Monday, July 18, 2011

Michael Vaughan: Sachin Tendulkar, still the best in the business, is everything you would ever want in a batsman

After India’s tour to England in 2007 it felt as if we had seen the last of Sachin Tendulkar in this country. Chris Tremlett was bowling well against him and Sachin looked a bit fearful of the short ball, which tends to happen towards the end of a player’s career.

Ryan Sidebottom was also causing him a lot of problems, he didn’t score a hundred in the series and averaged only 38. To think he is still on the circuit, playing better than ever and is on the verge of a 100th international century is a phenomenal achievement.
People ask why he is so good and what sets him apart from the rest? I played in an era of great batsmen but Tendulkar is top of the list simply because of the pressure and weight of expectation he has coped with. He is more famous in India than their prime minister or president and has had to deal with the kind of pressure that status brings whenever he walks to the crease.

When he arrives at the wicket everything is perfect. His technique is great.

There have been various theories about batting over the last decade or so with buzz words such as trigger movements and forward presses. Tendulkar just stands still. He is dead side on. If you sat down with a pen and paper to draw the perfect batsman, you would sketch out Tendulkar’s profile.

He is side on with a nice simple back lift. His shoulders are aligned to mid on and he plays straight. He gets his head over his front leg and plays close to his body. Tendulkar does everything that any good coach would teach and he has been playing in that simple fashion for the whole of his career.

When he was struggling with his elbow injury in 2007 he went through a phase of trying to defend his wicket, but just recently he has started to attack again which is when he plays at his best.

It is the same as Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting. Whenever they looked to defend you thought you could get them out. When great players such as these guys attack and score quickly they are beautiful to watch. Their feet move more positively, they get in position quicker and Tendulkar will arrive here looking to take the bowlers on because he knows they will be aggressive towards him.

Like all batsmen, he is at his most vulnerable early in the innings to the fuller delivery nipping back. A ball pitching on off stump and coming back through the gate will cause him problems.

I have seen him driving through balls early on and be bowled or lbw on a number of occasions. England could also undermine him with bounce, which is why Tremlett will be key. England should open with Tremlett but the difference from four years ago is that he will not duck and weave. He will take the short ball on. The best players see the short ball as a scoring opportunity not to just something to evade.

If the ball is swinging, James Anderson nipping back a ball that pitches on fourth stump [an imaginary stump outside off] and hitting middle or off will be very dangerous. Indian batsmen, Tendulkar included, go a long way over to the off side with their pad.

England have to back that line up with disciplined fields. The mid-on has got to be dead straight for Tendulkar. You can’t allow him to see the gap straight down the ground. Your midwicket also has to be straight as well so when he looks to the leg side does not see an easy scoring option. If he looks at those field settings and thinks “I can’t pierce those gaps” he will play square through extra cover. If he does that, and the ball nips back, you are in the game because if he misjudges an in-swinger you could have him nicked off and caught in the slips.

To nullify Tendulkar’s threat England will want pace in the pitch so their short balls or length deliveries are zipping through to the keeper. It is just a case of whether the administrators will let that happen. They will not want three day matches. Tendulkar is box office and that equals a lot of money for the Test match grounds. They will want four or five day cricket to maximise their takings.

Lord’s will be packed with fans hoping to see history made. There is an air of goodwill from everyone towards Tendulkar that other great players have not enjoyed.

I have never heard anyone say anything bad about him. Normally when you have a guy who is the greatest sportsman in his field, he is seen as selfish and makes enemies. Not Tendulkar. He is great around the team, young players and the opposition.

He was always generous with me, perhaps because of his time at Yorkshire. I was an academy player when he became Yorkshire’s first overseas cricketer in 1992. I was sat on the park benches under the old dressing rooms at Headingley when he made his debut. He was looked like a schoolkid aged about 12 when he walked out to bat. He did not play a huge amount for Yorkshire but he was very popular. The Yorkshire dressing room introduced him to Tetley Bitter and he loved it, which is why we call him “Yorkie” even now.
He remembered those times ten years later when we played against each other in Test cricket. I was playing well in 2002 and had a good chat with him during that series. I asked him about playing in Australia later that winter. He said the only way to be successful it to attack. He said you have to be positive against Warne and McGrath otherwise they will get on top of you. It was good advice and set me on my way.

But England have to remember Tendulkar is only human. He makes mistakes. They must also forget the verbals. Let the ball do the talking instead. It is what he has done with his bat for 20 years.

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