Sachin and Dravid - A comparison of two legends

“The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter – As Matthew Parris wondered of Barack Obama in these pages recently, is he human?”

That was Mike Atherton’s quote on Sachin Tendulkar. The same encomium, I guess, should hold good for Rahul Dravid too. In addition to the awe-inspiring batting talent of these two legendary cricketers which has never ceased to allure the purists, both of them are bestowed with a lot of admirable traits, uniquely identifiable with their impeccable human personas. When you rewind Rahul Dravid’s international career, which spanned for 16 years, you would realise what being a gentleman on the cricket field truly means. Hardly had I ever seen him losing his cool, venting his frustration on the others. A lone stray incident which I recollect was his emotional outburst against Guy Whittal in a one day international involving Zimbabwe, when he was the vice captain of the Indian side.

The case has been no different with Sachin Tendulkar either. Apart from one instance where he gave Glenn Mcgrath a taste of his own medicine, he has remained sedate all throughout his career – a career which, by no means, is over. As cricketers and, more importantly, as sportsmen, they have had many parallels with a very thin line separating the two. With so much in common between them, it is very difficult to resist comparing these two greats.

So,without further ado, let us deduce and evaluate the qualities of both the legends which made them what they are now.

1.The Gifted vs The Hard Worker:

Many a times, we have heard commentators saying, “Sachin makes batting look so easy”, whenever the little master was at the crease. Whenever the Mumbai batsman was on song, the runs seemed to have come effortlessly for India (never mind he has been out of form for more than a year now). He has been India’s most gifted batsman and so was able to accumulate runs at a brisk pace, not having to grind hard.

On the other hand, when you take into account the batting of “The Wall” – as we fondly used to call him – Rahul Dravid had never been at ease in accelerating the flow of runs due to some limitations in his stroke making abilities. But the greatness of this former Indian batsman lay in the fact that he was willing to work on his weakness with utmost patience, which was what separated him from the rest. Over a period of time, he gathered runs at a decent pace -without worrying about his strike rate. If Sachin Tendulkar was able to encash the gift of his batting talent effectively in scoring runs for his team, it was the hard work which came to the aid of the Karnataka batsman.

At the end of the day, there is nothing to choose between the two in terms of their achievements as batsmen at least in Test cricket. Of course, in the context of One day Internationals, Sachin is way ahead of not only his peers but also way ahead of the other all time greats. However, it must not be forgotten Dravid also ended his career with more than 10000 runs in both formats of the game.

2.Love vs Dedication:

Whatever Sachin has achieved as a batsman till now is undoubtedly due to the unparalleled love that he has for the game. He would be turning 40 this year in the month of April, and yet his passion and appetite for the game seem to have not receded even a tiny bit. Unless you are passionate about what you do, you can never be successful in your career. That’s why even at this age, he is still able to continue playing for India at the highest level without contemplating retirement.

On the other hand, Dravid’s accomplishments had more to do with dedication than love. Rahul was sort of a guy who would have tasted the same deal of success in any field he would have chosen. He would leave no stone unturned in completing the job that was entrusted to him. He got the opportunity to play for his country at the national level and he realized he had to do something to justify his selection. So, he did all it took to make the most of his opportunity and, as a result, became the second highest run scorer for India in Tests – all because of his dedication.

So, if the maestro’s strength is love, Dravid’s strength was dedication, which anchored him to amass so many runs for India.

3. The Aggressor vs The Anchor man:

The Master Blaster’s approach to the game was entirely different to that of Dravid’s. Sachin did precisely what was expected of him as an opener in ODIs and has been doing what a No.4 batsman is required to do in Tests. His presence at the crease is a discerning sight for the greatest of bowlers. He had the unique ability to direct even well bowled deliveries to sail over the fence. Unlike other batsmen of mass destruction, he does not throw his wicket once settled. Guarded by proper defensive technique and equipped with wide array of shots, when he plays long innings, the opposition players are left clueless. By being supremely aggressive, he has turned the matches in his team’s favour single-handedly most of the time.

Dravid, too, could turn the tide of any game, albeit in his own style. He is the only Indian batsman, other than Sehwag, to have carried the bat through till the end of an innings and that happened in a Test match in 2011 against England. Whenever he was settled at one end, true to his nickname, he used to stand as a wall, safeguarding the fall of wickets by consuming a lot of deliveries by himself. No wonder he was always preferred by the team management to bat at No.3, which was supposed to be the most crucial position in a batting line up. It was not just anchoring the innings that he did so well during his tenure, but also his meaningful stays at the crease which were very vital for the team.

To sum up this topic, all I can say is if Sachin’s batting is all about 70% of aggression and 30% of anchoring, Dravid’s batting had been 60% of anchoring and 40% of aggression. But at the end of it, both their styles have always favoured the team.

4. Back Foot play vs Front Foot play:

Both Sachin and Dravid have always been considered as complete in all aspects, with regards to their batting. However, when you take the former’s case, his back foot play has been more effective than his front foot play. Even though his front foot play is one of the best in the business, on the back foot, he was THE best. That’s why when all other Indian batsmen, save Laxman, failed most of the time on Australian pitches, he has been able to thrive well on those conditions against some quality pace bowling. Barring last year’s dismal tour Down Under when the whole Indian batting line up faltered, he had scored centuries every time he played in the land of Kangaroos.

On the other hand, Dravid’s front foot movement was rated very special. Due to his luxurious foot movement, he fared well in the swinging conditions of England and also on the low bouncing pitches of New Zealand. By very methodical foot movements, he was able to come on to the front foot in English conditions, which is a prerequisite for negating the swinging deliveries. Most of the times, he had come out on top in such tricky conditions only because of that exceptional ability. He was no mug with the bat playing in the bouncy pitches of Australia and South Africa either, but nothing can match his exploits in England and New Zealand.

The Team Leader vs The Team Man:

Sachin may not have enjoyed much success during his captaincy, but he has always been the unofficial leader of the side. Before the advent of Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman, the outcome of any match solely depended on his performance. Even now, Sachin’s form is considered as the X-factor for India. He has been his team’s main stay for the last 24 years and as a batsman, he has led from the front on most of the occasions. So, it is only apt to call him as the undisputed leader of his team.

Now coming to Dravid – although he was given the burden of captaincy for a brief period of time, he had remained a reluctant leader. Although he had not carried the entire burden of the nation’s expectations on his shoulders like the Little Master, he did whatever he could for his team. He has been a perfect team man and has forever acted in the larger interests of the team. Whatever role was demanded of him, he did it for his team’s cause. Though he was an established batsman at No.3, many a times, in order to offer stability to the lineup, he had moved up and down the order without any second thought. So much so, he also donned the role of a wicket keeper, which was not his cup of tea, all for team’s cause.

Indian cricket is lucky to have witnessed two of the greatest batsmen of all time playing in the same team. Comparisons can be made for decades down the line, but there is no doubt that these two extraordinary players will go down as light-bearers of a generation.