From: sudhama@engin.umich.edu (Sudhama Gopalan)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: Re: Selfish Gavaskar & Shastri
Date: 24 Jan 1993 21:24:47 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: agar.engin.umich.edu

In article <C1CD2D.JEu@acsu.buffalo.edu> skumar@acsu.buffalo.edu (Shivesh Kumar) writes:
>Flying Eagle (shankar@remus.rutgers.edu) wrote:
>
>: Since, Shastri has come back to the limelight again in this newsgroup,
>: it seems almost appropriate to evaluate him on his performance
>: statistically, and not by how/who he is judged by. Let the stats speak
>: for themselves. Unfortunately, I don't have the exact figures, and I
>: so I would ask any kind sould with that information to post it on the
>: newsgroup. Thanks.
>
>It is not proper to evaluate someone solely on statitics as it does not always
>give the true reflection about his batting or bowling.Recently there was a
>discussion on Gavaskar's sixers & someone came up saying about a ODI at 
>Jamshedpur against WI in which Gavaskar has few sixers to his credit.
>But statistics doesn't reveal how he played in that match.Asked to chase some 
>330, he surrendred from the very first ball and never quite attempted to go 
>for it.It was only when the required runrate had crossed some 20-25 runs per
>over and it was just a formality left when he took few loose balls out of fence
>Moreover he didn't consider it even worthwhile to leave the crease so 
>that other batsman could try.Not unusual he has done this many times and his 
>36 not out in a 60 over match in 1975 world cup is an standing example which 
>just speaks out his incapability to accelerate the scoring rate or do some 
>improvisation which IS expected from ANY specialist batsman at any moment of a
>match. Same thing with Ravi Shastri, these two players are/were more concerned
>with remaining 'not outs' and improving their statistic no matter if it costs 
>a match for the country.If you just hang around the crease simply waiting for 
>a loose ball to score on ,that doesn't make any sense.
>
>I certainly feel that Vengsarkar & Vishwanath was a better batsman than 
>Gavaskar though statistics says otherwise.Had Gavaskar got the treatment like 
>what Jimmy Amarnath used to get(out & in) he wouldn't have stood anywhere near
>him too.Selectors used to carry on with him even when he used to be out of form
>just because we've always had problems finding openers rather than middle order
>order batsman.If Vishy,Vengy or Jimmy were given to play continuously so many 
>matches as Gavaskar I'm sure they would have landed ahead of Gavaskar or 
>atleast not that behind as stats would show right now.
>
>Comments invited..
>
>-Shivesh

I have never really considered Gavaskar a great one-day batsman. As you 
correctly pointed out, he never really got a hang of pacing his innings and
hence his team's - this would be particularly glaring in a run chase. Of the
lot you've mentioned, I'd probably pick Vengsarkar for my all-time OD Indian 
team any day. I do believe the selectors screwed around with him (was'nt he
suspended for a while for playing in the US after a WI tour) when he was at
the peak of his career. Jimmy was also screwed around with - but then Jimmy was
such an on-off player - he'd be brilliant at times and at others he'd be the 
pits. I'd still pick him ahead of Gavaskar for the one-day game.
 But as far as Test cricket goes, no one came close to Sunny. And as we all know
Test cricket *is* the real thing.

Sudhama


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