Sachin Tendulkar and Jack Hobbs

[GingerFurball]

Please note, before another thread gets ruined, this isn't a "Hobbs was better, no Tendulkar was better, nah, Bevan was better than both" thread.

I am comparing Tendulkar to Hobbs because of the similarities in their records: Hobbs holding the record for the most First Class hundreds (199) and runs (61,760), Tendulkar most international hundreds (93), and runs (31,055).

Both are/were sublime artists in their stroke play, and both seem to have gotten better with age: Hobbs scored half of his hundreds after his 40th birthday: Tendulkar's rich form since the 2007 World Cup is as good as his late 90s peak.

Wisden's obituary has this to say of Hobbs: "His career was divided into two periods, each different from the other in style and tempo. Before the war of 1914-1918 he was Trumperesque, quick to the attack on springing feet, strokes all over the field, killing but never brutal, all executed at the wrists, after the preliminary getting together of the general muscular motive power.

When cricket was resumed in 1919, Hobbs, who served in the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic after a short spell in a munition factory, was heading towards his thirty-seventh birthday, and a man was regarded as a cricket veteran in 1919 if he was nearing the forties. Hobbs entering his second period, dispensed with some of the daring punitive strokes of his youthful raptures. He ripened into a classic. His style became as serenely poised as any ever witnessed on a cricket field, approached only by Hammond.

He scored centuries effortlessly now; we hardly noted the making of them."

The same could also be said of Tendulkar, who has mellowed from the destroyer of Warne in 1998, yet is still as beautifully effective as ever.

[Sir Alex]

Excellent excellent comparison. Whatever I've read of Sir Jack always reminded me of Tendulkar's style. He used to score tons at will, but somehow never used to convert them to biggies (he used to get bored!). Plus the sheer weightage of runs was unrivalled.

I don't subscribe to "who is better" kind of analysis across eras. But Hobbs and Tendulkar somehow I believe had a lot of similarities.

[Maximus0723]

Sir SRT for me.

Playing many Tests, ODIs, now T20s and domestic cricket. Playing for India. Playing when Cricket was at its peak and faced many gg bowlers. Hobbs is good or equal but not better then SRT.
SRT also has ~200 wickets and was partnership breaker.

[Richard]

Certainly interesting to note how much the two have in common (can't believe Tendulkar's late blooming is going to end-up quite as spectacular as Hobbs', even though he started at a much younger age than Hobbs did). I honestly wouldn't want to say with confidence which one was better - it never ceases to amaze me what Hobbs apparently did on the uncovered wickets in Australia which would see a club game called-off without a backward thought these days. It's very conceivable that Tendulkar could do likewise, of course, but he didn't. Similarly, it's very conceivable that Hobbs could have made many more runs than he ended-up doing, but he was one who preferred to give others in the side a chance - an attitude as archaic and horrifying to modern eyes as the "sticky dog" wickets of old would be.

BTW if anyone should be unaware, Hobbs' First-Class century tally should read 197, not 199 - the matches which were retrospectively added with the main purpose of giving him 199 rather than 197 centuries were added against Hobbs' own advice - he said the bowlers in question were deliberately trying to ensure he scored well so as to please the local crowds in what were exhibition games.

[zaremba]

Hobbs clearly the better FC player because he scored more runs
Tendulkar clearly the better Test player because he scored more runs

ergo Tendulkar > Richards in ODIs


No, seriously, it's a nice comparison but sadly I can't see this thread ending much more constructively than any of the others

[Matt79]

Yeah, nice comparison. Reminds me of the cricket question in Slumdog Millionaire.

[silentstriker]

I went to see with my friends, and I was literally annoying every one of them with yelling 'DAMN IT THAT'S SO EASY, I KNOW THE ANSWER'.

[Matt79]

did the same with my family. And poured scorn that he suggested Ponting....

[zaremba]

What was the Slumdog question?

[Cruxdude]

Who has the maximum first class hundreds?

[Sir Alex]

Originally Posted by Cruxdude

Who has the maximum first class hundreds?

Sir Jack.

[Agent TBY]

/facepalm

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by zaremba

What was the Slumdog question?

Who has the maximum first class hundreds?

The choices were Michael Slater, Ricky Ponting, Jack Hobbs, Sachin Tendulkar.

That wasn't even a hard question. 3/4 played within everyone's lifetime FFS. The host tried to feed a wrong answer by saying it was Ponting.

[Sir Alex]

Originally Posted by Agent TBY

/facepalm

I just realised.

[Maximus0723]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

Who has the maximum first class hundreds?

The choices were Michael Slater, Ricky Ponting, Jack Hobbs, Sachin Tendulkar.

That wasn't even a hard question. 3/4 played within everyone's lifetime FFS. The host tried to feed a wrong answer by saying it was Ponting.

Shoulda put Donalad Bradman instead of Slater.