Sachin Tendulkar vs Michael Hussey - comparing their stats after 79 Tests

Former Australian batter Michael Hussey recently grabbed headlines when he was asked a hypothetical scenario of possibly starting his international career sooner (on the Grade Cricketer YouTube channel). The 2007 World Cup winner surprised many, even if jokingly, by saying he could have potentially surpassed Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar in overall international runs.

Despite scoring heaps of runs at the domestic level, Hussey could not break into the Australian lineup until he was almost 29. The former left-hander still made a name for himself by scoring consistently in all three formats of the game.

Hussey finished with 12,398 runs in his decade-long international career in 302 games. Meanwhile, Tendulkar remains the all-time leading run-scorer in international cricket history with 34,357 runs in 664 outings.

Hussey was among the most consistent Test batters in his generation and played 79 red-ball matches for Australia. On the other hand, Tendulkar more than doubled Hussey with a record 200 Tests under his belt.

Yet, there may be some truth to Hussey's statements, should his numbers measure favorably with Tendulkar's in Test cricket at the identical stage (79 games - Hussey's final number).

On that note, let us compare the numbers that matter between Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Hussey after 79 Test matches in their respective careers.

#1 Counting stats

Sachin Tendulkar began his Test career at the age of 16 in 1989 and completed 79 games at the end of 2000. On the other hand, Michael Hussey's entire Test career spanned from 2005 to 2013, which was almost the backend of Tendulkar's 25-year Test career.

Despite their first 79 Tests coming at different times, it would be fair to start by comparing their overall counting numbers in this stretch.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Michael Hussey - Overall Numbers

It is clear that both these legendary batters piled on the runs in their first and, in Hussey's case, overall 79 Tests. Yet, Tendulkar pips his Australian counterpart by almost 200 runs and by a considerable margin of five centuries.

While Hussey scored five more half-centuries, it is fair to say Tendulkar wins out when it comes to the counting numbers after 79 Tests.

Edge: Sachin Tendulkar

#2 Impact Numbers

Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Hussey predominantly batted in the middle order in Tests. However, their batting at each position in the order varied in their first 89 Tests, making comparisons on quantitative statistics relatively unbalanced.

Instead, a comparison of their averages overall and in team wins, along with milestones during team success, would reflect on who was more impactful between the two.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Michael Hussey - Impact Numbers

Tendulkar has Hussey beat by a considerable margin when it comes to overall average after 79 Tests. Yet, the latter edges out the former in terms of batting average in team wins.

Furthermore, Hussey also scored more centuries in Australian wins than Tendulkar in Indian victories. Yet, a lot of that can also be attributed to Australia winning at a higher rate, thanks to being better at other departments in their respective careers.

Hence, with that caveat in mind, the 'Impact' category is level between Tendulkar and Hussey, with the former boasting a better overall average and the latter enjoying greater success in team wins.

Edge: Tie

#3 Who mastered the different conditions better?

The best Test batters are those who master home and away conditions in equal measure for an extended period of time. As impressive as Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Hussey's overall averages were, a more detailed breakdown of their averages across conditions should provide a story of its own.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Michael Hussey - Across conditions

While the duo may have played a different number of matches across each of these conditions, their averages in each location are some indication of who adapted better to more foreign conditions.

The two batting stalwarts almost cancel each other out in India and Australia, with each bettering the other on their home turf by a similar margin. Yet, in all the places outside of each other's home conditions, except Bangladesh, Tendulkar beats Hussey by a considerable margin when it comes to batting average after 79 overall Tests.

Edge: Sachin Tendulkar

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Final Verdict

Despite Michael Hussey's impressive Test numbers across categories, barring his average in certain conditions, he falls behind Sachin Tendulkar in comparison across most. While the former Australian boasts better numbers in victories, the Indian legend has him beat in most of the individual categories.

Winner: Sachin Tendulkar