Sanjay Manjrekar, the former India batsman-turned-commentator, recalled the 1990s and said the national side was "too dependent" on the brilliance of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who would invariably be the only shining light amid the Indian gloom and doom.
India was a team held back by lack of confidence, not so much the shortage of talent, but Tendulkar looked the class apart, taking on the toughest of bowlers and dominating them across conditions, only to regularly end up on the losing side, with others in the line-up very rarely matching up to his prowess.
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"Sachin Tendulkar the batsman made his debut in 89. In just about a year, he got an 80 in New Zealand, he got his first hundred in England and by 91/92, the world was looking at him as a world-class player," said Manjrekar on Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's Instagram live show 'Reminiscence with Ash'.
"The age was always a factor, just 17 years old. And the way he was dominating quality attacks. For us in the team, there was no doubt that this guy was in a different league."
"Unfortunately, by 96/97, the team was really too dependent on Tendulkar. Because, you know, he was damn consistent. And he was India's first batsman who was able to dominate and hit good balls for runs," he added.
Manjrekar said Tendulkar's arrival completely transformed the Indian approach to batting and inspired the generation that followed.
"Until then (pre-Tendulkar era), India was about defensive batting and putting the bad balls away, like Sunil Gavaskar. A couple of sessions of giving respect to the bowler and then, you know, as they tire out, you get a loose ball and you score off it. Sachin would hit a good ball from a quality bowler on the up for four."
"Sachin's greatness at that time was that his failures were so rare and right through his career. That is a hallmark of a great batsman. Sachin getting out was a very rare thing," Manjrekar concluded.
(Inputs from IANS)
