He has been a cricketing icon for almost 20 years. But who have been Sachin Tendulkar's idols? Well, the master batsman did let us know in the course of a TV interview a couple of days ago that over the years he made a conscious effort to blend Sunil Gavaskar's defence with Viv Richards' ruthlessness to evolve a batting style of his own.
Tendulkar could not have been more judicious in choosing his heroes. As everyone associated with the game knows perfect batting is an ideal blend of attack and defence. The ability to adapt oneself to a given situation in a match is priceless. There are times when quick runs are paramount, at other times runs and time are of equal importance or perhaps the situation calls for a grim fightback based on a sterling defence. And these days with cricket being played in three formats the need to adapt and change cannot be overemphasized if one wants to be a successful cricketer.
So now we know the secret of Tendulkar's greatness! Ever since his international debut in Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 he has been lording over the bowlers, who continue to struggle to breach his near-impregnable defence and often find themselves at the receiving end of his aggressive hitting.
"Sunil Gavaskar and Vivian Richards are the batsmen that really inspired me," he said during the interview. "I wanted to be as solid as Gavaskar and as destructive as Richards, because that combination was always going to be lethal. I felt truly inspired by these two individuals on the field," he said.
So much has been written about Gavaskar's mode of batting which inspired a whole generation in this country. From 1971 to 1987 he displayed the rare combination of total technique, impeccable body balance and scintillating strokes to spectators in Madras and Melbourne, Lahore and Leeds, Colombo and Christchurch.
Over the years, he left a trail of frustrated bowlers who, with a gesture of helplessness, turned to their captain as if to implore, "please take me off. There is no use bowling to this bloke. He's never going to get out." Indeed, so impeccable was his technique, so insatiable was his appetite for runs, so uncanny was his knack at building an innings, brick by brick, that he gave the impression of batting all day and every day. His batting was the epitome of the age old qualities of dedication, determination and concentration.
Where Gavaskar scored over Geoff Boycott another master of technique and defensive batting was that he had so many strokes that he was ruthlessly unsparing on the bad ball. That was the point Tony Lewis made while writing about his 101 at Old Trafford in 1974.
Many knowledgeable critics put it at the top of his 34-century list and Lewis' description illustrates why. "Quite unforgettable was his 101 out of 246 against England in 1974. Cold north-west winds drove in squalls, bringing only the seventh day of rain in Manchester since mid-February. The pitch was firm and bouncy. Willis, Old and Hendrick were hostile, whacking in the short balls. Underwood and Greig were the slower bowlers and they gave nothing away."
Gavaskar first demonstrated how brave he was. He kept his eye on the ball and swayed either side of the high bounce, but when the ball was pitched up, he was immediately forward to drive it straight. This is where Gavaskar was a better player than Boycott overall. Boycott lost his strokes or maybe through parsimony he cut them out. Gavaskar reduced risk too but never lost the spring off the back foot which sent him firmly into the drive."
Richards' batting was a law unto itself. Few batsmen have intimidated bowlers just by their walk to the crease as Richards did. The confident swagger said it all. And then it was not unusual for him to whip his first ball through mid wicket to the boundary even when it was pitched precisely where the bowler had intended. The level of his confidence was unparalleled and he had footwork with which the great natural batsmen are born and the power of lightning and bewildering reflexes. When he was in prime form the best bowlers were as helpless against him as all the rest.
At a time when the fast bowler's stock ball whizzed past the batsman's nostrils Richards was the last hold out who shunned the helmet – even on his last tour of England when he was in his 40th year. The maroon cap was a reminder that no bowler however fast would threaten his domination. Richards was never content with mere survival. Bowlers had to be subjugated, to recognize that he was the master of all that he survived on a cricket field. With all the emphasis on attacking skills Richards was capable of technical excellence.
As Vic Marks wrote in his tribute to Richards when he was chosen among Wisden's five cricketers of the century, "his forward defensive stoke which he sometimes played with exaggerated, ironic care, just to inform the bowler that he could have smashed a boundary but had chosen not to, could be as impenetrable as Boycott's. But he didn't use it that often. More frequently, he ignored the coaching manuals and relying on the keenest pair of eyes and phenomenal reflexes just trusted his instincts."
Richards could destroy the bowling both clinically and ferociously. It is no surprise that the fastest Test century of all time - off just 56 balls - stands against his name. On that memorable day at St Johns's sixes were hit in every direction. He was known to launch a fearsome assault upon any bowler who enjoyed an international reputation. The higher the stage the better he performed.
