In a surprising turn of events during a live podcast, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar received an unexpected phone call from David Lloyd. This occurred after Mark Waugh, the former Australian cricketer, notably excluded Tendulkar from his all-time XI, which sparked a delightful moment of comedy on the air.
When discussing the best players in cricket history, it’s almost a given that Sachin Tendulkar’s name will be mentioned. Renowned as the highest run-scorer in international cricket and holder of a remarkable array of batting records, Tendulkar stands as a prominent figure in these conversations, even years after his retirement. He remains the most capped player globally and is famously the only batsman to have achieved 100 international centuries.
However, during an episode of "Stick to Cricket," Waugh’s omission of Tendulkar from his all-time XI led to a humorous reaction from former England captain Michael Vaughan, who encouraged Lloyd to reach out to the Indian batting maestro live on the show. Lloyd enthusiastically made the call, introducing himself multiple times as “Bumble.” To everyone’s surprise, the call was suddenly cut off. "He’s gone!" Lloyd joked, sending the panel into fits of laughter.
Tendulkar concluded his illustrious international career amassing a staggering total of 34,357 runs across 664 matches before hanging up his cricket boots in 2013, after a home Test against the West Indies at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Currently, the closest active competitor to Tendulkar’s monumental run tally is India’s Virat Kohli. With 28,091 international runs to his name, Kohli is still over 6,000 runs short of matching Tendulkar’s record. Nevertheless, he has until the anticipated 2027 World Cup—rumored to be his last hurrah on the international stage—to potentially close this gap. Recently, during an ODI match against New Zealand in Vadodara, Kohli surpassed Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 28,016 runs, securing his place in second position among all-time run scorers.
Moreover, Kohli set a new record during the 2023 World Cup by overtaking Tendulkar’s number of ODI centuries, bringing his total to an impressive 53. In the realm of Test cricket, England’s Joe Root poses another significant challenge, trailing Tendulkar by less than 2,000 runs but still needing to catch up on 11 centuries to match him.
What do you think about Mark Waugh’s controversial choice to leave out Tendulkar? Is it possible that we are witnessing the rise of a new cricketing great in Kohli, or is Tendulkar’s legacy too strong to overshadow? Share your thoughts in the comments!
