Greatest batsman ever: Bradman or Tendulkar?

Sachin Tendulkar scoring a historic 50th Test ton has re-ignited the debate on who is the greatest batsman of all time -- he or Don Bradman. A poll commissioned by an Australian newspaper saw the Indian icon in front though voting is yet to be over.

In an online poll in Sydney Morning Herald, asking to vote for 'The greatest batsman ever: Bradman or Tendulkar?', over 2000 cricket fans had voted and Tendulkar got 63 per cent as against 37 per cent of the Australian legend.

A write up in the newspaper said many people asked if the comparison between the Little Master and the Don was fair considering they played in different eras.

"His (Tendulkar's) legend grows ever larger. And having become the first man to score 50 Test centuries, Tendulkar has reignited debate about who is the greatest batsman ever. Is it India's 37-year-old Little Master, or Australia's late, great Sir Donald Bradman? Or is it even fair or realistic to compare these two men from very different eras?," cricket writer Daniel Lewis asked.

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"Tendulkar first represented India at 16, and is batting as majestically as ever. His first century came at Old Trafford in 1990 in his ninth Test. His 50th ton - 11 clear of his nearest rival, Ricky Ponting - came in his 175th Test, against South Africa in the aptly named Centurion. It was raised with a single and a salute to the heavens in memory of his late father," he wrote.

The write-up said the comparison between the two legends goes beyond numbers.

"Bradman scored 29 tons from 80 innings at unparalleled conversion rate of a century every 2.76 innings. Second best is Tendulkar's 50 centuries from 286 innings, or one every 5.72 innings. Then there are the averages. Bradman's Test mark of 99.94 stands like a beacon among cricketing statistics, although Tendulkar's 56.89 is none too shabby.

"The debate goes beyond numbers. Bradman played on uncovered wickets, Tendulkar on covered ones. Bradman played Tests in only two countries, Tendulkar in 10. Bradman played through a depression and a war, Tendulkar with the expectation of a billion people upon his shoulders. Bradman's bats had a comparatively tiny sweet spot to Tendulkar's railway sweepers.

And Bradman never had to play limited-overs cricket, while Tendulkar has represented India in an astounding 442 one-day Internationals."

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Former South African captain Kepler Wessels, who was at Centurion to watch Tendulkar's 50th century, said Tendulkar is the best batsman of the modern era.

"Certainly in the modern era, he's the best batsman of our time. He doesn't have an equal," Wessels said.

Tendulkar's former coach Greg Chappell said the Indian icon did not need any guidance when he was at the helm of affairs of the team but was emphatic on his opionion that Bradman was the best batsman ever.

"It (work with the Tendulkar) was about the mental side of it, about keeping a young mind," Chappell said.

"But Bradman. No doubt (on who is the best)," he added.

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Australian pacer Stuart Clark said Tendulkar was the hardest batsman to dismiss.

"When you're bowling to him, it feels like his bat is a foot wide. He rarely plays and misses, and on the odd occasion you do get one past the edge, you know you're bowling well. He is the hardest batsman to dismiss I've come up against. He has incredible timing and control, and dictates the game to you," Clark said.

"You almost get the feeling that he moves the fielders where he wants them, not you. It feels like you've got three fielders out there. It almost felt like he was playing shots to spite me. You'd move a fielder from midwicket to square leg - and he's hit it through midwicket. You'd move to the fielder from square leg to midwicket - and he's hit it through square leg. He is an unbelievable player," he added.

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Meanwhile former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that Sachin Tendulkar's world record of 50 Test centuries can only be compared to legendary American long-jumper Bob Beamon's record-setting leap at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, which stayed put for 23 years.

"Well, it's such a record that you can only compare it with Bob Beamon's long-jump world record set in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. At that time it seemed that it would never be broken. Tendulkar's 50 Test centuries is one such records which doesn't look like being surpassed," Gavaskar said.

However, Gavaskar who was the first Test cricketer to surpass the 10,000-run mark feels that Australia captain Ricky Ponting is the only one among current cricketers who has a realistic chance of getting close to 50 Test centuries.

"Ponting is a couple of years younger and if he can hit a purple patch like him, one never knows. Still 11 Test centuries is not easy. You have to score in every third Test match you play," he said.

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When asked if he has found Tendulkar doing anything differently, Gavaskar said, "He has always adjusted his game according to situations. May be change his backlift a bit. It's like a golfer adjusting his swing for optimum and better result."

A technician-par excellence himself, Gavaskar also gave a technical reason as to why Tendulkar has been in brilliant form of late.

"From what I have watched, he was opening his left shoulder at the time of the bowler's delivery. He was moving across and was being adjudged leg-before a few times. He is not opening his left shoulder any more," he told NDTV.

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