The One Day International cricket matches being played between India and Australia in the Sydney Cricket Ground this week, were important for the Indian team. It was their first chance, since COVID-19 broke out, to play International cricket again. However, Australia has stood out to be the better team, winning both matches.
One player who has stood out is Steve Smith, who has scored 2 consecutive centuries: an incredible feat, with many people lauding him as the modern Tendulkar. With this, we must answer an important question: Will there ever be another Sachin Tendulkar?
You would have to be from another planet to not know who Tendulkar is. From a young age, Sachin was regarded as a cricket prodigy, with his talent taking him to unbelievable heights. From representing the country at 16 years old, to scoring the highest number of test and ODI runs, these incredible feats show how extraordinary he is.
Is there anyone, who would be able to rise to such heights and be declared the next Tendulkar. One suitable candidate is Virat Kohli: the fiercely competitive Indian captain who is said to be the next legend of the game. He also has some outstanding statistics scoring over 11500 runs in ODI. Another suitable candidate is Steve Smith. Despite his unconventional playing style, with 26 centuries in test, he has been regarded as a great and is a suitable competitor.
Overall, will there ever be another Tendulkar? One reason I would say no is because of the conditions that Tendulkar played in. He played in a time when the pitches were much more bowler friendly and he played against some of the best bowlers of all time- Glenn Mcgrath, Shane Warne, Wasim Akram and many more, in contrast to Virat and Steve who play on batting friendly pitches. It is also my opinion that every generation has their own legends, and it is not fair to compare people from different generations. Overall, I do not think there will be another Tendulkar but there will definitely be many stars to come.
