Sir Donald George Bradman and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar are two of the most illustrious names in the annals of the long history of the game of cricket.
The numbers speak for themselves regarding the achievements and contribution of these two talented batsmen to the gentlemen’s game and the personalities of these two legendary batsmen go beyond their time on the field.
ABC recently released a documentary celebrating the stories of the two batsmen, giving a snapshot of the respect between two of the greatest ever.
In the documentary, Tendulkar recalls his experience of being invited to Sir Don’s 90th birthday party in Adelaide in 1998.
“I was actually in the middle of a camp in Chennai and my manager told me that on Sir Don’s 90th birthday, he has invited me to Australia and asked if I can meet him at home,” the outstanding batsman said. he said.
The master blaster elaborated, “It was an incredible experience to visit Sir Don’s house, 2 Holden Street.”
“The funniest thing was the drive to Sir Don’s house with Warne (Shane Warne) and Warney said ‘you’ve got to start a conversation’ and I said ‘no, you’re from Australia. You’re a local kid. You should start a conversation’ , I shouldn’t,” Tendulkar joked.
“And Warney tells me, ‘What am I going to discuss with him? You two batsmen, you should discuss batting.'”, Tendulkar explained.
“He (Sir Don) was incredibly quick and kept up with what was happening in cricket at present,” Tendulkar revealed.
“The natural question from our side was ‘Sir Don, what would be your average in today’s cricket?'”, Tendulkar explained his curiosity.
“He said ‘probably about 70 or so.'”
A confused Sachin “Why 70?”
And Bradman says without missing a beat, “70 ain’t bad for a 90-year-old, my boy.”
Tendulkar was also interested in knowing the great Australian’s frame of mind while batting.
“His answer was simple. He said, ‘I went to work. I came, scored runs and went back to work,'” Tendulkar revealed.
“Life must have been completely different then,” Tendulkar said.
“I mean now (in the 1990s), professional athletes, pre-match preparation, post-match recovery and all that stuff. It’s a different perspective now, but life was different and challenging in those days.”
Tendulkar presented the Australian great with a beautiful candlestick holder inscribed ‘To Sir Donald Bradman, with wishes on your 90th Birthday, 27 August 1998’.
Originally, there were four printed copies of the iconic photograph of the two best batsmen to ever set foot on the field. Melbourne Cricket Ground and South Australian Cricket Club had the honor of receiving a copy of each.
Tendulkar’s manager, Mark Mascarenhas, received one more final copy, of course, kept by Sachin himself at his home in Bandra West, along with his collection of memorabilia relating to the legendary Australian batsman, who is at the center of India’s greatest station. There is a testament. Sometimes the cricketer catches Bradman.
respect and admiration beyond limits
Bradman once said, “I have only had Tendulkar on television and I have been very impressed with his technique.”
“I told my wife to come and see him because I’ve never seen myself playing but I think this guy is playing as much as I used to.”
Probably the greatest accolade for any batsman who has ever picked up a bat. Not just a note of praise, but a note of likeness from Don himself.
The Australian great’s famous ‘99.94’ batting average has stood the test of time and is still as entertaining as it was all those years ago. And when Bradman donned his cap to the Indian master, it was as if the Australians were anointing their successor. Someone carrying a heavy torch burdened with greatness.
Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the young age of 16, would go on to move out of the center for the next 24 years. Carrying the burden of the expectations of the world’s largest democracy on his shoulders was enough pressure, but add to this the anticipation of one of the greatest democracies ever, and the result is massive.
But, Tendulkar still carried the burden with such aplomb. Most runs in the history of the game, most centuries across all formats, first man to reach the 200-run mark in a One Day International, and the records go on.
When asked what thought of Tendulkar inspired Bradman to find similarities between the two greats, he humbly replied, “That is a difficult question to answer”.
“That’s a big statement. I was about 22 years old then. And for such a young professional athlete to hear something like that was worth sleeping over.”
“It would be unfair of me to talk about similarities, I leave that to his family.”
Bradman appreciated the overall consistency that Tendulkar’s batting abounded in.
“It was his compactness, his stroke production and his technique that seemed like a prison as far as I was concerned. And I felt that way,” Bradman explained.
So much praise for a young Tendulkar will add to his greatness.
“From my side, I felt the statement came at a time when I felt I had to push harder.”
“It is the best tonic one can get. To feel that someone is paying attention and that your game is being appreciated.”
Tendulkar’s time at the center of India’s sporting craze is nothing less than a fairytale. One in which a tiny man rose to the level of celestial beings, capturing the dreams of every man, woman and child in the peninsular nation. It was only fitting that the elusive ICC World Cup trophy found its way into the hands of those who held the bat like no one else.
A middle-class boy from Bandra’s journey to the shrine of cricket legends
Harsha Bhogle once said, “If Sachin bats well, Indians sleep well.”
so be it.
This little genius from Mumbai had an impact on the population of the sub-continental nation. Television sets across the county turned on in unison as the greatest batsman India ever produced for the better part of three decades walked out to bat.
And as the famous joke goes, in a nation divided by religion, caste, creed and socio-economic elements, Tendulkar was the unifying factor.
On a graph between career runs and averages, Tendulkar and Bradman are paled by every other name one can think of. Bradman’s average stands head and shoulders above the rest, while Tendulkar’s run tally has not been surpassed by anyone. Even after all these years the little guy decided to call it a day.
The man who had stabilized the nation time and again, holding his breath till the master crossed the three-figure mark, which he miraculously managed 100 times, might The only player worthy of comparison to the Australian legend, who himself was a sight to behold.
Bradman, in whose honor a museum has been built, saw a bit of himself in Tendulkar. And in all likelihood, it is likely that he saw much more than he let on.
Despite all his accolades and achievements, Tendulkar still hums when he watches Bradman’s 1930s clinic demonstrating techniques for a multitude of cricket shots.
“Excellent!”, shouts the little master as he smashes Bradman’s famous pull shot off the front foot.
“The bat speed is unbelievable. When he’s performing the pull and the hook, it’s like a whip.”
“You can hear the ‘whoosh’,” Tendulkar elaborated.
“Someone who is so ahead of his time is always going to do that. Wherever he wanted to play and displayed it very concisely, you could see that control, that authority and that confidence.”
Tendulkar said, “Every ball you play, you are making a statement to the bowler and the fielding side, every time you get that message”.
Tendulkar’s genius transcended the sport, not only because of the natural talent he was gifted with, but also the respect he had for each individual delivery after excelling at all those years of grand batting.
Even after so many hundreds, runs, wins and awards, Tendulkar still had the humility to respect a great delivery.
“Balance is really important for batting. Grip, backlift, all those things are important, but intention trumps them all. It’s more important than anything else in the game.”
“When I started playing, the first thought in my mind was to hit the ball for a boundary, but if the ball was a good ball, I would like to punch it anywhere in the gap.”
“If it was better than that, maybe guide it to a single.”
“Better than that, block it.”
“And letting the ball go was my last option,” Legend said.
Tendulkar insisted, “My first option is always to hit that ball.” The way Bradman approached his game.
time stands still
Tendulkar’s penchant for stroke-making is a masterclass in itself. Alas, this is the man who once upon a time in adversity avoided playing the shot he was synonymous with. Nevertheless, such was his brilliance that despite the notable absence of his signature drive through the off-side against the mighty Australian unit in 2004 the ton was still chasing.
His 241 not out, a marathon in itself, was devoid of cover drives. A decision Tendulkar supported and stuck to.
Was the sacred art of batting too easy for this 5″ 5′ man? Was it second nature to him that he administered himself despite obvious odds that had no bearing on the big result?
Or was his technology an apocryphon that escaped simple minds and sought a gifted host to bless the world?
“When I was batting at my best, my conscious mind was always on the non-striker’s end and my subconscious mind was on the striker’s end. Because the bowler is constantly asking questions and you have to raise them in your senses. And once that is done, you have to surrender yourself to your subconscious mind.”
“It wears off and you react,” Tendulkar explained.
It cannot be ascertained whether or not Bradman was privy to the knowledge of flow states and the explanation of actual instances of timing so as to allow for supernatural occurrences at will, but anyone who has been to Mumbai to see the master Has the good fortune of doing his job, will you? From the time the ball leaves the bowler’s hand, time has stopped until the man is standing 22 yards away from the point of release. .
call answer
During his late 80s, Bradman was of the opinion that he should have received a reply to the mail he received from his fans. It was his grounding characteristic as he would fathom.
Bradman said, “To be honest I would think I get more mail today than I ever got in my life and it’s quite common for me to spend three or four hours a day just dealing with mail.”
And he answered them honestly. a touch of class. Let no one tell you any different.
“It speaks volumes about the person he was. People will love you for playing cricket, but what happens beyond the cricketing years is just as important, if not more so. And that’s where the person you are.” comes into play,” Tendulkar reflected on Bradman’s dutiful nature in answering fan mail.
“It’s a precious thing!”, said a moved Tendulkar.
And as far as equality is concerned, Tendulkar has answered their prayers. Mere mortals like us are not convinced with pen and paper what the answer should look like, but with shots, strokes and boundaries, which he amazingly puts down as ‘a thought behind every shot’.
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