WS MoreOrLess: Sachin Tendulkar - best batsman of all time?

Summary

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More or Less: "Sachin Tendulkar – Best Batsman of All Time?"

BBC Radio 4, November 16, 2013
Host: Ruth Alexander
Guest Reporters and Contributors: Ben Carter, Patrick Faraday, Jaideep Varma, Ed Smith

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Episode Overview

This special episode of "More or Less" explores whether Sachin Tendulkar's cricket statistics justify his reputation as the greatest batsman of all time. Host Ruth Alexander, along with regular contributor Ben Carter, dives into various statistical metrics, expert opinions, and alternative ways of measuring cricketing greatness. The discussion also touches on the unique cultural and societal pressures surrounding Tendulkar's career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tendulkar's Record-breaking Career

• Cumulative Statistics:
  • Tendulkar scored nearly 16,000 Test runs, over 2,500 more than any other batsman at the time [01:19].
  • He played 200 Test matches, the most ever by any cricketer [01:33].
• Ruth Alexander: “So he’s way ahead.”
  Ben Carter: “He’s way ahead. But he’s also way ahead in terms of the number of games played.” [01:32]

2. The Importance of Longevity and Consistency

• The discussion highlights that longevity and consistency are impressive, but not the only measures of greatness.
• Ben Carter: “What the aggregate figures show indisputably is that Tendulkar has been a great batsman for a long time.” [01:49]

3. Batting Averages & Comparisons

• Average Runs per Innings:
  • Tendulkar: Just under 54 per innings.
  • Compare with Donald Bradman’s legendary 99.94, and contemporaries Kumar Sangakkara (57) and Jacques Kallis (55) [02:07–02:23].
• “If we look at the performances of all batsmen ever who've played a minimum of 20 Test matches, Tendulkar is in 17th place…” [02:23]

4. ICC Player Ratings

• The ICC’s all-time ratings factor in opposition strength and relative performance:
  • Tendulkar’s peak: 898 (2002), 29th highest ever [02:53].
  • Several contemporaries (Sangakkara, Kallis, Lara, Ponting) scored 900+, the ICC’s "world class" benchmark [03:20].
• “At his peak, Tendulkar wasn't as impressive as his contemporaries.” [03:37]

5. Quality, Impact & Context of Innings

• Cricket writers Patrick Faraday and Dave Wilson evaluated 100 great Test centuries by quality—not just quantity:
  • Tendulkar made their list just once, in 100th place [04:20].
• Patrick Faraday:
  "I don't think he played the outstanding, what you might call stellar innings that, for example, Brian Lara played. ...I think Tendulkar's were often hidden amongst other great batsmen…” [04:20]

6. Impact Index Analysis

• Jaideep Varma (Impact Index creator):
  • The Impact Index measures performance in terms of match and series impact.
  • Rahul Dravid is rated as having more "series-defining" performances than Tendulkar, often being the main factor in Indian Test victories [06:13].
• Jaideep Varma:
  "The great players tend to take the lead... which Tendulkar has not done in the big matches right through his career." [06:13]

7. Beyond the Numbers: Pressure, Popularity, and Mental Strength

• Tendulkar batted for nearly a quarter of a century under the gaze of a billion fans; India’s population grew by 400 million during his career [07:12].
• Ed Smith (commentator/former player):
  • Proposes greatness isn’t just about averages or peaks but about longevity, adaptability, and versatility [07:26].
• Ed Smith:
  "This guy played for 24 years. He never really got found out. He didn't have a central weakness. ...And that in itself, I would say, is a form of greatness which your kind of statistical analysis doesn't quite capture." [07:26]

8. Tendulkar’s Own Perspective

• Tendulkar has said he “doesn’t believe in comparisons,” respecting that “every era has its significance and the same holds true for players and coaches.” [08:14]

9. Public Sentiment and Cultural Reverence

• Despite statistical debates, Tendulkar remains a national icon.
• Ben Carter:
  "Perhaps nothing sums up the view of India’s cricket fans better than a placard... 'Commit your crimes when Sachin is batting, they will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching.'" [08:35]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ben Carter: “What the aggregate figures show indisputably is that Tendulkar has been a great batsman for a long time.” [01:49]
• Patrick Faraday: "I don't think he played the outstanding, what you might call stellar innings that, for example, Brian Lara played." [04:20]
• Jaideep Varma: "Rahul Dravid actually a superior Test player to him in terms of changing the cricket history of his country." [06:56]
• Ed Smith: "He never really got found out. He didn't have a central weakness. ...That in itself, I would say, is a form of greatness which your kind of statistical analysis doesn't quite capture." [07:26]
• Ben Carter: “I know by now I’m probably India's most wanted man.” [08:35]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:40–01:19: Setting up Tendulkar’s legendary status and career context.
• 01:19–02:45: Aggregate records vs. batting average comparisons.
• 02:45–03:20: ICC player ratings and relative greatness.
• 03:43–04:20: Cricket writers’ perspective on quality of innings.
• 05:19–06:56: Impact Index and Rahul Dravid’s comparative impact.
• 07:12–08:12: Psychological pressure, mass adulation, and what numbers can't measure.
• 08:14–08:59: Tendulkar’s viewpoint and iconic place in public imagination.

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Conclusion

The episode navigates the complexities of evaluating cricket greatness, demonstrating that while Sachin Tendulkar’s raw statistics are remarkable, other measures (peer averages, peak performance, contextual impact, and cultural factors) complicate the story. There’s consensus that Tendulkar’s longevity, adaptability, and ability to thrive under immense national pressure are rare and immeasurable forms of greatness—despite what the numbers say.

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For more number-crunching explorations, visit More or Less at bbcworldservice.com/moreorless.

Transcript

[Ruth Alexander]

This is the short edition of More or Less, first broadcast on the BBC World Service.

[BBC Announcer]

Thank you for downloading from the BBC. For details of our complete range of podcasts and our terms of use, go to bbcworldservice.com podcasts

[Ruth Alexander]

hello and welcome to More or Less on the BBC World Service. I'm Ruth Alexander

[Narrator]

Tendulkar runs for a single. That's history. That's a century. Sachin Tendulkar's hundredth century is the first cricketer ever to do this. 100.

[Ruth Alexander]

As Sachin Tendulkar walked out to the crease for the final time in Mumbai, he was bringing to an end a career that has earned him every accolade in cricket and deified status in India. In the words of the poet CP

[Poet CP]

batsmen walk out into the middle alone, but not Tendulkar. Every time Tendulkar walks to the krise, a whole nation, tatters and all, marches with him to the battle arena.

[Ruth Alexander]

They call him the God of cricket. But do his statistics back up this reputation for being the greatest cricketer in history? Ben Carter's been figuring it out.

[Ben Carter]

Well, if we look purely at cumulative runs scored, then this program would be the shortest one we'd ever made. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has amassed nearly 16,000 Test runs, which is two and a half thousand more than any other batsman ever.

[Ruth Alexander]

So he's way ahead.

[Ben Carter]

He's way ahead. But he's also way ahead in terms of the number of games played. He's played 200 times. That's more test matches played than anyone ever.

[Ruth Alexander]

But then maybe that's part of Tendulkar's greatness. He's played a lot of matches because he was brilliant from a young age.

[Ben Carter]

Yes. What the aggregate figures show indisputably is that Tendulkar has been a great batsman for a long time. But perhaps a fairer way of comparing cricketers is by looking at their averages. Tendulkara scored on average just shy of 54 runs per innings.

[Ruth Alexander]

Is that the best of all time?

[Ben Carter]

No. The best average belongs to the Australian batsman Donald Bradman, whose career started in the 1920s. Incredibly, he ended his career in 1948 with an average of 99.94 runs per innings.

[Ruth Alexander]

So where does Tendulkar rank?

[Ben Carter]

If we look at the performances of all batsmen ever who've played A minimum of 20 Test matches, Tendulkar is in 17th place with two of his contemporaries ahead of him. South Africa's Jack Kallis, who scored an average of about 55 runs per innings, and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakara who scores at about 57.

[Ruth Alexander]

So he's not even in the all time top 10.

[Ben Carter]

No. Another way to judge him is to look at the ratings the International Cricket Council have given him during his career.

[Ruth Alexander]

And these ratings look at more than just runs scored?

[Ben Carter]

Yes. They judge your performances over your career, taking into account various factors such as the strength of the opposition and how you performed in relation to other batsmen. Tendulkar's highest rating was in 2002. He was awarded a rating of 898 when playing against Zimbabwe. But that rating is only the 29th highest of all time.

[Ruth Alexander]

Sachin Tendulkar, 29th. Best cricketer of all time. Is that what we're saying?

[Ben Carter]

Well, you could say that his rating there is just short of 900. And that's the score which the ICC says is an indication of world class 4, 900, 900. Now, Sangakara Callis, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting all hit that benchmark.

[Ruth Alexander]

So the ICC ratings imply that at his peak, Tendulkar wasn't as impressive as his contemporaries.

[Ben Carter]

That's right. But again, we've got to think about Tendulkar's consistency. He topped the batting tables five times in 16 years and the ICC has described his performance as showing supreme consistency. But as we said, there are many ways to measure a cricketer's greatness. Cricket writers Patrick Faraday and Dave Wilson, authors of masterly batting 100 great Test centuries, created their list by looking at a number of different criteria, such as the size of the innings, the conditions and the bowling strength. Tendulkar makes the list just once in a hundredth spot. Here's Patrick Faraday.

[Patrick Faraday]

I would say that Tendulkar's reputation exists partly on his longevity, partly on his amazing consistency and, and partly under the huge pressure that he's played virtually his whole career as an icon of the Indian nation. But I don't think he played the outstanding, what you might call stellar innings that, for example, Brian Lara played. It's true that Brian Lara did have some might say the advantage of playing in a relatively weak batting team. It allowed him to shine more than Tendulkar was able to. But I think you would find that most of his centuries were very much, this is the one thing that's going to stop our team losing or maybe enable our team to win. And it's me and maybe one assistant against the opposition. I think Tendulkar's were often hidden amongst other great batsmen, but perhaps the numbers

[Ruth Alexander]

support the idea that Tendulkar is the greatest Indian cricketer of all time.

[Ben Carter]

Well, yes, his runs on average over at least 20 matches suggest that. But if you look at the ICC Player Rankings, 70s legend Sunil Gavaskar rates higher. And there is another way of looking at performances using technology called the Impact Index. It measures the performance of every player in every match on a scale of 05 to judge the impact they had on a whole Test series. So a century matters more when it helps you to win than if it is just a consolation in an already decided series. The way Australia gets sentries now once England have already won the Ashes.

[Ruth Alexander]

Ben.

[Ben Carter]

Sorry, Ruth. But anyway, I spoke to the creator of the Impact index, Jaideep Varma, about the man he feels has made the biggest contribution to the Indian side over the past 20 years.

[Ruth Alexander]

Sachin Tendulkar.

[Ben Carter]

No, his former colleague, Rahul Diwal Dravid.

[Jaideep Varma]

Rahul Dravid is India's highest Test batsman and the main reason for that is his series defining performances. He has more than Sachin has in fewer matches. Tendulkar, he's got six series defining performances right through his career. Four of his six series defining performances came in a support role when somebody else either took the lead or somebody else scored more than him or shared impact with him. The great players tend to take the lead. They tend to dominate, which Tendulkar has not done in the big matches right through his career. You know, people make comparisons with Lara and Kallis and all these players, really, they should probably first make a comparison with his own team. And you find Rahul Dravid actually a superior Test player to him in terms of changing the cricket history of his country.

[Ruth Alexander]

But any look at Sachin Tendulkar's career has to take into account some other numbers. He's batted for almost a quarter of a century under the gaze of a billion devoted Indians. Indeed, since he started his Test career, the Indian population has grown by 400 million.

[Ben Carter]

And it could be argued that the fact he survived and revelled under the weight of expectation is a better indication of greatness than any number could ever be. Here's what the former England player and cricket commentator Ed Smith told me.

[Ed Smith]

There are other ways of measuring greatness. There are many facets of his career which are extraordinary, which aren't necessarily captured in the highest average or even the highest peak, which is one of the things you sort of test for in your analysis. One of them is his sheer longevity, adaptability, versatility, the ability to find answers to all the problems that cricket threw at him. And that, I think is actually within the game, if you like. One of the things that people revere about Tendulkar. This Guy played for 24 years. He never really got found out. He didn't have a central weakness. He could play all forms of the game brilliantly. And that in itself, I would say, is a form of greatness which your kind of statistical analysis doesn't quite capture.

[Ruth Alexander]

I wonder where ten Dulco would place himself.

[Ben Carter]

Well, he has said that he doesn't believe in comparisons. He has said that he believes that every era has its significance and the same holds true for players and coaches.

[Ruth Alexander]

But you know what I reckon no matter how you crunch the numbers, I think you'd have a hard time convincing India's many cricket fans that Sachin Tendulkar is any less than number one.

[Ben Carter]

I know by now I'm probably India's most wanted man. Perhaps nothing sums up the view of India's cricket fans better than a placard reportedly seen at the 2011 World cup when Tendulkar scored 120 against England. It read, commit your crimes When Sachin is batting, they will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching.

[Ruth Alexander]

Ben, thanks very much. If there are any numbers you'd like us to crunch, do please email us. Our address is more or lessbc.co.uk and you can also sign up for a free download of this program at our website, bbcworldservice.com More or less

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