London, July 14: Poised on the brink of his 100th century with over 21 years of international cricket behind him, Sachin Tendulkar still generates the same kind of hype as he did at the beginning of his career. In a fitting co-incidence, the world's best batsman will feature in the 2000th Test ever to be played when India take on England at the legendary Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Ahead of the much anticipated series between the two nations beginning July 21, former England captains Graham Gooch, Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and Michael Vaughan, who have each played against the maestro, spoke about his exceptional career and batting prowess in the August issue of The Cricketer.
Veteran England skipper and batsman Graham Gooch, who witnessed the emergence of Tendulkar on the international scene, said, “No one had ever seen him in 1990. As a 17-year-old it was evident that the lad had great skill, great balance, great timing, an eye for the ball. You could see he had all the attributes to make a top player. For one so young he had a poise and composure about his batting.
"You don’t often get that in young players; you get the talent and the stroke-making but poise, authority and composure normally come [with experience].”
Michael Vaughan, who was the captain of the England side that lost the 2007 series to India 1-0, was quoted as saying, “Sachin’s a different player now from 2007; the best players in the world change little things about themselves to keep themselves in the game. In the last two years he’s become more aggressive, he’s gone back to his old way of trying to score when for a period he tried to survive.”
Advising the current side on how to tackle the renewed Tendulkar he added, “Chris Tremlett bowled well against him in 2007 and he’s a miles better bowler now. But Sachin doesn’t have any weaknesses although every batsman is vulnerable on and around the off stump early on. England might go aggressive at him, test him with a few short balls – I’ve seen people do that over the last two years and it hasn’t affected him.”
While commending Tendulkar, former England skipper turned commentator Nasser Hussain pointed out, “Technically and mentally Sachin has changed little over the years but he has changed his game plan. He began as a flamboyant, extravagant stroke-maker who had all the shots and simply loved the game.
He further observed, “Once the records and the hundreds started to be racked up, he turned into a run-machine. The Indian public became driven by his stats and consumed by a Sachin infatuation. His priority was his wicket. Once [Virender] Sehwag arrived, he was happy to let him tee off. In the last couple of years he has rediscovered his flamboyance and is playing shots again.”
Warning the England players about Tendulkar’s strengths, former opener and skipper Michael Atherton said, “I dropped him in the gully at Trent Bridge [in 1996] and he went on to get a big hundred. He’s not a man you want to put down early on. He was calm at the crease, difficult to get out of his bubble.
"There weren’t any flaws. He was just a very solid, orthodox player. One of the most remarkable things is that he has hardly changed at all – exactly the same set-up, very few changes to his method. He’s trusted in his technique and power all this time. He’s stayed true to his game.”
