There have been sportspersons who have played for over two decades but very few have carried it with an aplomb and success as valiant as Sachin Tendulkar’s, who – in the twilight of his career – is fast erasing one blame he has been critiqued about and that's leaving his stamp on Indian victories.
Sachin has won many a hearts during a career spanned over 20 years but somewhere in the corner of those hearts is a slight resentment that the master has done everything but stay there to take India home. And on some such occasions when he got out within touching distance of a win, India lost the match, leaving a bitter taste in the fans' mouth.
But all this while, runs never ceased to flow from the master's bat. And at 37, scoring international hundreds has become his favourite pastime, with 49 in Tests and 46 in ODIs, much like Apa Sherpa, for whom climbing Mount Everest is a left-hand job.
With that, the willow-wielding Indian icon is now addressing his fans' only grievance and batting with the dynamism of a 20-year-old who recently gunned down the Aussies with 404 runs at an average of 134.33 to complete a 2-0 whitewash of Ricky Ponting's team.
Moreover, when one takes into account Sachin's record in the fourth innings of a Test, there's hardly any wrinkle to iron out. To highlight that point, here are a few stats that should act as a pacifier for those begrudged hearts.
The following stats show that the latter half of Sachin's career is far better than the one before the year 2000, when we take into account his scores in the fourth innings. Not only has he made more runs, they have come at an average and strike rate that even betters his overall record in the fourth innings.
- Overall innings 49, not out 14, runs 1357, highest score 136, average 38.67, strike rate 51.18, hundreds 3 and fifties 5.
- Before 2000, innings 22, not out 6, runs 489, highest score 136, average 30.56, strike rate 47.61, hundreds 2 and fifties 1.
- Since 2000, innings 27, not out 8, runs 868, highest score 103 not out, average 45.68, strike rate 53.44, hundreds 1 and fifties 4.
But the following figures suggest the most satisfying fact, that the Mumbaikar's runs in the fourth innings are now coming for a winning cause. There are 17 occasions when India won with Sachin contributing in the last innings of a Test and of those, 13 have come since 2000. That must bring a smile on those grieving fans.
- Overall innings 17, not out 9, runs 577, highest score 103 not out, average 72.12, strike rate 60.80, hundreds 1, fifties 3.
- Before 2000, innings 4, not out 3, runs 53, highest score 44 not out, average 53.00, strike rate 81.53, hundreds none and fifties none.
- Since 2000, innings 13, not out 6, runs 524, highest score 103 not out, average 74.85, strike rate 59.27, hundreds 1 and fifties 3.
And to round off the smiley facts, here is another one. Of Sachin's eight highest scores in the fourth innings, four have been for a winning cause, one contributed to a draw and in three India lost. So even here, there's no reason to feel bad about Sachin's contribution.
- Score: 136, opponent: Pakistan, venue: Chennai, year: 1999, result: India lost by 12 runs
- Score: 119 not out, opponent: England, venue: Manchester, year: 1990, result: match drawn
- Score: 103 not out, opponent: England, venue: Chennai, year: 2008, result: India won by 6 wkts
- Score: 86, opponent: West Indies, venue: Kingston, year: 2002, result: India lost by 155 runs
- Score: 56 not out, opponent: Pakistan, venue: Delhi, year: 2007, result: India won by 6 wkts
- Score: 54, opponent: Sri Lanka, venue: Colombo, year: 2010, result: India won by 5 wkts
- Score: 53 not out, opponent: Australia, venue: Bangalore, year: 2010, result: India won by 7 wkts
- Score: 52, opponent: Australia, venue: Melbourne, year: 1999, result: India lost by 180 runs
Courtesy:Cricketnext
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