Sir Donald Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar

“Let us just say that Tendulkar is the Bradman of today — less hypnotic but scarcely less phenomenal”, according to Cricket writer John Woodcock, who reckons the Indian living legend has every chance of making his 50th Test century this week.

In his column for The Times, John Woodcock paid rich tributes to Tendulkar for his “insatiable” hunger to score runs even after 21 years and said comparing him to Bradman did not diminish in any way, the legendary Australian and his achievements.

“Bradman, I believe, would have been proud to play today’s game as well as Tendulkar does, just as Tendulkar, like all of us, holds Bradman in awe. Let us just say that Sachin Tendulkar is the Bradman of today — less hypnotic but scarcely less phenomenal — and leave it at that,” Woodcock stated in his article.

“There is every chance that Tendulkar will make it to his 50th Test ton this week, against New Zealand, which in itself is an amazing achievement. But if Bradman had played the same number of Test innings (Tendulkar has played 280 to Bradman’s 80), he would have finished with something like 100 centuries, given the rate at which he scored them, 99.94 as we all know! ” the veteran columnist wrote.

Woodcock said “Physically, Sachin is the shorter and stockier among the two, and with the sub-continent being more challenging and the breeding ground of the world’s most natural batsmen, there could be a few more talented cricketers from that region in the future.”

“What eventually is that it comes down to opportunity, ambition, temperament and passion to continue? Sachin Tendulkar belongs to the school of those Indian batsmen like Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath who make up for a lack of inches with eye, wrist and insatiability.

Tendulkar uses a bat so heavy, something weighing 2 kilograms or so. The Don would have laughed at it had he picked it up. You need only to pick it up to understand and feel how strong his arms must be,” he said.

“To say that Sachin, or anyone else for that matter, might be as good as Bradman does not diminish Sir Donald Bradman and his achievements. This is intended not as a comparison between Bradman and Tendulkar but as a celebration of a wonderful little Indian master — insatiable, resourceful, unflinching and orderly,” Woodcock concluded.

Tags: Cricket, Cricket Writer, John Woodcock, Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Donald Bradman, The Times