Overseas minnows, and Tendulkar's jinx
Sri Lanka's pathetic run outside the subcontinent, and Sachin Tendulkar's one-day runs in defeats
March 15, 1995 was a historic day for Sri Lankan cricket - at Napier, they recorded their first overseas Test victory. Chaminda Vaas outdid New Zealand's seam bowlers in conditions which should have ideal for the home team. It was expected then that the win would herald a new era for Sri Lankan cricket, one in which they would break away from being a formidable team only at home to one which could take on any opposition anywhere. Ten years on, they are still struggling to live up to those expectations - in 30 matches outside the subcontinent, they've won just four times, but three of those victories came against minnows Zimbabwe. Remove those games, and the numbers look rather dismal - one victory in 25 matches, brought about by the wizardry of Muttiah Muralitharan on a turning track.
In Aus, Eng, WI, SA, NZ since 1995 |
Tests | Wins/ Losses | Win/ loss ratio |
Sri Lanka | 26 | 2/ 17 | 0.12 |
India | 33 | 3/ 15 | 0.20 |
Pakistan | 29 | 8/ 15 | 0.53 |
In Aus, Eng, WI, SA, NZ since 1995 |
Matches | Ave | Career ave | Difference |
Atapattu | 19 | 34.82 | 39.82 | -5.00 |
Jayasuriya | 24 | 31.90 | 43.10 | -11.20 |
Jayawardene | 15 | 36.31 | 48.44 | -12.13 |
Sangakkara | 14 | 34.22 | 48.13 | -13.91 |
Runs/ wkt in Aus, Eng, WI SA, NZ (Batting) |
Runs/ wkt in Aus, Eng, WI SA, NZ (Bowling) |
Difference | |
Sri Lanka | 27.45 | 39.01 | -11.56 |
India | 32.25 | 40.58 | -8.33 |
Pakistan | 29.05 | 36.28 | -7.23 |
After making single-digit scores in the first three one-day internationals of the ongoing series, Sachin Tendulkar hit back with a magnificent century at Ahmedabad. Unfortunately, that still didn't ensure an Indian win, thanks to Pakistan's superb run-chase. Tendulkar did little wrong in the match, yet his performance will strengthen the case for an argument most unfair - the argument that Tendulkar's big knocks don't lead to Indian wins.
ODIs since 2003 | In Wins Matches/ Average |
In Defeats Matches/ Average |
Difference in ave |
Dravid | 30/ 67.05 | 27/ 27.50 | 39.55 |
Ganguly | 30/ 47.19 | 26/ 19.92 | 27.27 |
Sehwag | 29/ 43.03 | 27/ 19.00 | 24.03 |
Kaif | 28/ 37.50 | 22/ 19.33 | 18.17 |
Tendulkar | 26/ 49.24 | 19/ 42.57 | 6.67 |
Yuvraj | 31/ 32.83 | 27/ 26.50 | 6.33 |