Tendulkar's feat symbolises changing trends

"There may be others who will follow but the one who gets there first is remembered," was the gist of what Sunil Gavaskar said on crossing the 10,000 run barrier in Test cricket against Pakistan at Ahmedabad on March 7, 1987. He could not have put it better. Everyone remembers Hillary and Tenzing but does anyone know the 22nd person to scale Mount Everest? Everyone knows that Neil Armstrong was the first man to get foot on the moon but does anyone remember the 7th man to do so. Similarly, in cricket, one can reel off the names of the bowlers who were the first to get 200 or 300 wickets, but does anyone remember who was the 9th bowler or 19th bowler to cross that landmark. Or does anyone remember the name of the 14th batsman who crossed 7000 runs in Tests or the 7th batsman to cross 8000 runs? But the names of Wally Hammond and Gary Sobers are etched in cricket history for being the first to cross these landmarks, as are the bowlers Clarrie Grimmett and Fred Trueman.

One day cricket having captured the imagination of the public, records and landmarks in this form of the game were also followed with keen anticipation. The first to cross 5000 runs, 6000 runs and so on and the first to get 200 wickets and 300 wickets and so on will always have a special place in cricket history. Batsmen like Vivian Richards, Desmond Haynes, Javed Miandad and Dean Jones, all rounders like Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram and bowlers like Dennis Lillee, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Alan Donald have left their indelible marks on the one day game. But it is safe to say that no player in the 30-year-old history of the limited overs game has had a greater impact than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Aesthetically, the proof has been in evidence for some time now. If any further proof was needed, it was provided statistically on Saturday when he became the first batsman to reach 10,000 runs in one day internationals.

There was a time when it seemed to be the prerogative of English and Australian players to be the first to cross the important landmarks in Tests. Australia's great left hander Clem Hill was the first to cross 3000 runs while England's legendary opener Jack Hobbs was the first to get to 4000 and 5000 runs. Another famous Englishman Wally Hammond was the first to reach 6000 and 7000 runs. The monopoly was broken by West Indian Gary Sobers who in his last Test series in 1974, became the first to get 8000 runs. And as the whole cricketing world knows, India's Sunil Gavaskar was the first to get to the 9000 run and 10,000 run marks.

It has been a similar case with the bowlers. The England left arm spinner Johnny Briggs was the first to take 100 wickets while Australia's famous leg spinner Clarrie Grimmett won the race to 200 wickets and England's `Fiery' Fred Trueman was the first to reach 300 wickets. But the monopoly was broken by New Zealand's Richard Hadlee who was the first to get to 400 wickets and now of course West Indies' evergreen fast bowler Courtney Walsh has raised the bar to 500.

By the time one day internationals became popular, about a century after Test cricket was first played, West Indies were the dominant team and it was no surprise that the first important landmarks were reached by batsmen and bowlers from the Caribbean. The peerless Vivian Richards was the first to reach 3000, 4000, 5000 and 6000 runs. His teammate Desmond Haynes was the first to get to 7000 and 8000 runs. And India's growing stature was symbolised by the fact that Md Azharuddin was the first to reach 9000 runs. On Saturday, Tendulkar raised the bar to the mythical five figure mark, just like Gavaskar had done in Test cricket, 14 years ago. The changing trend in world cricket is also symbolised by the bowlers who have reached landmarks. While Australia's Dennis Lillee was the first to reach 100 wickets, India's Kapil Dev was the first to get to 200 wickets and Pakistan's Wasim Akram won the race to both 300 and 400 wickets.

Tendulkar's feat on Saturday symbolises the changing trends in world cricket. That the main batting and bowling landmarks in one day cricket are both held by cricketers from the sub continent is clear proof of this. And to think that Tendulkar is just two wickets away from completing a phenomenal double! Verily, the sky is the limit for Tendulkar and there is every scope for him to run up a record that will stand the test of time even if there is greater proliferation of one day matches.