JOHANNESBURG, 13 March 2003 — Australian batting great Greg Chappell yesterday wondered if the legendary Don Bradman would have handled the modern game as well as India’s Sachin Tendulkar does.
Chappell, a former Test captain and one of Australia’s leading batsmen, called Tendulkar a “genius” after watching him score a record 571 runs in the World Cup so far. “When I watch Sachin Tendulkar bat I find myself wondering how Don Bradman would have coped with the modern game,” Chappell wrote in his syndicated column.
“The Indian genius has been at his imperious best. Would Bradman’s insatiable appetite for scoring runs have been diminished by so much cricket, especially the endless stream of one-day matches?
“How would he have handled the modern method of individual game plans and field placing?,” Chappell asked. “I suppose Bradman experienced some of that with bodyline bowling and field placing and it curtailed his rampant run making.
“Would Bradman have automatically batted in a helmet and would he have graduated to heavier bats? These are all imponderables, but it is natural to fantasize about such things when watching another blitzkrieg from the modern genius. Make no mistake, Tendulkar is a genius!”
Chappell said Tendulkar’s combination of deft touches and raw power was virtually unmatched in the modern game.
“Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Brian Lara probably go closest to him. They can certainly match his power, though they don’t quite match his exquisite skill and versatility,” he wrote.
“The versatility is an innate, instinctive skill. It must have been learned somewhere because I doubt that it was taught.
“Something in Sachin’s environment early in his cricket development allowed for the acquisition of this skill. Bradman developed his similarly exquisite skill on his own, with the help of a golf ball thrown against a tank stand, and played with a stump.
“Had Bradman learned to bat with the heavy bats in vogue today he may have played very differently?
“Tendulkar goes closest to emulating him, but has the added advantage — delivered by the heavier modern bat — of being able to block the ball back past the faster bowlers more quickly than it was delivered.”
Chappell said the current form of the Indians, which has seen them win seven of their eight games — the lone defeat coming against the Australians — could see them seriously challenge Ricky Ponting’s men for the title.
“It will need the same level of commitment shown since the loss to Australia and it will need a team effort. Tendulkar has shown them the way out of the gloom that had descended on the team, and their supporters, over the poor form leading into the World Cup.
“Even the best of players will have bad days or will make mistakes, so the fact that Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh have shown some form is an excellent sign for India.
“Javagal Srinath has also bounced back to top form and is enjoying the support of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra and the infusion of youth to the fielding side is paying off. It will now require everyone in the squad to apply themselves to the basics in training and matches. The other thing is they need to enjoy what they are doing and enjoy each others success.”
