SA Footy

WHO IS THE BEST EVER INDIAN BATSMAN ?

1 GAVASKAR
2 DRAVID
3 TENDULKAR

I had thought Tendulkar about 3 years ago, now Im not sure
Don Bradman once said that of all the batsman in world
cricket that Tendulkar most reminded him of himself
Thats a big wrap and should be the end of this discussion
HOWEVER
DRAVID is batting better in recent years, has a better overall average
and makes more runs on the road than Tendulkar[I think]
BUT
GAVASKAR I think is the best
I reckon he made many runs on the road
He consistently faced better fast bowlers in his era
He definitely played against less minnow type teams

OTHERS
AZZURADIN was as good in the first few years he played, but was sorted out as he got older
PATUDI was a one eyed batsman, but I didnt see him bat.

Special mention to Dillip Doshi

Vengsarkar has legitimate claims for top 5 status too.

I would rate both Gavaskar and Dravid ahead of Tendulkar. All wonderful players but just on consistency Gavaskar and Dravid take the prize for mine. Tendulkar is one of the finest players of the modern era but a lot of the hype comes from his performances in the one day arena as well. I don't count this in my assessment though as it is not a true indication of a players ability.

Out of Dravid and Gavaskar i'd lean a bit towards Dravid. I guess i've seen more of him but just the way he can handle so many different situations and the way he can just bat and bat and bat without losing concentration is something i am in awe of. Gavaskar faced better fast bowlers but Dravid has had to cope against far better spin bowlers. His innings the other day was not one of his better moments but i can forgive him based on the fact that the effigies were soaked in petrol and ready to be lit back in India had they lost that Test match.

I think the five players mentioned so far are close to all set at this point, just a matter of opinion as to the order of the five players. Sehwag would be the only possible addition and I think hes a couple more solid seasons off the company of the other five. His career record though stands up well - Ave of 49.65 12 Centuries 11 Half centuries in 51 Tests. He has had the luxury of other better batsmen around him throughout his career that Vengsakar, Gavaskar and Azaruddin did not have for their entire careers.

I haven't seen Gavaskar so can't comment, but having watched Tendulkar and Dravid, I'd say Tendulkar is a class above. When comparing stats, it's very close. Perhaps the most telling stat is this?...

Average in series drawn:
Dravid 74.21
Tendulkar 52.36

Average in series lost:
Dravid 45.08
Tendulkar 44.33

Average in series won:
Dravid 58.16
Tendulkar 70.19

That pretty much sums it up for me. Tendulkar is a match winner. Just like Lara, Ponting and Gilchrist. Dravid is as solid as a rock, just like Kallis. I know who I'd prefer to watch and who I'd pick in my team.

Aerie, you could just as easily use those figures to argue that Dravid is better, as winning series are more likely to come against weaker teams (Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc.), while drawn and lost series are more likely to be against stronger teams and hence are a better test of a batsman's ability.

vishwanath should be up there.

Gundappa Viswanath, now an ICC match referee (15 test matches, 78 ODIs)

Ecky wrote:Aerie, you could just as easily use those figures to argue that Dravid is better, as winning series are more likely to come against weaker teams (Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc.), while drawn and lost series are more likely to be against stronger teams and hence are a better test of a batsman's ability.

That's true.

OK... I'm ignoring all the stats and I'll say that Tendulkar is a better batsman than Dravid.