For the longest time, Sachin Tendulkar was the gold standard in cricket. The Master Blaster holds almost every batting record that there is – most runs in ODIs and Tests, most centuries – 100 of them, most capped cricketer of all time and the longest career ever by a cricketer. There’s a reason he is called as the Master Blaster, and even though Virat Kohli has taken over as the face of Indian cricket rather brilliantly, there is only one ‘God’.
But as is the nature of this game, records are meant to be broken. Kohli went past Tendulkar’s tally of most ODI hundreds last year, and now Sachin’s record of most Test runs appears to be in danger. Joe Root, the England batting stalwart and former captain is inching closer to the great man’s tally. Root trails Sachin by approximately 3500 runs and he is just 33. With at least 4 more years to go, it’s become evident that Tendulkar’s record won’t last long and that it’s only a matter of time before Root climbs to the top of the table.
The Root vs Tendulkar debate has English media and their players excited, and understandably so. Last week, Michael Vaughan, in a cheeky dig, pointed out that Root overtaking Sachin will make Test cricket interesting because the BCCI would do everything in its power to ensure an Indian eventually topples that record, but it hasn’t gone well with Sunil Gavaskar, who can’t wrap his head around this constant Indian bashing’. In a fiery response, the legendary Little Master belted this theory that Indian cricket doesn’t hold Test cricket in the highest of regards.
“This business of India bashing has to be countered with aggression because that’s the only language they understand. Recently, I heard someone saying it would be good for Test cricket if Joe Root overtook Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs and centuries in Test match cricket,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Please tell us what’s wrong with Test cricket presently when Tendulkar is owning the record and how will Test cricket be better if (and that’s a huge if) an Englishman goes on to hold it. In what way will it be better? Kindly enlighten us. For some strange reason, there’s a perception overseas that BCCI does not like Test cricket.”
Gavaskar baffled by England’s ‘ridiculous notion’
As a matter of fact, if anything, Indian cricket, more than another other nation or cricketing board has prioritised Test cricket over and above everything else. India have already played the first two finals of the World Test Championship and are on their way to making it a hat-trick next year. Over the next few months, India will be playing 10 Tests, starting a two-match series against Bangladesh next week, followed by two more against New Zealand before touring Australia for a five-Test affair for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Which is why Gavaskar finds it bizarre that such claims are being made.
“That’s a ridiculous notion, as India play more than half a dozen Test matches every season, be it at home or away. Just because the IPL is massively successful doesn’t mean BCCI is not interested in promoting Test cricket, but that’s the narrative that’s being peddled by the overseas media,” Gavaskar pointed out.
