BOMBAY, 9 August — Sachin Tendulkar’s failure in truly crunch situations is giving rise to all forms of comments. There is no denying the fact that his quick dismissals just when a long innings is needed from him must be a cause of major concern for Indian cricket and its followers. But there is no point in just jumping to conclusions that the master blaster is past his best.
On the tour of the West Indies recently, Tendulkar was out leg before wicket in four of his first five innings in Test matches. Sunil Gavaskar, who has the distinction of scoring more Test centuries in the Caribbean than any other visiting player, was quick to point out a major flaw in his batting technique.
"Tendulkar is being trapped leg before wicket so often that it should be a matter of concern," said Gavaskar in his expert comments on TV and in newspaper articles.
"He is playing across the line so much. He is moving back and across, something he used to rarely do. He is thus opening his right shoulder a bit and that is bringing his bat down at an angle, unlike the impeccably straight way it usually used to come down," Gavaskar explained.
As soon as these startling comments had appeared in print, Tendulkar, widely regarded as the world’s best batsman, hit his 29th Test hundred to equal Bradman’s record and lift India to their first victory in the second Trinidad Test, their first in the Caribbean for 26 years.
In England, Tendulkar is not exactly having a great time despite scoring two centuries in the limited-overs tri-series. In the first Test at Lord’s he was out twice after barely knocking double figures. While his first innings dismissal was a result of bad stroke selection, in the second knock he was literally knocked down by a great delivery from Hoggard.
This, close on the heels of his cheap dismissal in the final of the Natwest Trophy when India were set an almost impossible target of 326 for victory, has not only let down his legion of admirers, but has also provoked some of his harshest critics to churn out uncharitable comments about his batting ability.
Sunil Gavaskar was at it again. He used a different analysis this time and said that there was a temperamental block in Tendulkar’s make-up when he plays abroad. "He is a total underachiever when he bats abroad," was Gavaskar’s harsh conclusion. This remark of the former little master is hardly borne out by facts.
All critics alike have pointed out that Tendulkar has played almost all his best knocks abroad, describing his century at Perth in 1992 as probably his best. The two centuries he scored against Australia in Sharjah rank amongst the best of his 33 three-figure knocks in this format of the game.
There is a belief in cricket circles that an undemonstrated standoff between two of India’s greatest all-time batsmen is now beginning to surface, at least on one side that has the freedom to speak as well as write what he might think about the world’s leading batsman. Tendulkar is just five centuries away from Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test centuries. With so many Test matches to come, it may be a matter of months before Sachin becomes the world’s leading centurymaker.
Gavaskar meanwhile is becoming more and more critical and may not have been greatly pleased that Kapil Dev was voted the "Cricketer of the Century" from India by a panel of experts and Tendulkar by an overwhelming popular vote. He had to be content with the captaincy of what was described the greatest Indian team of the century, the 1985 side that beat Pakistan in the Benson & Hedges final in Australia.
Everyone, including Gavaskar himself, believes that there are at least three Indian teams with better achievement than the 1985 side led by Gavaskar. They are: the 1971 team led by Ajit Wadekar that won the twin series against the West Indies and England, the 1983 World Cup-winning team of Kapil Dev and the 1986 side, led by Kapil again, that won two successive Tests in England and narrowly missed a three-nil clean sweep.
All this, however, is besides the point. What we are discussing is Tendulkar’s momentary failure as a batsman. Former England players, Ian Botham, David Gower and David Lloyd, believe that it is just a passing phase and that the little champion will be able to answer his critics the only way he can — with his bat. Gavaskar, on the other hand, is hardly sounding hopeful that Tendulkar will ever beat his record. The coming months will prove whether Gavaskar’s words constitute pure pique or prediction.
