Is the criticism of Sachin Tendulkar not being a match winner fair?

Sachin Tendulkar has been the heartthrob of the Indian public for over a quarter of a century. He has been a beacon of light and a ray of hope for millions of Indians and is placed on a pedestal uninhabited by other cricketers.

People have gone out of the way and have labeled him as the ‘God of Cricket’, referring to his unparalleled contribution to cricket, an, in particular, Indian cricket. They expected Tendulkar to answer their prayers and often turned to him for solace during melancholic times. No Indian cricketer was able to capture the imagination of so many people and stay relevant for such a long time as Tendulkar did, in his unprecedented career.

During the course of his career, Tendulkar shattered records and took the sport to statistically high peaks, where the sheer volume of numbers generated by him sends the mind into a tizzy.

However, during the course of his chequered career, there has been this one criticism of Tendulkar not being a 'match winner', of him not being able to deliver that ‘killer punch’ that was required to take his side past the finish line.

To add weight to this debate, let us revisit this 'issue' of Tendulkar’s ability to prove his worth as a match winner.

Talking about the matter at hand, one cannot go beyong the test match at Chennai in 1999, where the brilliance of Tendulkar with the willow failed to get India past the finish line. Pakistan set India a challenging target of 273 runs in the fourth innings. And, with India reeling at 6/2, Tendulkar walked in.

He bats as if he is a man possessed, and sends us all into a trance. Gaps are born out of nowhere, the demons in the pitch vanish, and Tendulkar scores an ethereal hundred. However, with just 17 runs needed for victory, disaster strikes. The master batsman goes for a lofted drive off Saqlain Mushtaq. He does not time the ball well, and the ball nestles into the hands of Wasim Akram.

Once Tendulkar departs, the remaining three wickets fall in a jiffy, and India go on to lose the match by 12 runs. Now, the question remains - was it Tendulkar’s fault that the rest of the Indian batting line up crumbled like a pack of cards?

Fast forward 10 years to 2009. India are taking on Australia in an ODI match in Hyderabad, and are set a daunting target of 351 runs. By now, Tendulkar is in his 20th year in international cricket. He has outlived all his peers.

The passage of time is nothing but a mere illusion, as the master illuminates the night sky with the bat in his hand. He scores a marvellous 175 off 147 balls, but still, India lose the match by 3 runs.

For a moment, let us leave all the intangibles that made Tendulkar a joy to watch, and let us do the basic math here. Out of a target of 351, Tendulkar scored 175. He consumed 147 balls in the process. That left the entire Indian batting line up another 176 runs to get off the remaining 153 balls.

However, India fall short of the finish line. Was it Tendulkar’s fault that the other Indian batsmen just could not take India across the finish line?

Additionally, in between these two classics, there were several other occasions when Tendulkar ended up on the losing side despite his ethereal splendour with the bat. His stunning 143 against the Australian bowling attack in 1998 at Sharjah was not enough to take India past the finish line.

He scored 141 against Pakistan in an ODI match 2004, but India fell short of the target by 12 runs. His brilliant century against the West Indies in Kuala Lumpur too, went in vain as the ‘Men In Maroon’ won the match by 29 runs.

All throughout his career, the adage “If Sachin scores a hundred, India lose” became common. In fact, out of Tendulkar’s hundred international hundreds, only 25 have resulted in an Indian loss, questioning the mere intent behind the phrase.

Wasn’t it rough to accuse Tendulkar just because the players around him just could not rise up to the challenge?

Cricket is a team sport, and requires all the members to contribute if a side has to win a match. And for a major part of his career, Tendulkar was the spine of the Indian batting line up. The pressure he carried on his shoulders every time he walked out to bat was enormous, and his ability to thrive at the international arena for almost a quarter of a century stands testimony to the great man’s determination and passion.

Tendulkar has been one of India’s biggest match winners, and a true icon of the game of cricket.

Note: The opinion of the writer does not necessarily reflect the views of Sportskeeda.