Many keep saying that he's the greatest one-day batsman ever. The records/figures sure suggest that. Now, chew on these figures. Tendulkar's ODI averages in Australia,England,South Africa and New Zealand (usually tougher places to bat in than the subcontinent) are 28, 29, 27 and 27 respectively (these figures are against the host team only). His tally of centuries in these countries is 0, 1, 1 and 0. Meanwhile, his ODI averages against Bangladesh,Kenya and Zimbabwe are 50, 108 and 49. Compare this to Brian Lara's ODI record. Matches: 279. Average: 41.37. 100s: 19. Huh, you say? His ODI averages in Australia,England,South Africa and New Zealand are 37, 32, 36 and 52. His ODI average against Sri Lanka is 67, and it would do well to remember that those are not home conditions for him, as they are for Tendulkar. There's a reason why Murali has publicly stated that Lara is the best batsman in the world, and not Tendulkar. Also, Lara's averages do not get ridiculously skewed against the weaker teams (as is curiously the case with all the other great batsmen, except Tendulkar). He averages 42, 43 and 45 against Bangladesh,Kenya and Zimbabwe. It has been murmured in many quarters over the years, that Tendulkar is a bit of flat track bully, who relishes weaker attacks and does not play consistently against stronger bowling attacks. This is actually borne out in test cricket too.
