***Official*** Tendulkar vs Ponting Thread

[Spark]

A timely reminder that as a batsman, if you're a cricket fan of any value you'll look back in the years to come and feel satisfied and fortunate to have witnessed him bat.

 

[honestbharani]

A timely reminder that as a batsman, if you're a cricket fan of any value you'll look back in the years to come and feel satisfied and fortunate to have witnessed him bat.

AWThis.

 

[hang on]

it was a brilliant innings, indeed. and it encapsulated all that is great about the man.

it was almost poetic (or ironic, depending on your perspective) how the boy stood on the burning deck nature of that performance only serves to highlight how tendulkar had to, for large chunks of his career (most of the 90s, i'd wager), fight a lone battle. and lara, too.

 

[Ikki]

Not to demean Lara or Tendulkar, but Ponting doing it alone is a slightly different beast to when they did. When Lara and Tendulkar had teammates not at their level the expectations for their teams were also different. Ponting and Australia are still expected to be the #1 side in both formats, even withstanding the fact that most of the players that made Australia such a great side are now retired.

 

[Bun]

Not to demean Lara or Tendulkar, but Ponting doing it alone is a slightly different beast to when they did. When Lara and Tendulkar had teammates not at their level the expectations for their teams were also different. Ponting and Australia are still expected to be the #1 side in both formats, even withstanding the fact that most of the players that made Australia such a great side are now retired.

nope. The reaction to their early exit is more of resigned acceptance than outrage of shock. I agree it was a diff beast before a year or two back. But successive defeats have left people develop a sense of ecxpectation abt this side.

 

[Bun]

And it's quite opposite for Sachin now. India are expected to win this, considering how they are npo.1 in tests, and touching distance of the same in one dayers. It's been the case throughout Sachin's career one may say, with the exception of 92- when they were clear underdogs.

 

[Ikki]

I hope you're kidding. No one here was resigned to defeat. Australia was still expected to win the WC by many neutrals and especially Australians themselves. True, no one expected to romp through the tournament like before but we backed ourselves to win the WC.

And yes, Tendulkar now is in a situation where Ponting has been for the majority of his career. But, no I wouldn't say the rest of his career comes close to the expectation people had of Australia in comparison to India in Tests, especially. Just winning an away series with India has been something to shout about for India whereas for Australia it has been expected to win pretty much everywhere, regardless of home and away. It was not until 2004 that India had actually won an away series against a top side (not B/Z or a minnow SL).

Anyway, the point being is that whilst each of the 3 great batsmen aforementioned have had a period where they're getting little help from their teammates, Ponting is the only one whose team is still expected to be #1 in both formats - even in these circumstances.

 

[Jono]

Haha no way. The media did not expect Australia to win. You are kidding me if you think that.

I don't necessarily disagree with your point overall, but with regards to the World Cup, it was not expected that they would win.

Go watch the Offsiders episode from Sunday 20th March. Everyone felt Australia will lose to India, and it was a fair reflection of their team and their expectations.

 

[biased indian]

I hope you're kidding. No one here was resigned to defeat. Australia was still expected to win the WC by many neutrals and especially Australians themselves. True, no one expected to romp through the tournament like before but we backed ourselves to win the WC.

And yes, Tendulkar now is in a situation where Ponting has been for the majority of his career. But, no I wouldn't say the rest of his career comes close to the expectation people had of Australia in comparison to India in Tests, especially. Just winning an away series with India has been something to shout about for India whereas for Australia it has been expected to win pretty much everywhere, regardless of home and away. It was not until 2004 that India had actually won an away series against a top side (not B/Z or a minnow SL).

Anyway, the point being is that whilst each of the 3 great batsmen aforementioned have had a period where they're getting little help from their teammates, Ponting is the only one whose team is still expected to be #1 in both formats - even in these circumstances.

 

[Spark]

Nah he's correct. All the talk here isn't about how we'll mix it up with India, England, South Africa etc. - it's explicitly about being on top of the pile. Whether it's through force of habit or natural tendency the unyielding expectation is that the Australian cricket team is the undisputed best in the world.

 

[Spark]

Mind you they don't believe that we're the best in the world of course. They just expect that the team makes it happen.

 

[Ikki]

Yes, Spark on the mark here.

 

[Jono]

Oh I see. You're saying expectation as what they believe SHOULD happen, not what WILL happen.

In that case I agree.

 

[bagapath]

on the other hand lara and tendulkar were always considered all time legends and magicians with the bat that their failures, even minor ones, were magnified and cited as reason for their team's inability to close out games; whereas, at this point, ponting is considered a spent force (despite being a great champ for many years) and hence his classy knock has come as a pleasant surprise to everyone. i would rank this hundred only slightly below his 2003 WC final blast which, again, was only a tad below sachin's 175 last year. all these were almost equally classy knocks but with different results for their respective teams because of what the other 10 players managed in those games.

 

[Jono]

Great knocks, in particular hundreds, in losing causes have a charm about it. Particularly hundreds which allowed their team to have a chance of winning. The ones where the team never had a shot probably go down in folklore less.

 

[Burgey]

Always love the tons in test matches that save a game too. I always thought Ponting's ton in the second dig of the third test of the 05 Ashes campaign was arguably his greatest. Had a real "boy stood on the burning deck" quality to it.

I thought it his finest hour.

 

[Top_Cat]

Great knocks, in particular hundreds, in losing causes have a charm about it. Particularly hundreds which allowed their team to have a chance of winning. The ones where the team never had a shot probably go down in folklore less.

So they should, I reckon. Pressure of chasing a tough win is far greater than holding up an end when you're about to get stuffed.

And I'd say that even though a lot of Sachin's knocks of the 90's/early 00's were in matches where, technically, it was a foregone conclusion India were about to lose, generally the opposition weren't able to relax until he was out so I'd say Sachin rarely batted when a win was clearly off the table. That's different to merely being the best batsman in a struggling team.

 

[Spark]

Always love the tons in test matches that save a game too. I always thought Ponting's ton in the second dig of the third test of the 05 Ashes campaign was arguably his greatest. Had a real "boy stood on the burning deck" quality to it.

I thought it his finest hour.

Yeah, agreed.

 

[Furball]

Always love the tons in test matches that save a game too. I always thought Ponting's ton in the second dig of the third test of the 05 Ashes campaign was arguably his greatest. Had a real "boy stood on the burning deck" quality to it.

I thought it his finest hour.

Easily.

Never mind saving the Test, until Warne got out Ponting had actually given Australia an outside shot at winning the Test.

And although Ponting getting out added to the drama of that Test and series, he really deserved to walk back to the pavilion with a standing ovation ringing in his ears after deadbatting the last ball of the game to end up unbeaten.

 

[Howe_zat]

Always love the tons in test matches that save a game too. I always thought Ponting's ton in the second dig of the third test of the 05 Ashes campaign was arguably his greatest. Had a real "boy stood on the burning deck" quality to it.

I thought it his finest hour.

Definately. Outstanding innings even for him.