Sachin - Real Hero or Over-rated?
By poona_m
@poona_m (336)
India
November 13, 2009 6:30am CST
I know I am risking being marked negative for this discussion. But I think those who are more rational would look beyond their Love for tendulkar and try to understand the view I put forward.
Tendulkar has scored more than 17000 runs in ODIs but are these runs really as valuable to the indian team as te media and Sachin fans show it to be? How meaningful are the 175 runs he scored in hyderabad when all those runs could not bring the team victory? If you remember the innings Sachin played in Kotla for his 68 ball 40 I think you will get y message better. He batted all of the first fifteen overs of power play and scored 40 of 68 balls. Wasn't he playing for the 47 he needed to get past 1700 and not for the 251 that the team needed to win the match. Ofcourse I am sure after reaching 47 he would have become the master blaster that he usually is. But why is the pressure of personal glory always outweighing Sachin's brilliant ablities as a batsman? Doesn't it show that he holds his records much higher than teams victory? I believe if he would have batted with a team total of 251 as primary target he would have achieved the 47 he needed for the record and in turn the team would have also won the match. Harbhajan showed in later part of the innings what sachin could have done in the first powerplays. Sehwag never shows a single strain on his forehead when he is between 90 and 100 but almost always we find sachin struggling to score the runs when he reaches a milestone.
Even in his score of 175 how many balls did he take to score the first 7 runs? Why couldn't he score themlike he scored the rest of the 168 runs?
Just how many of you think I am making too big a noise about something too small or you think there is some matter to be thought of in what I say.
2 people like this
10 responses
@sarwanever (435)
• India
13 Nov 09
actually there are situations grease differs in every day when there is no ways to score runs batsman always tempt to do something and get out you spoke about both 175 and 40 runs see the pitch conditions 40 was on a bowling pitch 175 was on a batting pitch and the pressure will be on the openers for sure then i do agree Sachin faces some trouble in reaching milestones some one could see how often he got out on 90's it will come around 10 its because when we reach some thing which no one has reached and the whole world is see you that's the reason
1 person likes this
@sarwanever (435)
• India
13 Nov 09
in the match sachin score 175 wat was the score of sehwag and baji for every pitch there is difference sehwag is a tempted player baji is not a batsman look for the batting quality both of them player some thing thats it it was not classical batting it was just for scoring runs that never feds on good pitch
1 person likes this
@poona_m (336)
• India
13 Nov 09
Sehwag is the only indian to score triple hundred twice. Sachin hasnt yet scored one. Dont say Sehwag is not a good batsman.He is more devastating on his day than sachin. But I agree sachin is a much better batsman than sehwag. All I am saying is that Sachin holds his personal records more dearer than teams result whereas Sehwag is less concerned about his record and plays morefor the team.
@rahul_2689 (634)
• Hyderabad, India
13 Nov 09
Let me start off by complimenting you on your patience to type down such a huge post. I'll agree that at times he does get slow when he's about to reach a milestone but mind you, Sachin scoring a century even today is as big as winning a match itself for many Indians. Moreover, show me a sportsman in India today who carries the weight of expectations of a billion people everytime he walks onto the field of play. And I still don't realize why people say that he's no more got it in him to win games for India. Its the most gross thing I've ever heard.
Lets take the example of the Hyderabad match. He scored 175 runs off 141 balls which is exactly half of Australia's score. Wasn't the rest of the team good enough to score 176 runs needed to win the match? Also, remember the desert storm match at sharjah where he scored about 134 odd runs in the final and rest of the runs were scored by the other batsman. That innings too would have been remembered as an innings where he could just not take the Indians home.
We've got to realize that every batsman in the team has a job to do. Its a fact that while chasing a huge score, an opener can never be a finisher. He only sets the platform for others to follow. I'd like to finish off by giving an example of the Gibbs' innings in SA's chase of 434. He didn't even score half the runs needed to win but his team still won because the other batsmen did their job.
1 person likes this
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
13 Nov 09
I absolutely do not agree to the fact that he puts personal records in front of team goals. Here are some matches you might want to remember:
At Chennai, Sachin single-handedly took on Pakistan even with a bad back which was not allowing him to bend. He nearly won the match, but got out with 15 runs required and 4 wickets in hand. India went of loose the match. That is commitment.
World cup 1999, 2 days after his father's demise, he was batting for the whole of India in a do or die match. His twin centuries won India the matches and India made it to the Super Six stage.
So many matches he has played without a runner because as a champion he feels that he ought to play with his abilities rather than take the easy option of having a runner whenever cramps attack him especially at this age when he plays such long innings.
At times I do laugh about all these people who sit on the couches and write about him being selfish. All it takes is to go out on the field and stand 6 hours bending forward and then you see what an effort it takes to play cricket at that level and to do that for 20 years and being fit and fighting during this period cannot be done by a selfish person.
If you have read about his commitments on his personal side as well you will realize in the personal life he is so committed and he puts cricket and his sponsors interest before his.
Cheers!
Ram
1 person likes this
@poona_m (336)
• India
13 Nov 09
I never said he doesnt have the ability towin matches. All I am saying is he puts his personal achievments ahead of the teams target. And isn't it the responsibility of a set batsman to take the team through to the end? I dont blame sachin for the loss in hyderabad. I merely say he cold have played the same was as he played the latr part f the innings to get the first 7 runs too. Why should a batsman with so much ability and so many records under his belt have the pressure of scoring another record pull his performance a notch down?
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
13 Nov 09
Actually to understand the phenomenon called Sachin, you need to see beyond the scores that he puts up. The fact of the matter is that the nation has belief till the Little Master is there with the bat. However impossible the target, there is hope when he is around. Sometimes he fails to finish the job like the other day in Jaipur, but the fact that we could think of reaching so close to 350 would not have been possible without that 175 from Sachin.
Over the years there have been a huge number of people who have been quick to criticize Sachin every time India failed and he too failed, but people have not realized that whether it was a winning India team of a loosing India team, the one common factor has always been Sachin fighting it out for India. Lot of people criticized him not firing in finals. But, the fact says that he is the only cricketer who has 6 centuries in tournament finals and each time India has won. No other country has any cricketer who has scored more than 3 centuries in tournament finals.
Look at the way Aussies play, they hunt in packs, unfortunately India has never learnt the lesson to play as a team and thus a lot of effort that Sachin has put in over the years have not borne fruit. Had he been an Aussie, imagine in place of Ponting, Aussies would have had an even better record than they have now.
So in a nutshell, in case of Sachin, believe the hype. More than anything else, remember in a nation besotted with people who tend to become larger than life in matter of minutes and then start having blotted egos, Sachin is a perfect example of how humility and down to earth approach can really raise greatness to a level of legend.
Cheers!
Ram
@Angelindisguise (378)
• India
13 Nov 09
For me he is little OVER-RATED Player.I agree with you .:-)
1 person likes this
@saurabh_rmp (846)
• India
13 Nov 09
I am not at all agree with u.
You are telling Tendulkar took so much time for making 40 runs. But have u seen the result of the match India lost the match.When tendulkar got out run rate was ok and still 25 overs were remaining. then what other batsmen are doing.
If tendulkar is playing attentively betwenn 90-100 then waht is the problem in that. But he reach 100 he will score more faster then it will be beneficial for the team. Also if sachin got out in 90s then you guys will scold him by saying that he can't play slowly for making those runs and he missed his centuary.
In india everybody want Sachin to make centuary. Aren't you?
You can't comapre Sachin and sehwag. sachin is class and Sehwag has no class, he will just hit the ball. also how many time sehwag reaches between 90-100.
ALso for his 175 run inning, out of 340 runs 175 runs are made by Sachin, then it shows what all other batsmen are doing?
1 person likes this
@poona_m (336)
• India
13 Nov 09
I am not comparing sachin with sehwag or bhajji......all I am saying is the intent and attitude with which these guys batted and the attitude with which sachin batted in those matches were totally different.
By comparing sachin with a sehwag or bhajji you are bringing him down. Sachin is too good a batsman to be compared with any of the other. All I am saying is sachin is not as great as we make him to be. And I would rather INdia win matches than sachin score century. If India wins a match and sachin scores a duck I am more happy than sachin scoring a double hundred and iundia losing.
@vardhanvictory (80)
• India
13 Nov 09
he is legend
if cricket is religion he is god
1 person likes this
@tutul0045 (2630)
• India
14 Nov 09
Hi,
I would say that u r insulting a great man who has served India for 20 years. Its a shame to read something like that and If u ask me, He is the greatest sportsman i ever saw in my life. He is an outstanding crickter and even better a person who has always played to win matches for India.
Please be sensible when u talk about such exta ordinary personality. Feel proud that u have seen Sachin bat becoz its a honour and a privilege to see this great man.
East or west, Sachin is the best !!! 
Cheers,
Tutul
Cheers,
Tutul
@VANILLAREY (1470)
• India
14 Nov 09
Oh Poonam, I could give you a lengthy reply, which would make you understand. But I am not in the mood. So I will keep it small and simple. Try to understand.
If Sachin manages to cross the 17,000 mark in the first game then he need not think about it for the remaining games.
He scored 175 and what did the other batsmen do. Did they have no responsibility to bat till the end. Over the years Sachin has contributed the most runs to the team. So is he not valuable. India winning or loosing depends on the entire team not just one person.
Glory and landmarks are important in cricket. Why do you think Bradman is so highly rated.
I remember there was a news channel which showed that Sehwag had not scored a century in so many games, that he had only scored this many fifties. And that he was not performing well. The fact was he had a good average in those games and was getting out in the 70's
So the half centuries and centuries are very important.
This has already become too long. Bye.
@poona_m (336)
• India
14 Nov 09
You too have missedthe point my dear friend. I never said we lost the match due to sachin or whether other players are responsible for the result. My only statement is that when under pressure to reach a milestone he does not play his natural game. Which shows a weakness in him. And thus he is not the God that we so often make him to be.
@VANILLAREY (1470)
• India
14 Nov 09
Forgot to mention, I too hate it when Sachin tries to nudge and get singles in order to reach a century. He does this because everyone asks, did Sachin score a century? If there was no stats for batsmen then.... (you complete the sentence.)
@krajibg (11922)
• Guwahati, India
14 Nov 09
Hi poonam,
I do not disagree with you though I am too a fan of Sachin. Yes we are humans and are not god to be above all material things. I too have observed that when it comes close to either a century or a record he does not seem to be playing the natural game. The same thing happened there too. when he got the 7 runs he got all violent but he could not help the team win the match. I do not blame Sachin for that debacle.
But this is for sure that unless one plays fopr the sake of playing no good result would come our way.
