Sir Donald George Bradman and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar have more in common than just their batting styles. Not only did they show aggressive and enjoyable cricket, drawing audience in record numbers, the two also stood out as icons that brought solace to their respective nations in difficult times. Sir Don became Australia's sporting icon at the height of the Great Depression. In the post-war years he captained an Australian side who were called 'The Invincibles'. And while he accumulated that statistically incredible average, he did so because of his obedience. He was not of the manor born, but there was an exuberance that was intensely appealing. And they went to watch him because he believed in the joy of giving.
Four decades after the Don had called it a day, it was exactly this strongly appealing exuberance that shone through from the blade of Sachin Tendulkar. It is exactly this quality that made Tendulkar India's 'middle-class hero'. In an era where icons were few and far between, Tendulkar was the torchbearer for an entire generation who had begun to believe that dreams did come true. It was the discipline and the joy of giving that involved everyone towards him. And it was exactly this reason that prodded The Don to include Sachin as the only playing cricketer of this generation in his best-ever lineup.Bradman ranked Tendulkar above Brian Lara, Graeme Pollock, George Headley, Wally Hammond, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Viv Richards, Everton Weekes, Stan McCabe, Charlie Macartney, Neil Harvey, Greg Chappell, Denis Compton, Peter May and Victor Trumper.
The Don, in fact, went on record to say that he felt he was looking at a 'mirror-image' of himself when he watched Tendulkar play. It really is, therefore, nothing short of blasphemy when the two are compared time and again and polls are conducted to find out who is better than the other. The what-if scenarios constructed by those fixated by sheer numbers is a hollow homage that they pay to either of these players. It is a obsession on the parts of the intensely capitalistic who believe in mass invention. Maximisation of runs and minimisation of balls faced is their only way of appreciating their greatness.But they fail to see what The Don and Tendulkar stand for. Numbers, for them, is a by-product of their endeavour to create a welfare state of mind.
Four decades after the Don had called it a day, it was exactly this strongly appealing exuberance that shone through from the blade of Sachin Tendulkar. It is exactly this quality that made Tendulkar India's 'middle-class hero'. In an era where icons were few and far between, Tendulkar was the torchbearer for an entire generation who had begun to believe that dreams did come true. It was the discipline and the joy of giving that involved everyone towards him. And it was exactly this reason that prodded The Don to include Sachin as the only playing cricketer of this generation in his best-ever lineup.Bradman ranked Tendulkar above Brian Lara, Graeme Pollock, George Headley, Wally Hammond, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Viv Richards, Everton Weekes, Stan McCabe, Charlie Macartney, Neil Harvey, Greg Chappell, Denis Compton, Peter May and Victor Trumper.
The Don, in fact, went on record to say that he felt he was looking at a 'mirror-image' of himself when he watched Tendulkar play. It really is, therefore, nothing short of blasphemy when the two are compared time and again and polls are conducted to find out who is better than the other. The what-if scenarios constructed by those fixated by sheer numbers is a hollow homage that they pay to either of these players. It is a obsession on the parts of the intensely capitalistic who believe in mass invention. Maximisation of runs and minimisation of balls faced is their only way of appreciating their greatness.But they fail to see what The Don and Tendulkar stand for. Numbers, for them, is a by-product of their endeavour to create a welfare state of mind.
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