Why Kapil Dev's statements on Sachin Tendulkar are clearly uncalled for?

God of Cricket. Little Master. Master Blaster.

These are some of the words that are used to describe Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. The master batsman is considered to be the most complete batsman in the history of the game, and is considered a demigod in the cricketing world. Tendulkar is the all-time highest run scorer (15921 runs) in the longest format of the game, and also holds the record for the most hundreds (51) and most fifties (68) in Tests, and the mind boggling numbers that he generated puts him at a pedestal of his own.

But then, did Tendulkar have an Achilles heel? At least, former Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev feels so.

The statement from Kapil Dev

In fact, this is what Kapil Dev had to say about Sachin Tendulkar.

“Sachin had so much talent that I hadn’t seen it in anyone. He knew how to score hundreds but he never became a ruthless batsman. Sachin had everything in cricket. He knew how to score hundreds, but didn’t know how to convert those hundreds into 200s and 300s. Sachin should have made five triple centuries and another 10 double tons because he could hit fast bowlers and spinners for a boundary every over.”

Now, what is the great Kapil Dev trying to hint here?

For example, Ricky Ponting is one of the greatest batsmen and match winners that Australian cricket has ever produced. But he never scored a triple hundred in Test cricket despite featuring in 168 Test matches. On the other hand, Indian batsman Karun Nair already has a triple hundred to his name in spite of playing just 6 Tests.

Does that make Ponting a less ‘ruthless’ batsman as compared to Karun Nair? Even Indian skipper Virat Kohli has not scored a triple hundred in Tests yet. Does that make Kohli a ‘less ruthless’ batsman?

The two occasions where Sachin Tendulkar could’ve scored a triple hundred

In fact, there were a few occasions in Sachin Tendulkar’s illustrious career where he had the chance to push on and score a triple hundred, but the circumstances did not allow him to do so. During a Test match against Australia in Sydney in 2004, he batted for close to 10 hours to amass a disciplined 241*. But, a declaration from skipper Ganguly meant that he could not kick on to score a triple hundred.

Also, Tendulkar was in such good form throughout the match that he even scored 60* in the second innings and was not dismissed in the entire Test. Another opportunity that came his way was again in the year 2004, in Dhaka against Bangladesh. He was batting on 248*, and was well on course for a well deserved triple century. But then, he ran out of partners at the other end, and India were bowled out for 526.

The master also had a couple of opportunities to increase his tally of double centuries in Tests. One occasion is the famous Multan Test, where stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid declared the innings with Sachin Tendulkar stranded on 194*, six runs short of a double hundred.

The other occasion where he could have increased his double hundred tally was at Leeds in 2002, where he was dismissed for 193. And, in spite of this, Tendulkar stands joint second in the list of Indian batsmen with the most Test double hundreds (6), behind only Kohli.

The conclusion

Kapil Dev’s statements were clearly uncalled for and have come at a time when Tendulkar is almost seven years into his retired life. Also, he should have certainly had a ‘ruthless’ mindset to thrive at the international stage for 24 years in spite of the crazy expectations that surrounded him throughout his career. He should have certainly been ‘ruthless’,to have played a stunning 200 Test matches for his country.

And finally, he should have certainly been ‘ruthless’ to have caused nightmares to the greatest leg spinner that the world of cricket has ever known.