Numbers and the Game

So you thought Tendulkar was the greatest batsman ever! And now, ICC – the international governing body of the game i.e. the ultimate authority, has proved you wrong. Till a few weeks ago any one could’ve said that the numbers tell the truth and most would’ve agreed; but it isn’t so ever since the ‘satyam’ of numbers has uncovered the loopholes that the mathematics could be subjected to. The number game is governed by the kind of game you wish to play.

Numbers offer us a means of measurement. Appropriateness of measurement depends on the frame of reference. And hence I ask – is it appropriate to put Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar in the same frame? Sachin was born three decades after Bradman played his last match. A lot has changed in Cricket over the years – from laws to execution. The only cricketing law that hasn’t changed since the first Cricket laws were written in the 18^th century is the length of the pitch – 22 yards.

The scenario in and around Cricket is not what it was a few decades ago. Sobers & Bradman played in the era of genius talent that was as good as gifted. This is a technology enabled age. Analysis, specialized trainings, and a lot of support systems are there to nurture talent so that a sport doesn’t rely on rare heroes. Heroes can be created. Our race has learnt to find and utilize its hidden potential. Hence sports, especially team sports have become far more challenging.

This is just one of the huge valleys between the genre of the Bradmans and the Tendulkars. If Bradman wouldn’t have spoken of his appreciation of Sachin, no one would’ve compared them because it’s too loose a set to draw a comparison from. Why would one need such a comparison, to begin with? I would rather ask a more objective question like “who is the greatest batsman of the decade?”