Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis
A riveting series finally comes to an end with the top 2 teams fighting hard to get the better of each other and ending up finishing the series 1-1. Few opine the series is meant to be 1-1, but had the series consisted of 5 matches, the battle would have got harder and eventually the better and tougher team would have emerged the winners. Both teams had their moments in the series. But India did something ‘out of the blue’ – they have now put a price over their No.1 spot and showed to the world that they are hard to beat.
This series once again went on to prove why test cricket is held so high compared to the other formats. It’s the clash of the titans who play their game at the highest levels. India had for them the seniors who brought in the experience when it was needed the most.
If the sides were asked to pick two men from their sides who made the series this exciting undisputedly they would be voting for Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis. The former fought hard trying to excavate the side after being buried deep inside the ground at the Centurion and the latter had his say when India believed they can wrap up the series 1-1 on the 4th day of the final test.
Tendulkar’s hundred gave the motivation India needed before going into the second test match. Kallis’ hundred gave South Africa a chance of winning after being in a position of losing the test match. On the course of their fighting knocks Tendulkar scored his 50th hundred – a colossal achievement at the Centurion (the person who named the city probably anticipated the great man to play there!), while Kallis scored an each- inning century and smiled his way to win the man of the match and man of the series awards at the Cape Town.
Tendulkar’s is a game of passion. He had to carry the expectations of an intolerable Indian crowd who are so driven that they can’t even allow one off day in the office. His game was defined by the way he carries himself both in and off the field – the staggering work ethic, the kind of preparation he puts in before every game. His understanding about the game is beyond the ken of even the greatest cricketing brains, bordering on unfathomable levels. To dominate game and to attract the focus of the entire world inclusive of even non-cricket playing nations for 21 years is indeed astonishing.
Kallis’ is a different game where he hardly had the spotlight in any part of his 15 year career. Often he caused the dilemma among the audience on where to place him – in the list of world’s greatest all-rounders or one of the world’s greatest batsmen. As Peter Roebuck and other cricket experts believe, he deserves to fall under both categories. His figures are stupendous as well. In tests he averages 57.43 and in the shorter format he averages 45.84. His bowling figures are 270 wickets in test matches and 259 wickets in ODIs.
Normally all-rounders used to bat at 6 or 7 and bowl as third or fourth change bowlers. The peculiar thing about Kallis is that he had to open the batting or bat at No.3 or 4 and also is often the first or second change bowler for his team. He bowls at a pace of around 140 kmph. With all those challenging tasks, he has never had a dull patch in his career.
Few people make their mere presence in the dressing room treasured. Few others make their absence be felt. Tendulkar and Kallis are the prime examples of the first and second grouping respectively.
We often tend to compare people’s achievements with each other even though we hate comparison personally. In a typical Indian family, you be a child or a student or an employee, you don’t escape from being compared with your classmates, colleagues, neighbors. I personally, am not a great fan of comparison, The ICC must have subscribed on this view before and that’s why has tagged both of them to the No. 1 spot.
While Tendulkar has been the wonderful artist who can draw the attention of the crowds and entertain them for over 21 years, Kallis has been the cameraman who’s behind the success of the screenplay and yet denied of the public eye.
Tags: Cricket, ICC, ICC Rankings, Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Test Cricket
