When was the last time you saw Sachin walking away victorious after a Test match with 50 or more runs to his name? Tough one that! In fact, even after being one of the most ardent of Sachin's fans, I can't gather one from my memory. Well, honestly that's one aspect of his game that I have not understood much about- finishing games. And try to remember how many times he's got out with a victory asking to be snatched away by his genius - plenty of them, sadly.I wasn't an outright Sachin fan to start with. I was too young to appreciate what he had been achieving as a precocious youngster. Moreover I was too loyal to the likes of Srikkanth and Kambli while growing up. But ever since I started liking his batting, I have grown as a fan of the modern day "Little Master" to the point where, Sachin's feats with the bat are important to me than India's results.
There have never been any doubts about Sachin's temperament, his technique, his hunger for runs and success. To me he's the best of this era and I'm sure most people would have agreed with me even before this millennium dawned. But if he's been found wanting, it has to be with playing under the pressure of chasing. Even the statistics show (I'm restricting my discussion to Test cricket here!) that his second innings average isn't great, in fact chasing runs, his average is a modest 34.43. But I wouldn't be as foolishly critical as most others are when discussing this already much-debated topic. Lot of the critics are guilty of taking it too far.
Lets try and define what "playing under pressure" is. Pressure according to me is a very relative term. Most people wrongly assume that a bastsman is under pressure only in the fourth innings, while chasing a big score or in the second innings when half your team is back in the pavilion and you need to get the team to safety. Well, pressure will be on a batsman at all the time, because test matches are won and lost in sessions, much like tennis is played in sets. Obviously it is maximum when you're chasing as it leads to the climax, but the importance of other sessions should never be under-estimated. If you look at it that way, Sachin's always played when the team has lost quick wickets, specially because India has not even had a modest opening pair in tests during most of Sachin's tenure. But he's always delivered runs, specially abroad when he's been the mainstay of the team struggling under hostile conditions. And the pressure of a "billion expectations" is no mean pressure. Make no mistake, test matches can be won and lost as easily on the first day as much as on the last. Sachin's always come to the team's rescue when wickets have been tumbling. So do you think Sachin's never played under pressure?
Second innings averages of most players would be low, barring a few stubbornly resilient players like Steve Waugh and Dravid, and Sachin is no exception. And that's why average winning totals on all grounds around the world are very low compared to the first innings' averages. There is no denying that Sachin has failed on many occasions to take the team to victories, but and it isn't as bad as people make it look and certainly doesn't deserve to be termed as one that can't play under pressure.
To be continued...
