Manjrekar, Lavakare and other subjects

Sachin versus Bradman:
Sarma Ballamudi: sarma.ballamudi@ebay.sun.com: Hi Sachin, Many happy returns of the day. You will not believe the kind of following you have here in California, USA. We stay awake in the nights to watch matches live and go late to (sometimes even bunk) work. Wish you and India all the best at WC'99. Sarma Ballamudi.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Ashish Garg: ag253@cam.ac.uk: Its a totally thoughtless article, writeen without looking at both sides of the coin. why doesn't he cite the percentage of the matches india has lost when tendulkar has failed and when he has succeeded how much they have won. and then look at the matches whhich india played without tendulkar and look at the fraction of win in those. I don't mind anybody writting anything, but it should be based on facts and figures when its being presented to masses. And comparing to Gavaskar, gavaskar was one of the worst players of ODIs (remeber 36 notout in 55 overs). And for your kind information the the day when he started his ODI carrier as operner, he averages over 50 with a strike rate of 90+. And comparision to Bradman, how many teams has bradman played with, how many ground did he played at, how many bowlers did he faced. Bradman has only against one team (england) primarily and that too on 15-20 ground and this man has played against all the teams in the world, has played on 85+ grounds, etc.. I don't say that Bradman is not a legend, he is certainly but defying tendulkar's greatness is not clever idea. He is playing in different generation, with beautiful fielding standards and that too in an era when ODI cricket dominates which changes your style dramatically, makes your game more risky. so all said, Mr. Lavkare should think again before writting such stupid article again. rather he should quit from journalism.. Ashish



Sachin versus Bradman:
Rajesh: rgodbole@ptc.com: I agree 100% on that. Congratulations for bringing it up. This mass hysteria over Tendulkar is just non-sense.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Naveen Babu Kadiyala: naveen_kadiyala@yahoo.com: Hai, First of all, you can't compare Bradman, Gavaskar and Tendulkar. They belong to different generations and all three can't be measured against a single yard stick. They are all great in their times and no one is less to other.



Sachin versus Bradman:
srikant: bsrikant@hotmail.com: what r u trying to prove? well as far as i am concerned all the myths about him and the aura that surrounds him are all the making of the media(advertently or inadvertenty).comparing him to don,sunil is preposterous but then who does it?why blame the poor man if he doesn't match up to the hype and hoopla created by the media(which incidentally incites public frenzy).leave him alone and all comparisons can start after he finishes with his cricket.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Muthu: m1subram@ie.twsu.edu: I believe that this particular columnist has done his home work well but this is by no means the right way to wish some one on his birthday.If you talk against a person's morale in the whole column and add a couple of sentences in the end and beginning that you hope for Tendulkar's best, I feel it is ridiculous. We donot want such discouraging comparisons just when the maestro is leaving for the World CUp.So dear columnist, save all your criticism for after the world cup.Your pessimistic comparisons will do no good.Whatever you might argue, Tendulkar is our mainstay and you have no business ridiculing him in the name of constructive criticism.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Sriram Gopalan: sriram.g@usa.net: Good article, but Arvind forgets to mention the records and statistics in favour of Sachin as compared to Gavaskar or Bradman. In the last 4 years, Sachin has scored more than 20 centuries in ODIs alone. Greatness is not measured with statistics but with the beautiful batsmanship etc. Sachin is way ahead of today's other cricketers.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Pranshu Saxena: pbsaxena@bluestone.com: Mr larkare, Though i would agree with you regarding the stats, Comparing any 2 people in sports in differing eras is never accurate. SMG faced windies pace battery at its best but his greater achievements were when they were defanged in 1971 or 1978. Don never faced similar attack anytime except in bodyline series and vs windies (martindale, constatntine were also early percusors of Lloyd "Bodyline"), Don 's averages against Windies was 72 in single series, Gavaskar 's vs them over 14 years was 70. can i say SMG was equivalent of Don. No, Don played on uncovered pitches while SMG played with less than 3 chaps guarding legside behind the square leg. Don had support of Woodfull, Ponsford (the chap who scored 2 400s, the chap who added 388 with Don on the day you mentioned in your article), later Brown, Hassett et all. Actually, 5 of top 5 1st class averages were Don 's contemprary including Don himself, Merchant, Hassett etc. Later Morris, Harvey, Barnes (average 61 in tests , after Don #2) were there. SMG had Vishwanath and Vengsarkar but our dear Vs had fickle natures as befetting Indians. SMG might have scored lot more if someone stayed on other end and gave him support like Don. Don's 3 biggest stands 451, 405, 388 all had Ponsford scoring 266 and 186, Barnes 234 supporting Don's 244,234 and 304. Only his 334 stands out, there too though next highest was i think kippax with 77, down the order we found longish innings by one and all enabling don totake attack to english bowlers. Don faced 100 plus overs a day, SMG was restricted to facing 70 by wily LLoyd and remember when Abbas walked off leaving him at 86* at Banglore. Don played 5 tests a year, averaging 3.6 in his playing career. SMG averaged 5 in first decade and nearly 10 in last part of his career. SMG had 20 tons in 52 tests while Don had 29. Sachin played 32 tests before he was at the debut age of Don and SMG. In next 36, he has scored 12 tons at 57 average. Plus he has scored 21 tons in another aspect of game totally absent for Don and SMG at that age. So is Sachin better Bat than Don or SMG, IS don who never faced pace battery like SMG did or is SMG who could only score 14 tons in 75 tests in part of his career. They all played different bowlers, different scenarios. They are all great in what they do and only for that we can be thankfull that we got to see so many virtuso masters at work. Thanking You Pranshu B Saxena



Sachin versus Bradman:
Ravi Athmanathan: ravia1@hotmail.com: With today's cricket schedule, it is totally unfair ro compare sachin with the others.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Hitesh: : Happy b'day Sachin. Arvind Lavakare is a jerk, don't bother about him.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Haresh: haresh@puma.mt.att.com: you >>>>



Sachin versus Bradman:
Sunil S. Nadgauda: snadgauda@clarkstonpotomac.com: I agree some what with the views in the article. Those are : When we need contribution from tendulkar, it is a rare occassion that we get it. On the other hand he scores his centuries when we are chasing either 180 or when we are batting first on sub continent pitches. What we need from tendulkar is knocks when situation is crunch or tough, team is lossing. If you compare players like Inzamam, Beven, Desilva these are the guys who are best for onedayers. They have played some innings that has turned the match in there teams favour. If tendulkar want to be real hero, he should come and bat in middle order and score the runs. Azar has done that all his life which I feel is very tough. Another point is we can't consider gavaskar as a one day player as in all regards he was a poor one day player. At this point we can say the best all time player of india is Azar as he has proved his ability in test as well as one day.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Atul Devasthali: atul@fan.com: This arcticle is well researched and reveals stunning facts. But I don't think this is a fair comparison. Mainly because Gavaskar and Bradman are retired and Sachin is in the midst of his career. What he has achived today is at much much younger age than the former two. I am sure when Sachin hangs his pads for good (may be 10 yrs. from now?), he will not leave any doubts in anybody's mind about his capabilities and contribution to the Indian Cricket.



Tendulkar the only one?:
siva pochimcherla: pochimcherla@yahoo.com: Good Article. This is one of the very few articles about the Indian Team, i have seen recently that exudes a lot of Optimism. Most of them have been about how the Indian Team is this bad and that bad. Good Job.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Rahul Pahuja: rpahuja@students.wisc.edu: Given all your statistics, it is very easy to come to the conclusion that Tendulkar is not in the class of Bradman and Gavaskar, and I dont think, people who have enough knowledge about the game and have been following the game, before Tendulkar stepped in would even need your statistics to come to the same conclusion. However, I strongly disagree with your suggestion that since Mark Waugh, Gary Kirsten and Brian Lara's avg. is higher than Tendulkar's that he is not as good of a player as them. That is absolutely ridiculous. In the past two-three years, who is it that instills absolute fear in a bowler, from any country. Not LAra, not Waugh, not Kirsten, because nobody can dominate and change the course of the game single-handedly, except for Tendulkar. Now, looking at your statistics, when Tendulkar didnt perform, when India needed him, first of all, I would like to ask you how many of the other Indian players score when needed and do they or can they deliver, as Tendulkar does. No..!!! I dont think it is a realistic expectation if you expect Tendulkar to score on every god-damned day he steps out to bat. Plus, nobody in the Indian team has the same level of consistency as he does. Let me remind of you what Tendulkar did to Australia in Sharjah, when they won the cup, maybe in Spring 98. Nobody in int' cricket right now can single-handedly pull their team from a certain non-appearance in the finals, to lifting the cup by scoring two consecutive centuries at breath-taking rate, and of that importance. Someone on the Australian team, before the finals said that lightning cant strike twice. Well, thats what is special about Tendulkar, he defies the laws that are set, that is why he is the greatest batsman right now, in this age. He does things which no one dares try. As far as your pick of will power, Tendulkar probably has the highest will power in the Indian team, yes I pray too that he has all your four mentioned characteristics, but I strongly disagree with your analysis of Tendulkar with respect to Kirsten, Waugh, and Lara. None of them compare to him, and none of them will ever compare to him as the greatest batsman of today. Please refrain from tarnishing Tendulkar's image on his birthday. I wish Tendulkar a Very Happy Birthday, and hope the Lord grants him all his wishes.



Sachin versus Bradman:
al_morwale: al_morwale: I agree, given the statistics of Bradman,Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, clearly Bradman comes out as a winner, but let me ask you how many nations did Bradman play against and what was the frequency of the test matches he had to play. One day Internationals these days are being played as tough one goes to the office everyday. Given these conditions Sachin has to put up with enormous physical pressure. In a oneday game the strike rate is very important, compared to Gavaskar he definately has a better strike rate. If he is being compared to Kirsten or Lara you must keep in mind that these two batsman dont have the ability to bowl when required for that matter niether did Gavaskar or Bradman. So i think that altough Sachin may not have won us a few clutch matches but that does not deprive him of the honour of the best cricketer in the world today which his for which has talent is the testamony



Sachin versus Bradman:
Subra Mani: subra.mani@aspect.com: Hi, I totally disagree with you regarding your views of SRT. It is a fact that SRT is neither Gavaskar nor Bradman. But SRT is a class of his own. By statistics, you can compare SRT with Anwar or Kirsten, but you should take into account SRT made most of his runs as a opening batsman in ODI. I like you to make the same comparison when SRT retires and I bet you he will bet you that he will be having the highest average in both forms of cricket....



Sachin versus Bradman:
Aravind: amk007@hotmail.com: A really thought provoking artile backed up by some excellant facts and figures. Good work Arvind. I agree with the author that though Sachin is undoubtedly one of the greatest players we had skill wise, he has failed to show that killer instinct that is the hall mark of all great players. Look at Lara he won a couple of test matches on the strength of his batting when every body had written off his team ! I only hope with age on his side Sachin picks up and delivers and joins those really great players of the past. Good luck Sachin and may the next millineum be the start of many a great performances to come !



Sachin versus Bradman:
Srinivasan R Ganesan: rgsrini@hotmail.com: Wow! I am going to save this article. Excellent research work indeed and an interesting point of view. Thanks RG



Sponsorship:
A Jajoo: ajajoo@gsbalum.uchicago.edu: I totally agree with Ashish. We in India consider commercialism as a BAD not a GOOD. This mindset has to completely change. I grew up in India and imigrated to US. Growing up in India, I was constantly reminded by teachers/leaders/parents that the pursuit of profit is a bad thing. How wrong that thinking is did not become apparent to me till I reached US. Profits are good. Profits are the engine that drive economic growth and therefore, human well being. We have to start thinking of cricket and other sports as profit making commercial enterprises which are involved in the business of entertaining its "loyal" customers with exciting action. The BCCI, IHF all should become publicly traded companies with their stocks listed on the stock exchanges. Their goal would be to maximize profits for their shareholders. and guess what ... if they maximize profits for shareholders ... they have to satisfy the fans first (by presenting a product that wins/entertains etc), they have to satisfy the players next and only then they will be able to grow their profits. Oh! this reply window sucks. I can not take it anymore. I have to scroll right and left to read what I have written.. This is painful.



Sachin versus Bradman:
prasad walawalkar: walapra@charlie.cns.iit.edu: what is all this total bullshit statistics . sachin's fans dont compare him with noone. they just find him to be the greatest cricketer ever . like jordan is greatest basketball player ever. such stupid columns hurt the sentiments of the fans so please be careful before publishing 'em



Sachin versus Bradman:
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Sachin versus Bradman:
Karthik Swaminathan: skarthik@ececs.uc.edu: First a very happy Birthday to Sachin. Hope he has successful year and brings us the World Cup Now for the article, Its no doubt a good analysis of statistics, but there are certain things to be remembered here. First Sachin's average after he started to open in onedayers is much higher. Secondly, rather than considering the times that India won without him scoring a better thing would be to consider the number of times he has been instrumental in winning matches for India. Gavaskar for all his staying power was never the match winner that Sachin is. Ofcourse when it comes to Bradman everyone else pales statistically, but then thats why he is Bradman. Sachin no doubt, often shows the irresponsible streak of youth, but its his will to dominate that clearly differentiates him from the rest. Lara and Mark Waugh are no doubt classy players in their own right but not as consistent as Sachin, their averages being boosted more by the big scores they occasionally make. Well, we all would no doubt like to see such huge scores from our little genius but given a choice an 80 every other match from Sachin is much better than a 250 every 20. Saeed Anwar bats well only on sub-continental pitches and I am sorry that the author thinks he even deserves a mention when talking of Gavskar, Bradman and Lara. We all know Sachin is no Bradman and are happy that he is no Sunny and most certainly proud to be his contempraries. He more than anyone else potrays the times, the will and the hurry to get things done. So Kudos to Sachin and hope that he gets the Birthday present all of us Indians would like to give him but only he and 14 others can get, the World Cup.



Sachin versus Bradman:
D.S.: zuroopa@yahoo.com: A nice column. I've always felt that Sachin was given more credit than he actually deserved. He has the talent, but he certainly is not above his teammates as the media would like us to believe. I've yet to see him thrash bowlers of the highest calibre. Only then I can truely feel that he is a genuine 'Little Master'! All the best for Sachin and the Indian team!!



Sachin versus Bradman:
p.C: : Hope this statistics will give Sachin more boost to show us more of his cricketing ability! I also would like to mention that the bowlers Sachin is facing today and Sunil Gavaskar faced in his days are totally different. Lily, Thomson, Willis,Underwood, Imran,Sarfraj, Hadlee, Roberts, Garner, Julien,Marshall,Holding, Kadir,and our own greats, Kapil, Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna, Venkat ---- these are the great bowler's Sunil Gavasker, Viswanath faced. Do we have bowlers in that category in these days cricket? (One day cricket is responsible for this!) I would suggest you to compare today's player like Sachin to compare with a contemporary player like Lara, Steve Waugh, because cricket in those days and cricket now is totally different.



Sachin versus Bradman:
K.Misra: kmisra@aol.com: The article is harsh on Tendulkar. In a civilized world, this is not exactly the way one would celebrate a hero's birthday.



Sachin versus Bradman:
vidhika: vidhikap@hotmail.com: u seem to know nothing about cricket.what rubbish,first of all u're column is so biased against sachin and secondly figures dont always tell the true story.how many oneday hundreds has gavaskar made?1 against sachin continuing 21.how many hundreds has he made in tests?34 which sachin is most likely to break.how many times has gavaskar drummed the bowlers?i'll have to strain my memory for that.and did he face the problem of being a one man taem?i dont think so and if yes not till the extent our sachin does.and the figures u have given for the number of times india has won without a major contribution frm sachin,well there are just a few matches which u have quoted but by the way sachin has played above 200 games .dont u think the percentage is very small.let me start by making u count the number of games we have lost when he hasnt scored though it wont be possible to relate all cause the list is neverending but let me make a start-independence cup in 97,sharjah in 99,pepsi triangluar in bangalore,last game against NZ this yr,dont forget to add on that 96 world cup semifinal when sachin got his 65 runs and got out an dthe team collapsed?the test match at calcutta?chennai for that matter?the list goes on and on........ and who the hell r u to say how much r team depends on him?u r a bloody sulker who hasnt achieved a thing in life and go about talking like this about one of the all time grts in the game as quoted by greg chappell,well did i hear it right?ditn steve waugh say in sharjah that sahcin comes next to bradman,dint he say his team lost to a grt player not a team?,dint bradman himself acknowledge hi talent?,dint kapil say that he was the most talented player he ahs ever seen in his 18 yr long career?,dint gavaskar call him the god's gift to world cricket?dint wasim say that the others might score but only tendulkar can win the game?the list goes on.........should quote a few more?i found u're article such utter rubbish that i dint even think it worth giving a full reading!u spoke of sachin not performing in a few tornaments,well how many measly runs did sunny score in the 83 triumph?well for u're kind information sachin got 523 runs in 96 at an average above 87.u know i want to write so much more but i think it is futile to write to people like u and waste time.basically i want to tell u to get lost and i wonder how u got that bloody article of u'res posted on rediff?well i think u better watch a one hr special programme on star sports tommorow called tendulkar at 25 and then get some sense in to u're head.god help creatures like u!!



Sachin versus Bradman:
tp: tpershad1@worldnet.att.net: This is sheer bullshit. MR ARVIND.. TELL ME HOW MANY MATCHES DID GAVASKAR WIN ON HIS OWN. STATISTICS Do not necessarily mean quality. If you want To see statistics then Geoff Boycott has Average of 45+ in tests. No one in the wildest of dreams could ever think of him among the top 100 of all time.. If you still want to use statistics wait for another 5 years and see where Sachins record would be.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Ramesh: sramki@eudoramail.com: Arvind, I do not know whether you are jealous or ignorant. But what I feel is the yardstick or statistics you used for the comparison between Gavaskar and Sachin does not hold any good. First of all Sunny was a opening bat and till like that last 120 matches Sachin used to come to bat at No. 5. Plus don't u remember the famous 36 runs in 60 overs. Plus comparison to Lara and Kristen again these are opening batsmen who have been batting at No. 3 and No 1 positions respectively. And scoring doulbe centuries and triple centuries are not the criteria to make a player great. How he plays the game with respect to entertain the paying public is also equally important in todays MTV, cola drinking world were people are less patient and they do not have the patience to watch the eternal grid of a Gavaskar.



The Sanjay Manjrekar column:
v.Ramnarayan: rajanram@giasbm01.vsnl.net in: dear sanjay, you may be right but beware you are now commenting on the tv alongside the pakis, and next time you are around with them, they are not going to like your comparison of their team with the gully boys. its true that in india cricket is more an elitist game. but if you want raw talent like shoib akthar, you must look for the rustic truck drivers from the north or similar ilk. what abt bby in the mean time?we have stopped producing good cricketers, largely because we dont look beyond the cross maidans and shivaji park.by contrast karnataka is producing players of quality by the dozens largely due to excellent infrastructureavailable even in the rural areas.if you love bby cricket as we do, you should do something about this. the present conditions of the maidans is a crying shame and a severe dent on the maharashtrian pride? have i woken up some one?



Sachin versus Bradman:
D M Sanchin: dsanchin@cisco.com: Good wishes to you..Sachin !!



Sachin versus Bradman:
Manish: manish@yahoo.com: Just by naming few instance which had no Sachin's contribution, can't d exclude him out of top batsman contention of all times. He has always rescued India, when in trouble unlike other good batsman u named. U got to realize the present competitive world Sachin is in as againt Gavaskar or Bradman.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Harish Dorai: doraih@tvratings.com: There are more things in cricket to worry about other than those averages and how long a batsman stay in the crease. Among them is "Dedication" and "Not being Selfish". The Indian hero of this article(Sunil Gavaskar)is famous for both. Who can forget that memorable innings of 36 n.o scored in 60 overs against England in the 1975 world cup! That clearly shows how much "dedicated" he was to the country. It is very easy to criticise a person by simply quoting some figures and averages. No doubt, Bradman is the greatest player the cricketing world has ever seen, but that doesn't mean that a young genious like Sachin can't reach the same heights as Bradman! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SACHIN!



Sachin versus Bradman:
Ravi Koulagi: rskoulagi@lucent.com: Happy Birthday Sachin.!! Comments - But What about Bradman himself saying 'I remember my days when I watch this young man play'



Sachin versus Bradman:
anish ramachandran: aramacha@umich.edu: who is this arvind guy. what the heck does he know about cricket. i have never seen him write and all he has done in this column is compare stats. that bastard forgot to compare the number of centuries tendulkar has compared to the rest and what the hell is this comparison with gavaskar. tendulkar himself admits that no one can come close to sunny gav but gav says that teddy is better than him go ask your wife to give you a blow job you illiterate piece of crap. illiterate i mean in terms of cricket. go home and watch the game and then make some comparisons. what a fool you are. i would fee sorry for your wife. anish



Sachin versus Bradman:
jamini: jaminikant@yahoo.com: I am surprised by the statistical details. I was never a great admirer of Sachin for the number of unnecessary risks he takes. At the best may be he is the best limited over batsman India has ever had but no way the best batsman. No way. Thanks for the article. At least those who read it will stop to be blind in their praise.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Viper: parry-g@usa.net: Arvind, Very nice article with a lot of important statistical information. But, as usual statistics though can be used to set a scale of sorts but more often take away the actual sense of argument. First and foremost it needs to be accepted that Tendulkar has played in an era dominatyed by ODI as opposed to Gavaskar and Bradman who played little or no ODI cricket at all. So, a comparison between test performances and ODI would be quite absurd. There too have been quite a few instances where Gavaskar failed to win the match for India viz..Ind vs Pak Test Match in Bangalore which India lost by hmmm...maybe 12 runs. Also, if Gavaskar has saved India from many a precarious situtaions so has Tendulkar. Most importantly, Tendulkar continues to be the best Indian batsmen around for a while because of the confidence that he has been able to inspire in his teamates by virtue of his sheer presence be it in batting or bowling. IMO comparisons are unfair and derrogatory because comparisons are made to decide better versus best and as far as a fan is concerned be it Tendulkar or Gavaskar or Bradman they are all the best.



Sachin versus Bradman:
Dnyanesh Suryavanshi: dnyanesh@us.ibm.com: Dearest Sachya: Wadhdiwasachya Hardik Shubechha ! Aani !ALL THE BEST FOR WORLDCUP! Tuza Chahata, Dnyanesh



The Sanjay Manjrekar column:
gautam: pranavs@thinkndo.com:



Sachin versus Bradman:
anish ramachandran: aramacha@umich.edu: who is this arvind guy. what the heck does he know about cricket. i have never seen him write and all he has done in this column is compare stats. that bastard forgot to compare the number of centuries tendulkar has compared to the rest and what the hell is this comparison with gavaskar. tendulkar himself admits that no one can come close to sunny gav but gav says that teddy is better than him go ask your wife to give you a blow job you illiterate piece of crap. illiterate i mean in terms of cricket. go home and watch the game and then make some comparisons. what a fool you are. i would fee sorry for your wife. and by the way, if he has the guts, ask him to write back to me please. let me see how many balls you have. anish

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