Meet the ICC Hall of Famers: Sunil Gavaskar

[Burgey]

Didn't realize Gordon had been knighted. Good on him.

 

[honestbharani]

I think Gavaskar is > Greenidge. But also think Greenidge is under-rated generally.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah not an unreasonable pov to hold at all, I was more responding to the "unquestionably" part of the other post. None of these blokes are spuds.

 

[h_hurricane]

He's not unquestionably that though. Boycott, Greenidge, Simpson to name three belong in that discussion with him. All four seem like different degrees of arsehole with it too.

Gavaskar is a tier or two above all 3 of them, statistically and otherwise. 10K runs and 34 hundreds were some of the records which were considered unreachable for the era he played, and yet he went on to achieve them. A lot has been made out of how his average of 65 against WI is misleading, and there is some truth in that tbh. He was still great against them when their best quicks played, though.

On the other hand people always bring up that TOTAB killed it against WI, and yet he couldn't even meet a low bar of a 40 average against them.

 

[ankitj]

Hey look, numbers.

 

[ankitj]

More numbers.



Edit: changed to 1000 run cut-off

 

[Gob]

More numbers.

View attachment 28120

Chappell's numbers may even improve if you consider his world series cricket exploits in WI. Consider him to be the 3rd best Aust batsman

Also Gordon is pretty good innit? There is a very good case to consider him to be the best opener after the english guys from the early 20th century and Sunny the racist.

 

[honestbharani]

Chappell's numbers may even improve if you consider his world series cricket exploits in WI. Consider him to be the 3rd best Aust batsman

Also Gordon is pretty good innit? There is a very good case to consider him to be the best opener after the english guys from the early 20th century and Sunny the racist.

Yeah, may well be... Its hard to think of anyone since the 90s who could have been conceivably better than Greenidge for sure. He was almost a perfect amalgamation of the consistency of a Lawry and the explosive abilities of a Slater.

 

[Burgey]

10K runs and 34 hundreds were some of the records which were considered unreachable for the era he played, and yet he went on to achieve them

Yet they were surpassed.

I don’t think he’s tiers above those blokes you mentioned at all tbh. Belongs in the discussion with them for sure, but tiers above is a stretch.

 

[Burgey]

Chappell's numbers may even improve if you consider his world series cricket exploits in WI. Consider him to be the 3rd best Aust batsman

Also Gordon is pretty good innit? There is a very good case to consider him to be the best opener after the english guys from the early 20th century and Sunny the racist.

I mark Chappell down in the AT stakes for picking and choosing his tours a bit much, nws the era he played in. But certainly a great player

 

[Moss]

Yeah, may well be... Its hard to think of anyone since the 90s who could have been conceivably better than Greenidge for sure.

Hayden? G Smith? Though whatever I have seen of Greenidge from highlights, far more watchable than those two.

The guy who seems to have been the 90s embodiment of Greenidge (in approach) was Alec Stewart the opener, though obviously not in his league.

 

[honestbharani]

Hayden? G Smith? Though whatever I have seen of Greenidge from highlights, far more watchable than those two.

The guy who seems to have been the 90s embodiment of Greenidge (in approach) was Alec Stewart the opener, though obviously not in his league.

I guess they are all arguably at the same level, although I always rate G Smith above Hayden and Sehwag amongst the openers. Still dont think anyone can be said to be definitely better than Greenidge as an opener for the last 30 years, which says a lot IMHO.

 

[Anil]

fantastic greenidge double hundred at lords

 

[Burgey]

A huge innings often overlooked when it comes to last innings hundreds, but it was a remarkable knock.

 

[Burgey]

I mean, fmd 1/340 odd in 60 something overs is insane, I don't care the attack or the conditions. Chasing that one down witout Richards or Lloyd even batting is ridiculous.

 

[Gob]

I guess they are all arguably at the same level, although I always rate G Smith above Hayden and Sehwag amongst the openers. Still dont think anyone can be said to be definitely better than Greenidge as an opener for the last 30 years, which says a lot IMHO.

Smith's away record stands out compared to the other two. Still prefer the other two over him though

 

[honestbharani]

Smith's away record stands out compared to the other two. Still prefer the other two over him though

Fair enough. I somehow give more weightage to away runs and I also think Smith made more runs under pressure than any other opener I have seen.

 

[Gob]

Fair enough. I somehow give more weightage to away runs and I also think Smith made more runs under pressure than any other opener I have seen.

RSA was probably the only country to continuously produce sporting wickets in the 00s so opening their was hard work. Both Hayden and Sehwag have substandard records in SA, NZ and ENG and honestly that is not a huge surprise given Hayden used to plant his front foot down and Sehwag barely moved his.

Ended up checking Gilchrist's away record because he was the closest it gets to Sehwag (SR and lack of feet) and surprised how good his away record was. His average fell below 40 only in India and UAE (and even in India he has two match winning hundreds) and has more away hundreds than both Sehwag and Hayden. Guess opening the batting is lot harder than coming in at seven but impressive nevertheless.

 

[Gob]

 

[Daemon]

fantastic greenidge double hundred at lords

Those cuts fmd

Did a lot of batsmen have trigger movements back then?