Former Australian captain Greg Chappell lavished praise on Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar after the Little Master achieved his much elusive milestone of hundred hundreds against Bangladesh on Friday.
Chappell wrote in a column for The Hindu, “If batting is an art then Sachin Tendulkar is the Picasso among batsmen. On that basis Bradman must have been Michelangelo.
“Vasoo Paranjape said of Sachin: ‘God created him and sent him down to earth just to play cricket.’ If so, God must then have destroyed the mould.”
Chappell reminisced one of Tendulkar’s famous innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He wrote,” My first memory of watching Sachin bat live was at the SCG on the India tour of Australia in 1991-92. Sachin made 148 not out in Shane Warne's debut Test.
“Warne would have wondered if he was cut out for Test cricket. He only took one wicket, that of Ravi Shastri, in 45 overs of hard slog as Shastri made 206 and Tendulkar announced himself, in Australia at least, as a batsman of rare ability and class.
“Without wishing to denigrate Shastri's fine performance, he looked like a mere house painter alongside the sublime artist as Tendulkar displayed a dazzling array of shots and a wonderful imagination as he crafted an innings of great beauty. He has played many more since then.”
Chappell feels Tendulkar’s ability to carry the hopes and prayers of more than a billion people each time he bats sets him apart even from Sir Don Bradman.
The former India coach feels it is Indian batsman’s mental toughness separates him from the rest. “Sachin, like other great players, sees opportunity and success where others see difficulty and failure,” he wrote.
Chappell feels like Bradman, Tendulkar has played a vital role in defining his country. He wrote,” The fact that he loves batting has helped. It appears that Sachin has defined himself by what he has done with bat in hand. More importantly, he has helped define a nation.
“It is generally accepted that Bradman helped define the Australian nation during the period following the Great Depression and again after the Second World War.”
Chappell feels Tendulkar’s longevity makes him a special player. “Bradman's average makes him the leader of the pack. It is Tendulkar's longevity and consistency against all opposition and in most conditions that sets him apart from the rest,” Chappell concluded.
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