The secret behind why Sachin Tendulkar used a heavy bat

Sachin Tendulkar has always used a 3 lb 4 oz bat throughout his career

Sachin Tendulkar has always been the most discussed sportsman in India, attracting both media and public attention ever since his Test debut against Pakistan in 1989.

There has been no other sportsperson who has constantly lived under public scrutiny as much as Tendulkar. Not surprisingly, amongst many other things, his bat has attracted much public attention and debate too.

Many people have wondered why Sachin constantly used a heavy bat during his career, despite all the injuries which plagued him. We try to find a few explanations here.

Sachin’s bat vis-à-vis other top batsmen across eras

The normal bat weights that are used by international batsmen range from 2lb 7oz (2 pounds and 7 ounces) to 3 lb, though there is no strict standard regarding bat weights in general.

Don Bradman, considered by many to be the greatest batsman of them all, used a bat which was pretty light at only 2lb 3oz. This was a good six ounces less than the average weight of a bat used by a batsman at the international level during his time, which weighed in at 2lb 9oz.

Tendulkar, on the other hand, used a bat weighing 3lb 4oz, which is a very heavy bat in cricketing terms. Only Lance Klusener of South Africa used a heavier bat than this.

Sachin’s bat weight attracted the heaviest attention in the mid-2000s when he was struggling with physical issues like elbow and knee injuries. Many experts wondered why Tendulkar did not switch to a lighter bat to help his cause.

The Master Blaster gave his comments while discussing the topic in his 2014 autobiography ‘Playing My Way’, admitting that many had tried to convince him to adopt the use of a lighter bat throughout his career, which was something he just wasn’t comfortable with.

“I used a pretty heavy bat and I was sometimes encouraged to move to a lighter one. Again, I did try but I never felt comfortable, as my whole bat swing depended on that weight.

“If you make technical adjustments, such as moving to a lighter bat, to cope with different conditions, there's a risk of making yourself feel uncomfortable and of thinking too much about your technique.

“To me the bat should be an extension of your arm, and if you've reached the stage where it's become an extension of your arm, why do you need to change? What mattered to me most when I was batting was feeling comfortable. As long as I felt comfortable, it didn't matter where I was playing or who I was playing against.”

Tendulkar had also spoken about it in this video which was shared on his official page on Facebook, although this explanation was a lot simpler than what was mentioned in his own book.

Would using a lighter bat have had any effect on his performance?

It is quite clear that Sachin felt very comfortable with his bat weight, having grown up playing with heavy bats from the beginning of his career. And his results and records are proof of the success of his methods.

Some experts like Spiro Zivos, a long time editorial writer on Sydney Morning Herald, commented that if Sachin had switched to lighter bats, he would have had even more success.

“I’ve noticed that Tendulkar often misses with his cross bat shots, the cuts and the hooks that were easy pickings for Don Bradman.

“To me the reason for this is obvious. The bat Tendulkar uses is just too heavy to get up and then through with his cross bat to deal with the shorter deliveries. Unlike say Brian Lara or Don Bradman, Tendulkar does not make a huge number of massive double centuries.

“Again, I believe that the heavy bat just gets too heavy over the course of a long innings and he makes a mistake of timing he might not have made with a lighter bat.”

No matter what anyone thinks about the weight of Sachin's bat, it is safe to say that the Little Master was totally right about what is best for him. He used his own brilliant technique to make the most of a 'supposed' hindrance in his game, in the process becoming possibly the greatest batsman to have ever graced the game since Sir Don Bradman.