Sachin Tendulkar -- early days of ODI career.

There was post on Krish’s blog about the early history of Sachin Tendulkar - - the ODI batsman. I believe his earlier career prior to 1996 world cup can be divided to 2 parts :

1) 1989 – 1994 When he was the baby of the team and took time to be the batsman he is. The time when he usually batted lower the order (usually 5 or 6).

2) 1994 – 1996 Till the world cup when he really got into groove of scoring 100s at regular intervals.

I wont say much on post 1996 history as we all know how he turned himself to a greatest batsmen of all times in ODIs. Ok if you ask me he is the greatest in Tests too. No Don Bradman.

Back to the topic. He began his innings in ODIs with a duck and took time to set his feet in the ODIs. When he came on to the scene, Indians played hopeless ODI cricket. Kapil Dev was on a decline and Prabhakar was staging a comeback. A year later Kumble debuted but he didn’t become a regular feature in ODIs until 1993. For that matter Tests too (1992 SA tour, 6-for in Jo’ burg). One thing Tendulkar showed in earlier days was the promise and he fulfilled those promises he showed in 1^st few years. India didn’t play that many ODIs then and a century in ODIs by an Indian was a rarity. 300s were never touched. 299-4 was the highest India had made until 1996.

During those days the 15 over restrictions didn’t exist until 1992 World Cup when Greatbatch turned the tides in astonishing World Cup campaign. 1990 was a lean year for India in cricket with only ODi series wins coming in India vs SL and then against England (thanks to Azhar’s batting). 1991 was another lean year when India didn’t play much of cricket except few Sharjah trips and then the SA comeback series which India won 2-1. It was in end of 1991 Sachin really came in his own in both forms of the game. The twin centuries in Tests at Sydney and Perth were classics and only shining gems besides Shastri’s 206 and Azhar’s hundred in Adelaide. India lost the Test series 0-4 and the B&H series 0-2 to Australia. That was the first series when Tendulkar the bowler gained limelight. His 2 wkts in Perth ODI against WI in 41^st over to earn a classic tie defending 126.

1992 World Cup saw what Tendulkar would be in coming years when he top scored for India with 284 runs in 8 matches in what was a horrible campaign. During this days he used to come at 5 or 6 in the ODIs. Vinod Kambli was more fancied than this man and he rose to heights quicker than the man only to fall even sooner. Manjrekar was another promising batsman who never delivered what he had. Siddhu was good in home series, cropper abroad. Jadeja was another young player during those days.

1994 was when Tendulkar scored his first 100 in ODIs. 6 years and 78 games later. Against his fav opposition Australia. 110 runs in 130 balls. Krish suggested he was slow in the innings. I counter the fact. He had a SR of 84 runs per 100 balls. During those days his career SR was 77 runs per 100 balls and he had just started opening 3 months earlier against NZ (2-2). After this series Singer Cup in SL, the next assignment was the WI home ODI series which India won 4-1 and then the tri-series involving WI and NZ, which India won again. He partnered Jadeja on the top and scored 2 more 100s in the same year. 1995 was another lean year for India in ODIs and then it was 1996. 3 hundreds in World cup followed by Sharjah and then the England tour. Sachin Tendulkar then was already a legend in making and he started getting to the peak in 1998 – the year which saw the demolition of Shane Warne in Tests and ODIs by the great man.

So in run up to the 1996 world cup Tendulkar evolved to the ODi batsman he was. And the major factors for this were :

1) Batting lower down the order (5 or 6). Finisher role wasn’t carved then. So he didn’t get that many balls to bat long. Whatever he got he made most out of it. 11 fiftees in 78 games was a testimony to that. One 50 every 7 innings wasn’t bad for a 5 or 6 batsman.

2) Less ODIs played by India. The fact that he played only 78 ODIs in 6 years was a testimony to the fact that India didn’t play much ODIs that age. Remember it was 1996 that began the times when India ended up playing 30+ ODIs every year. Tendulkar has never been dropped from any team in his entire career. His first ODi miss was his 185^th ODI in 1998.

3) If somebody says Tendulkar was slow in earlier 90s then it is a cruel joke. He has had a SR of 86 for his ODI career. He batted in opening slot for most part since 1994 and has scored more runs than anybody on that slot. He negotiated swing, pace and spin with ease. Whenever he scored 100 India mostly won (37 100s of 42 are in winning cause). He was more attacking of the opening pair of Him and Ganguly (1996 – 2007). We got to understand one fact that in early 90s the Odis were not as high scoring as they are now. 270 then was winning score 9 of 10 times.

So its very wrong to say Tendulkar was slow in his early days in ODIs. That’s the 2^nd face of the coin for you for Sachin Tendulkar – the ODI batsman.