in South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan (averaging 50+ in all these places). Has played only 1 innings each in England and Australia, so that shouldn’t be bothered about here.
Kallis averages almost 45 with 1200+ runs. Has 10 fifties and 1 hundred. Averages 69 in Aus (7 innings), 48 in SA, 50 in WI, 55 in SL (2 innings). Has played just 1 innings in India and none in Pakistan, so he hasn’t been on show much in the subcontinent (SC).
Smith averages 53.5 with almost 1300 runs. Averages 46 in SA, 40 in Aus, 45 in SL (2 innings) and 162 in Eng (3 innings, total 162 runs,out once). Hasn’t played any in Pakistan and India so not yet tested in the SC.
Ponting averages 54.5 with 1300+ runs. Averages 60 in SA (3 innings), 57 in Aus, 43 in Eng, and has failed in India (24 runs in 5 innings). Hasn’t played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Hence, the same case in SC.
You can take your pick based on stats an the effects they have had on the matches they have dished out their 4th innings. For the time being, you have to give it to Younis Khan, IMO.
dr.imran ahmed siddiqui
December 7, 2010
Ok i am confused here,wht should i read the real post or the one by Masuud the man…
Gaurav
December 7, 2010
Ritesh, I was not being Mark Antony in this post and you might have read a wittiness that wasn’t there. Catches being dropped are part of the game. Lara’s catches were by no means easy (in fact the 2nd one was wide of a diving Warne, so wasn’t even technically a drop). So there was no nudge-nudge-wink-wink pro-Sachin point. The point remains the same. That neither player has an exemplary 4th innings record.
BP, Your point about subcontinent conditions being harder for 4th innings batting is well taken. But it is only a small part of the puzzle. After all, Sunil Gavaskar, who averaged 51 overall, averaged a stupendous 58 in 4th innings with 4 centuries.
Masuud, Thanks for the detailed comments.
BP
December 7, 2010
Gaurav, what I meant was that other things being equal (such as quality of the bowling), 4th innings on the subcontinent are more challenging for batsmen than in other parts of the world. Just as other things being equal, 1st innings in England and NZ are more challenging for batsmen than on the subcontinent. Which is why I felt it was worth recognizing that Ponting’s and Smith’s higher 4th innings averages do reflect the impact of playing a majority of their 4th innings in Aus and SA, respectively.
As for Gavaskar, he was a true MASTER of the 4th innings! Actually, all innings
Miandad too was excellent. And what do they say…the exception proves the rule! So I still maintain that on average, 4th innings runs are quite a bit harder on the subcontinent’s spinning tracks.
Emclub
December 7, 2010
I Agree with the 1st comment
)))))
tootingtrumpet
December 7, 2010
I saw all the 153* It was as you write it. Super stuff.
Amol
December 8, 2010
Nice one. I also think that the Lara myth is due to that one innings.
I had tried to do a similar analysis some time back and somehow missed comparing Smith and Kallis and Younis Khan in that (I had Inzy and M Yousuf). I was trying to use some names of players that played around the same time. I will now check these three players as well.
That analysis is here and includes stats for many contemporary players.
http://fromthefarend.com/cricket/?p=194
sandeep
December 10, 2010
I am going to give different “theory” , to this Tendulkar lara debate and how this urban legend was created especially for most of us who grew up in 90’s when india played moderate to poor test cricket .Also please consider that in the 90’s there were other factors like no IPL no malls and watching live cricket especially non india matches was still “Big deal “ unlike now when its kinda become a bore .Only hardcore cricket fans follow important series like Ashes
So for us the 90’s growing up Indians those two innings were a defining moments alongwith maybe sachin’s innings in sharjah up until VVS laxman and Rahul dravid came along in Kolkata few years later
So most of us have vivid memories of those innings being impressionable college students ,I remember sachin’s Chennai knock I clearly remember it was Sunday and our local electricity board announced in the papers that for our locality there was going to power cut the whole day due maintenance works ,I remember my brother and myself running to our granny’s house to watch the match and wasim akram bowled his version of the ball of the century to dravid and then ganguly was given out in controversial circumstances and then sachin with mongia and later joshi almost winning the game for india and falling short I know I am not as gifted as gaurav sabnis to write more details about the knock
Contrast this with Sachin’s 2008 knock Most of us who grew up in 90’s had grown up got jobs maybe married as well and following cricket on cricinfo if company internet policies allowed else use web proxy what is our memory of that match maybe sehwag hitting harmison over slips ,his usual upper cut for four to signal that india intended to chase down the score not just play for a draw .From personal experience I was actually disappointed with gambir playing loose shot ,his run down to third man going to slip instead and then I had to switch off theTV to go to work !!!You see all of us had grown up I only read later on the flintoff and yuvraj had go and each other and yuvraj probabaly played his only test knock of any value ,I am sorry I don’t see yuvraj back in test squad but 90’s guyz were following match on the Web but the Nougthies guyz had no real interest in test cricket whatso ever ,I know I am a making slightly controversial statement here .They have the IPL and other means of entertainment and would not care to follow a test match with the intensity of 90’s guy so hence no tales weaved around sachin 2008 knock .From a personal point of view I remember only towards the end I went to office cafeteria as david lylod was air speaking and sachin paddle sweeping for four was what I watched on TV .Also How may tales will be weaven around say laxman recent knocks in Colombo and Mohali not many I would think since the college kids who can “afford “ to bunk college for a day or two will not watch laxman bat any how !!!! Unlike the 90’s guyz who are all at work !!!!!
Also one more urban legend was Sachin ‘s record in final ‘s I don’t have the figures first hand but not many speak about sachin’s 2008 australia tri series final hundred do they ??? Of course in few months time in the world cup if sachin fails in of the knock out games and india exit then forever the urban legend that Sachin does not score in “BIG” games will be stuck with him forever !!!
karachikhatmal
December 10, 2010
sandeep:
very important point here – there is a huge difference between fans of the two generations, and esp in india – i always find that i get along great with indian fans form the 90s, while those from the noughties are usually arrogant and have none of the knowledge the 90s guys do. be it lara or sachin, there’s a great sense of tragedy associated with both men, as a lot of their prime was spent being the only guy fighting on a sinking ship. the two innings being discussed here seem to epitomise their teams and careers.
perhaps thats also why the sachin 2008 innings doesn’t make it into folklore, because it contradicts the sachin narrative of being a glorious lone fighter. which was why the 175 against the oz resonated so much because it reaffirmed that original legend.
however, i think that there is a generational problem here. it will take perhaps another decade before cricket fans gorwing up now start to look back with great nostalgia of the brilliant innings they saw. and i am convinced they will have different criteria than us, having grown up in different circumstances. would be interesting to see what they choose to cherish.
Gaurav
December 10, 2010
KK, about your getting along with fans from the 90s and not noughties. I don’t think it’s a matter of knowledge as it is of frames of reference. Us 90s folks have a common frame of reference. The kids today, trust me, are as much into tests, if not more. maybe because cricket is so much more accessible to them.
About the 2008 innings, the thing is, a) it was Sehwag’s blistering onslaught that made a tough chase gettable, and b) India didn’t collapse like in ’99. personally, I don’t think it takes anything away from Sachin’s innings. He put his head down and saw us through. if he had fallen, that test would probably have counted as yet another last day capitulation from India. But the phenomenal Sehwag boost and the lack of a collapse means that in terms of sheer dramatic memorability, the innings doesn’t match up with his 99 knock, Lara’s Barbados innings, or even Laxman’s recent two close escapes.
Gaurav
December 10, 2010
Sandeep, very thought-provoking comment. I am going to disagree with your estimation of the interest in test cricket among the young generation. I have many friends and cousins in that age group, and while they love their IPL and T20s, most are also into test cricket.
When I was a kid in the 90s, I remember people from earlier generations saying similar things about us. That we are too heavily into ODIs. That test cricket is “dying” because of ODIs. What followed instead was a renaissance in test cricket, aided no doubt by the aggressive play, great rivalries, and the drastic reduction in the number of pointless draws.
Test cricket continues to flourish, in terms of quality, as well as in terms of following. Now that you and me are on the wrong side of 25, our hair starts to recede/gray, and our tummies develop extra layers, let us not have the same curmudgeonly attitude towards “kids today” that our elders so wrongly did towards us.
clearcricket
December 11, 2010
You kids!!!
karachikhatmal
December 10, 2010
gaurav:
haha no i didn’t mean to imply ‘these haram-khor youngsters don’t know tests.’ as you say they are very passionate etc. my personal beef is that they have an extremely short-sighted understanding of cricket, hugely influenced by the spectacular success india has enjoyed of late, or the failures besetting pakistan in this decade. consequently, they are bound to get a lot more parochial, and a lot more hyperbolic when there is no need.
admittedly, a lot of this has to accept that that’s just how we all are when young, but sometimes hearing that harbhajan is the most amazing spinner ever, or the fact that pakistani cricket has ‘always’ sucked gets under my skin.
sandeep
December 10, 2010
@Gaurav I don’t intended to have any high horse attitude towards today’s youngster’s at all In fact one positive thing about them is they don’t freak out and go mad as much as our elders did when india loses a cricket match (Notice how I didn’t criticize our generation at all) , Our elders would say sack this guy sack that guy etc etc without accepting the fact that india was not simply not good enough !!! But I think answer to this will only be known some or many years from now whether the nouthies guys have fondness towards test cricket …Let me give an example Most outstanding cricketer to have come about in last 2-3 years has been Dale steyn …Will the Noughties guy follow Dale steyn with same intensity as 90’ guy followed Mcgrath or Donald Another cricketer may be is Swan ,Swan is no Warne !!! But how will he be remembered and… all this we talking from an indian perspective if after the golden generation hang up their boots and Kolhis and rains don’t match up then will the indian young fans really care when india becomes a mid table team again
sandeep
December 10, 2010
and of course all this matter of opinion i really cant back up with figures vis a vis 90′s boys how much closely today’s youngesters follow test cricket