3 greatest batsmen of the modern era

Batting has always been the most attractive part of the gentlemen's game. From the times of Sir Don Bradman, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Garfield Sobers, cricket's magic always lied in the art of batting.

There is something magical in that straight drive. Some kind of artistic expression in that cover drive. Some panache in that cut shot. Some sense of domineering in coming down the track to hit a six. No other part of cricket enthralls us as a classical batting exhibition does. It's a sight for the sore eyes.

Since the game's inception, many batting artists have painted on the canvas of cricket, but very select few could stand the test of time.

The batsmen that emerged from the 1990s had the talent which was unmatchable, skills which were untraceable, and the longevity which was unprecedented.

But among the plethora of batting legends that came out in the 1990s, three batsmen stood tall in terms of the impact they have had on the game. Here is an ode to these stalwarts.


#3 Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting's career was a mirror to Australian cricketing spirit. The toughest Aussie who never gave up would be an understatement on his marvelous career.

He was tough as nails. A character that you will hardly ever come across. Throughout his career, "Punter" was berated for not opting to play in the spirit of the game, but Australian cricket was hellbent on standing tall amongst all. Ponting never gave an inch to the opposition. He was probably the last Aussie to have followed the policy of 'battle it out till the end'.

The journey that started back in 1995 ended 17 years later. His retirement year was not a great one by the standards for a man who has probably achieved everything there is for a cricketer to be achieved on the cricket field. But, he understood it was time to pass the baton onto the next gen.

Ponting oozed professionalism throughout his magnificent career as a batsman and as a captain. In his glorious career, he came closest to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of runs scored in Test matches. He amassed a total of 13378 runs garnished with 41 centuries and 62 half centuries. In ODIs, he still remains the 3rd highest run-scorer of all time with 13704 runs which includes 30 centuries and 82 half-centuries.

One can not get away talking about Ricky Ponting without glorifying his imperious pull shot. He looked like a sculpture when he just rocked back opened the face of his blade while swiveling on his right toe and when the ball hit the sweet spot it was like watching a gladiator unleashing glory!

"Beat them, whip them and humiliate them if possible" that's Ricky Ponting captaincy in a nutshell. Everyone talks about Virat Kohli's aggressive captaincy nowadays, but to be honest he is not even half as aggressive as Ponting was. There was an aura around Ponting that he hid inside his invisible jacket, for he never wanted to be bigger than the team.

Ponting never smiled much, but when he did he made sure he had broken millions of hearts. Most of the time it was Indians who were in the receiving end. That century in the 2003 World Cup final nightmare might still haunt the Indian fans. Such was the menace of that cunning smile. It was a smile that got bigger over the years as accolades kept on piling up.

Ponting had one of the greatest cricketing decades from 2001-2009 where he scored loads of runs at an astonishing average in both the formats and won 3 World Cups as an individual. He won a bradmanesque 100-plus Test wins and 2 World Cups as a captain.

Like him or hate him but nobody can deny the fact that Ricky Ponting was one of the all-time greats. He showed why you don't have to be gifted to be great. To be a great player all it takes is hard work, perseverance, patience, and determination.

Ponting no doubt will go down as one of the greatest captains of all times, but his true greatness lied in his batsmanship.

#2 Brian Lara

Brian Charles Lara was probably the last West Indian Lion to have stepped onto the field. He was a true fighter in every sense of the word. He didn't have that swagger that Sir Viv did, but his panache made him belong to the select few who literally murdered bowling attacks.

Lara's flair was unmatchable, it was like watching a magician pulling out tricks after tricks whether it was his gorgeous cut shots or majestic cover drives he was as unorthodox as a player can be. His unusually looking glorious back lift and that dictatorial follow through most of the time intended to tell the legendary bowlers to go fetch that! But whatever Lara did on the field had a deeprooted cricketing knowledge attached to it.

Lara aimed big. He carried his team for almost a decade and yet managed to score 11953 test and 10405 ODI runs. His Test career includes unimaginable 34 centuries, 48 half centuries, 9 double centuries, 2 triple centuries, and 1 quadruple century. He is considered to be one of the greatest match-winners the game has ever seen.

He redefined batting in his own way. He would score double centuries for fun. Sometimes he would switch his mode and blast 28 runs in an over in a Test match. His greatness lied in his ability to change the game at any point in time, for he was a true champion and warrior.

When he walked out to bat there was a smile on everyone's face because he was one of the game's all-time greatest entertainer. Every single innings of Lara's was an indescribable bliss!

It would be befitting to say that this Trinidad and Tobago prince was the most gentle and stylish destroyer of bowling attacks in the modern history.

Lara's legacy is insuperable. His distinctive nature of play has made him the greatest left-hand batsman of modern era.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

"Cricket is a religion and Sachin is it's God".

To describe Sachin Tendulkar's career in a few words is an impossible task. It's like a son describing what mother means to him. Sometimes words fall short to describe emotions. And Sachin Tendulkar was India's emotion for 24 glorious years. He was a mirror for this developing nation. India's rise coincided with Sachin's rise. He stepped onto the field with expectations of hunting a billion people every single time. Such was the enormity!

He stopped a country of billion people when he was playing, he made them skip their heartbeats, for he was the man who controlled the happiness index of this gigantic nation. He was cricket's first global superstar.

Whenever the name Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar appeared on screen, it wasn't just any common name, it was a name that represented the nation. A name which carried the hopes of a country of billion people. Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the greatest athlete ever lived in terms of pressure that he had to handle.

In his 24 year career, Sachin played 463 ODIs and 200 Test matches which will remain beyond the wildest dreams for many. His career was built around fulfilling extraordinary expectations. If there is a record book in cricket for batting then Sachin is the name that's printed in every single one of them. Everything he did on a cricket field was a new thing. Every innings had some new heights that were reached.

Tendulkar was never a Lara or Bradman who scored big runs, but he was a man of centuries. The legend scored more runs than anyone else in the history of the game. He scored 15921 Test runs enclosed with 51 centuries and 68 half-centuries. His ODI career stats are of alien nature. In his 22-year long One-Day career, he scored 18426 runs garnished with 49 centuries and 96 half centuries. He became the first batsman to score a double century in ODI history. He was probably the hungriest man for runs on the cricket field ever.

When the Master Blaster left with a career total of 100 international centuries, it was not just the amount of runs, it was a current of happiness that kept flowing through the veins of his countrymen for 24 long years that had stopped.

It would be easy to say that Sachin was, is, and will always remain a part of the heartbeat of world cricket till eternity.

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Edited by Rajdeep Puri