No one in the history of cricket has come close to
matching Bradman's mark of 99.94 average in test maches. Bradman's 29 Test
centuries included ten double tons and two triples. And the other side., It is
hard to imagine someone playing Test cricket at the age of 16 and completed 24
career years continuously. no cricketer to have played in excess of 200 Tests
like Tendulkar.
Great men Great
moment
Sir Donald's house in Kensington. A modest, middle-class
home, Sachin and Warne walked in to be introduced to the great man himself.
While Warne and Tendulkar were dressed in almost
identical suits, the Don was in casual attire. The first thing Bradman did was
to enquire about Warne's shoulder. To Tendulkar, he said: "I'm so glad you
came." Says Warne: "He was very friendly, relaxed, mentally as sharp
as ever and even threw in a few good one-liners, although I can't really
remember them now, probably because I was trying too hard to take it all
in."
He asked Tendulkar whether he moved before the ball left
the bowler's hand.
To which the younger batsman rather modestly replied,
"I don't know." With a glint in his eyes, Sir Donald tapped
Tendulkar's shoulder: "I think you do. You begin your movement before the
bowler balls, otherwise you wouldn't have the time to play the kind of shots
you do."
Before Sachin could recover from the compliment the Don
went on to the next. He commented that it didn't look like Sachin had been
coached. Sachin said: "No, I've had three coaches. One in school, one at
the state level and one at Test level." "I didn't think you were
coached," explained Sir Donald, "because anybody who's been through
coaches is told to play with the left elbow pointed towards mid-off. You don't
do that. I didn't do that. That gives you the flexibility to play in any
direction anywhere." And he went on to demonstrate a few strokes.
Discussing the good batsmen of today, Sir Donald said he
thought Sachin the best batsman around at the moment and the closest in style
to the way he played.
Sir Donald Bradman was first impressed by Sachin
Tendulkar while watching a one-day game against Australia in the 1996 World Cup
and never missed a chance to see an innings from the Indian maestro after that,
the book 'Bradman's Best' reveals.
"Australia won (that match) but not before a
stunning 90 from Tendulkar that captured the Don's attention," the book,
which chronicles each of the 12 members of the 'Dream Team' selected by
Bradman, says in the chapter 'The Star of India'.
