3 cricket equivalents of football's Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Cricket and football maybe two of the most loved team sports, but intense individual rivalries do manage to find their way into both. Crazy fans and over-obsessed media pit legends from different nations against each other.

The athletes, too, are spurred on to prove a point, though most are amicable with their so-called rivals, and in some cases very good friends - take the example of tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

During the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022, the debate over who is the greatest footballer of the current era once again caught momentum. After all, both contenders Lionel Messi of Argentina and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo were part of the competition.

It was widely stated, especially by fans, that if any of the two superstars lift the World Cup crown, the argument over who is the best of the generation will be settled.

Messi had a dream tournament, which culminated with him inspiring Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup title since 1986. It was also the first time he had laid his hand on the crown.

In complete contrast, Ronaldo had a forgettable World Cup campaign as Portugal crashed out following their quarter-final loss to Morocco.

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When legendary cricketers were pitted against each other

The game of cricket has also seen its fair share of debate over individual rivalries between star players of their respective eras. In this feature, we look at the three cricket equivalents of the Messi-Ronaldo debate.

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#1 Sachin Tendulkar vs Brian Lara

Brian Lara (left) and Sachin Tendulkar. Pic: Getty Images

Although Ricky Ponting was also a dominant force with the bat in the 1900s and 2000s, the unofficial competition over who was the best with the willow was often between India’s Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies’ Brian Lara. Both were extremely gifted cricketers and could turn games on its head with their individual brilliance.

Making his debut at the age of 16, Tendulkar went on to break most batting records in the game. He finished his 24-year-long career with 34357 runs in 664 international matches at an average of 48.52 with 100 tons and 164 fifties. Tendulkar remains the only batter in international cricket with 100 centuries. He was also part of the Indian team that won the ODI World Cup in 2011.

When it came to consistency, Lara was slightly behind Tendulkar. But on his day, he was undoubtedly the best in the business, even better than the Master Blaster from India. The West Indian great ended his international career with 22358 runs in 430 matches at an average of 46.28 with 53 centuries and 111 fifties.

He holds the record for the highest Test score - 400 runs (the only batter to achieve the feat) and the third-highest Test score - 375. He is also the only batter to hammer a 500 in a first-class match - 501* for Warwickshire vs Durham in Birmingham.

Both Tendulkar and Lara played in relatively weak teams through the 1990s. While Tendulkar received support from the likes of Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, and Virender Sehwag in the next decade, Lara was mostly forced to continue fighting a lone battle.

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#2 Shane Warne vs Muttiah Muralitharan

Shane Warne (left) and Muttiah Muralitharan. Pic: Getty Images

Among bowlers, the Shane Warne versus Muttiah Muralitharan debate was arguably the most discussed. Both possessed supreme records and were match-winners in their own right, who single-handedly bowled their respective sides to many wins. It is not surprising then that Muralitharan and Warne occupy the top two spots when it comes to all-time leading wicket-takers in international cricket.

Former Sri Lankan off-spinner Muralitharan ended his career with 1347 wickets in 495 international matches at an average of 22.86 with 77 five-fers and 22 10-wicket match hauls.

Warne, who sadly passed away at the age of 52 earlier this year, is credited with reviving the art of leg-spin in international cricket. He ended a decorated career with 1001 international wickets in 339 matches at an average of 25.51 with 38 five-fers and 10 ten-wicket match-hauls.

Both were part of ODI World Cup-winning squads - Muralitharan in 1996 and Warne in 1999, the latter winning the Player of the Match in the semis and the final. At the same time, their careers were also dogged by controversies for varied reasons.

While Murali’s bowling action, despite being cleared, was often questioned, Warne’s colorful off-field life often made news for the wrong reasons. On the field, though, they rarely spun it the wrong way!

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#3 Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith

Steve Smith (left) and Virat Kohli. Pic: Getty Images

If we shift to the current era, run machines Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are often compared to each other. Of course, Joe Root and Kane Williamson complete the 'Fab Four,' but while the England batter hasn’t played T20Is for a few years now, the New Zealand legend has some obvious limitations in white-ball cricket. When it comes to all-format players, the contest has thus whittled down to Kohli versus Smith.

Looking at Kohli first, he has amassed 24573 runs in 483 international matches at an average of 53.77 with 72 hundreds and 129 fifties. He is second on the list of batters with the most international tons, next only to Tendulkar (100). The former India captain is the leading run-getter in the T20 World Cup - 1141 runs in 27 matches at an average of 81.50 with 14 fifties. He was also the Player of the Tournament in consecutive World Cups - 2014 and 2016.

While he suffered a lean patch for a couple of years, he has an excellent record as captain in Test cricket, notching up seven double hundreds. He is also India’s most successful Test leader in terms of the most number of wins - 40 victories in 68 matches.

Smith, who incredibly began his career as a leg-spinner who could bat, has amassed 14383 international runs in 335 matches at an average of 49.76 with 41 tons and 69 half-centuries. He was among the star performers when Australia lifted the ODI World Cup at home in 2015, with 402 runs in eight matches.

Kohli and Smith were up against each other in the semi-final in Sydney. While the Aussie hammered 105 off 93 balls, the Indian star was dismissed for one off 13 deliveries. Smith also contributed an unbeaten 56 in the final against the Kiwis at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

After being suspended for a year for his role in the ball-tampering saga in 2018, and also losing his captaincy, Smith made a sensational comeback, amassing 774 runs in four matches during the 2019 Ashes.

The 33-year-old was benched for the majority of Australia’s T20 World Cup 2022 campaign but remains a force in the other two formats.

With both Kohli and Smith not giving any hints of walking away from cricket anytime soon, the debate over who is the best might continue for another couple of years!

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