They have always possessed a formidable batting line up and have got quality spinners to rely on when in trouble. Yet the two players I have chosen to be the best from the country are both batsmen. They are Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar who are truly two of the best batsmen of the contemporary age.
Sunil Gavaskar was called the little master. He piled up runs consistently for his side and also was successful as a captain in the mid-eighties. The courage and skill with which he faced bowlers like Holding, Garner, Lilly & Imran was impeccable and worth praise. His batting achievements made him the first player ever to get 10,000 runs in test cricket. He was an integral part of the world cup winning squad led by Kapil Dev. He was truly a master of the game and he proved it when he played hard cricket in times, which saw the demise of many good players because of stiff competition. Apart from his batting abilities his successful record as a captain adds to his impressive list of achievements. Under his captaincy, India won the '85 World Series, a record that still stands.
Sachin Tendulkar entered the world of cricket when India faced its toughest assignment at the time. The series against Pakistan in 1988 saw Tendulkar pile up runs against a quality bowling attack, which featured Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis & Abdul Qadir. His success in the series stamped his authority in world cricket. Although it took him another four years to score his first ODI century in 1992, he hasn't looked back since and has become the leading century scorer in ODI history with 25 centuries to his name. His failure as a captain doesn't taint his illustrious career as a batsman and a successful bowler who has the ability of picking up wickets when needed. His presence on the batting crease is over awing for ordinary bowlers and newcomers and only those who are in a class of their own can dismiss the little champion. He has won many a match with his extravagant batting but his ultimate dream would be to win a World Cup as a player and furthermore help his team to win an overseas series.
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