If there were a true “Cricket God,” his name would undoubtedly be synonymous with Sachin Tendulkar. The former Indian superstar holds nearly every major record imaginable in the game. He is the most capped player in history, boasts an unmatched 100 international centuries, and holds the records for the most runs in both ODI and Test formats.
However, if there’s one certainty in sports, it’s that records are made to be broken. At one time, Pete Sampras‘ record of 14 Grand Slam titles seemed untouchable, yet Roger Federer easoly broke that tally, and now, Novak Djokovic has since shattered Federer’s milestone with a staggering 24 Grand Slam titles. Similarly, during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Virat Kohli surpassed Tendulkar’s long-standing record for the most ODI hundreds.
Gavaskar blasts Vaughan for a cheeky dig at Indian Cricket
Sunil Gavaskar has rebuffed Michael Vaughan‘s take on the Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar comparison. Root, who scored a century in each innings of the 2nd Test match against Sri Lanka, pushed his overall Test tally to 12,402 runs, while Tendulkar’s stands at 15,921. The crucial point here is that Root is only 33 and still has at least four or five more years at the top, meaning Tendulkar’s record could be within his reach at some stage.
However, what sparked the ire of Indian cricket fans the most was Vaughan’s statement. Following the 2nd Test, Vaughan suggested that Root breaking Tendulkar’s record might be better for Test cricket in general as BCCI could prioritize test cricket more to make sure that an Indian batsman holds the batting record. But Gavaskar was quick to respond, saying that the persistent criticism and undermining of Indian cricket has to stop at some point.
“This business of India bashing has to be countered with aggression because that’s the only language they understand. Recently, I heard someone saying it would be good for Test cricket if Joe Root overtook Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs and centuries in Test match cricket,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Please tell us what’s wrong with Test cricket presently when Tendulkar is owning the record and how will Test cricket be better if (and that’s a huge if) an Englishman goes on to hold it. In what way will it be better? Kindly enlighten us. For some strange reason, there’s a perception overseas that BCCI does not like Test cricket.”
Vaughan’s statement was completely out of context. What he suggested—that the BCCI doesn’t support Test cricket at the moment—is entirely false. The Indian cricket team has qualified for the finals of the first two ICC Test Championships and is on course to make it a hat-trick next year. Moreover, India will be playing 10 Test matches in the coming months: two against Bangladesh, followed by three against New Zealand, and then a five-match series against Australia down under.
“That’s a ridiculous notion, as India play more than half a dozen Test matches every season, be it at home or away. Just because the IPL is massively successful doesn’t mean BCCI is not interested in promoting Test cricket, but that’s the narrative that’s being peddled by the overseas media,” Gavaskar highlighted.
