Sachin Tendulkar scoring a historic 50th Test ton has re-ignited the debate on who is the greatest batsman of all time - he or Don Bradman,and a poll commissioned by an Australian newspaper saw the Indian icon in front by a small margin though voting is yet to be over. In an online poll in Sydney Morning Herald asking to vote for The greatest batsman ever: Bradman or Tendulkar?,847 cricket fans have voted so far and Tendulkar has got 53 per cent as against 47 per cent of the Australian legend. The poll closes in 19 hours,counting from 0hrs IST. A write up in the newspaper said many people asked if the comparison between the Little Master and the Don was fair considering they played in different eras. His (Tendulkars) legend grows ever larger. And having become the first man to score 50 Test centuries,Tendulkar has reignited debate about who is the greatest batsman ever. Is it Indias 37-year-old Little Master,or Australias late,great Sir Donald Bradman? Or is it even fair or realistic to compare these two men from very different eras?, cricket writer Daniel Lewis asked. Tendulkar first represented India at 16,and is batting as majestically as ever. His first century came at Old Trafford in 1990 in his ninth Test. His 50th ton - 11 clear of his nearest rival,Ricky Ponting - came in his 175th Test,against South Africa in the aptly named Centurion. It was raised with a single and a salute to the heavens in memory of his late father, he wrote. The write-up said the comparision between the two legends goes beyond numbers. Bradman scored 29 tons from 80 innings at unparalleled conversion rate of a century every 2.76 innings. Second best is Tendulkars 50 centuries from 286 innings,or one every 5.72 innings. Then there are the averages. Bradmans Test mark of 99.94 stands like a beacon among cricketing statistics,although Tendulkars 56.89 is none too shabby. The debate goes beyond numbers. Bradman played on uncovered wickets,Tendulkar on covered ones. Bradman played Tests in only two countries,Tendulkar in 10. Bradman played through a depression and a war,Tendulkar with the expectation of a billion people upon his shoulders. Bradmans bats had a comparatively tiny sweet spot to Tendulkars railway sweepers. And Bradman never had to play limited-overs cricket,while Tendulkar has represented India in an astounding 442 one-day internationals."
