10 greatest men's batters of all time ft. Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara
Cricket has always been referred to as the gentleman's game, but in a more subtle hard-to-accept kind of way, it has always been a batter's game. You always see an aspiring cricketer with a bat in his hand first before a ball. There are fights in gully cricket over batting, but rarely with the ball. The excitement to bat is so palpable from such a young age that kids who choose to bowl first after winning the toss are branded weird.
The sheer delight of being in command with the blade in hand, with the entire surface area of the ground in your control, is hard to describe. The innate love for batting has led to several gifted batters, more than one could ask for or even hope for.
Eras have changed, formats have emerged, but the basic art of batting remains the same. At the end of the day, the ones who were best at middling the ball more often than not, ended up being more successful than others. There are of course other factors that come in the picture.
Rating batters becomes an arduous task now more than ever, because of the way the game has evolved. The size of the bats, the conditions, the quality of bowlers, and the pace of the game all need to be considered to bring the best batters on an even keel before the comparison can even begin.
On that note, let us take a look at the ten greatest men's batters of all time.
#10 Sunil Gavaskar - India
Gavaskar's numbers have been eclipsed long back. He was the first to breach the 10,000-run mark in Tests. Since then, 12 batters have achieved the feat, and more are queuing up for the same. However, the legendary opening batter played in an era where not many would have been as successful as him.
The testing conditions, the lack of protection for players, the unforgiving pacers, all tip the scales toward Gavaskar's greatness, which will stand the test of time, no matter what the current or the future crop of players achieve.
The aforementioned factors also supersede the argument that Gavaskar does not hold impressive numbers compared to batters of this generation.
#9 Brian Lara - West Indies
If batters were to be ranked on the basis of flair, Lara would have topped the list by a fair margin. Luckily, the flashy left-hander was not all about style, making him a worthy addition to the list of the greatest players of all time.
Lara's ability to score big, leading to the famous unbeaten 400 and 501, his obvious flair and technique, coupled with his famous battles against some of the greatest bowlers make him a player that are produced only a few times in an entire generation.
#8 Jacques Kallis - South Africa
The South African legend is a shoo-in when the greatest all-rounders of the game are discussed. However, Kallis' dominance was so prominent that he managed to stake his claim as one of the best batters of all time as well.
A rock in the South African middle order for ages, Kallis' prowess has been witnessed across formats and conditions. One underrated trait that is at times overlooked is his consistency. He was one of the most reliable names in the lineup, and as a result, there were no prominent dips in run scoring over the course of his career.
#7 Rahul Dravid - India
Everyone is replaceable in cricket, no matter how great or invaluable they are. There is talent churned out at a rapid pace to make transitions smoother, and teams and fans move along with it. However, when it comes to uniqueness, Rahul Dravid has a chapter of his own in Indian folklore.
His grit, determination, and versatility are all beyond words. In his arc as a cricketer, Dravid played across various positions, as a wicketkeeper and even served as captain. But, his monk-like patience while batting will be the aspect that people will remember him for.
Countless innings rescuing knocks, impeccable consistency, coupled with an ODI career spanning 344 matches that is criminally overlooked, makes Dravid one of the best that the game has ever seen.
#6 Viv Richards - West Indies
If aura was used in the 1980s as much as it is being used now, more than half of it would have been spent describing Vivian Richards. The West Indies batter played the game his way, left a mark, and went on to inspire the next generation as well.
Although today's generation could not witness him in live action, his staggering numbers in that era, are enough evidence to regard him as an all-time great. Among the former batters, if there was one that was tailormade for this era, or rather tailormade for modern-day cricket, it was Vivian Richards.
#5 Ricky Ponting - Australia
The Australian legend was part of a highly successful period in the country's history. It was easy for him to be overlooked or overshadowed among the several other legends on the side, but instead, he stood out in a dominant fashion.
Ponting's prowess spread across both Tests and ODIs. His high backlift and the famous pull shot get more adored as time progresses. He also carried the brunt of captaincy for several years, but it did not affect his batting ability or returns in any manner, casting another layer into his undisputed greatness.
#4 Don Bradman
Only a fraction of people today have seen Don Bradman live. For the rest, all the talks of his greatness have been bypassed from one generation to the other. So, is that reliable? Could the praises be diluted or escalated when delivered in such a manner?
But with reliable voices attesting to the same, and the sheer power of numbers, end up making Don Bradman one of the greatest to ever exist. If run-scoring was easier back then, why didn't everyone boast the same average as the Australian?
Everyone knows his iconic Test average of 99.94, where a few people moan about 52 matches not being a credible sample size. Only a few know that his first-class average, after 234 matches read 95.14.
Much like the Pele slander has begun in football in recent times, where there has been scrutiny regarding his official goal tally and the difficulty of the era he played in, cricket has to ensure that the same does not happen with Bradman ever.
#3 Virat Kohli - India
The first-ever three-format king perhaps, and an undisputed great and the first among the current crop to be immortalized - Virat Kohli. The former India skipper might just be the batter who makes the art easiest for the eye. His class, and ability to mix the old-school technique with innovation, along with a legendary consistency across formats and terrains, make him a special player.
To thrive in a competitive Indian outfit for so long, and meeting the challenges of the modern game deserves a separate mention. Over the years he has become a respected and equally feared player from the opposition's perspective, which speaks of his greatness.
#2 Kumar Sangakkara - Sri Lanka
One of the few left-handed batters on the list, the Sri Lankan legend was a rare breed. Sangakkara exited the game not only as one of the greatest batters produced by his country, but as one of the best of all time ever.
With more than 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs, 11 Test double hundreds (only one short of the all-time record), and a Test average close to 60, his inclusion in the list is a no-brainer.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar - India
With all due respect to the ones that have played before him, those who are, and those to follow, batting is synonymous with Sachin Tendulkar. For many, his straight drive might be the first memory associated with his batting.
The leading scorer in both Tests and ODIs, along with the fact that he has the most appearances to his name, has catapulted him into the GOAT conversation. Although there are still some who claim Sachin had the luxury of playing for over two decades, he only got to play that long because he was good enough to last that entire time.