David Leggat: Sachin provides days to savour

David Leggat

When Babe Ruth slammed his record-breaking 60th home run for the New York Yankees in 1927, he celebrated in typically understated style: "60! Count 'em, 60. Let's see if some son of a bitch can match that."

It took 34 years before Roger Maris went one better, also for the Yankees.

Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in the pool at the Munich Olympics in 1972. No one would match, let alone topple that, right?

That belief held good until last year, when Michael Phelps made the Water Cube in Beijing his personal splash pool in winning eight golds, which if you stop and consider for a moment is a stunning achievement in a sport where world records fall these days like autumn leaves.

And what about Roger Bannister, whose 3m 59.4s mile at Oxford in 1954 broke a barrier thought impossible?

New Zealand's middle-distance legend John Walker retired having slid below the 4m barrier 135 times. The present world mark is 3m 43.13s by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome almost 10 years ago.

There is no such thing as a record that's not meant to be broken, and that's the beauty of them: the thought that one day someone will better what's been done, and who will do it, and where and when, and might you be there to witness it.

I'll venture one record which won't be overtaken.

Hell will freeze over before a batsman retires with a test average superior to Don Bradman's 99.94. Forget fluky numbers bulked up by not outs, or those who aren't around long enough to allow a reasoned assessment of them to be made. Proper test batsmen are what we're talking about.

Which brings us to Sachin Tendulkar, who yesterday stroked his 42nd test century. He is five clear of Australian captain Ricky Ponting. After that, in terms of current players who might catch him, forget it.

The next best are fellow-Indian Rahul Dravid on 26, Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene on 25 and West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 21. None will get near Tendulkar.

But one day he will be eclipsed. Ponting could do it. Or someone not yet born.

Ponting is 34, a year younger than Tendulkar. But although time is running out on Mumbai's most famous citizen, he's still got life left in him, as he amply demonstrated against bowlers largely powerless to stop him doing much as he pleased yesterday.

When will Tendulkar retire? Answer: when it suits him. But he'll certainly be around until the 2011 World Cup.

That gives him two years at least. Eight more centuries give him 50. He's got 43 in ODIs. A double of 50 in each form of the game has a nice ring to it. It is certainly within his capabilities.

He's talked of the desire to play the game being intact, that despite the runs, the adulation, the records, it is the love of playing for his country, and the challenges that brings, which continue to stir him.

The three great batsmen of the past 10 years are Tendulkar, Ponting and West Indian Brian Lara.

Whom you prefer is a matter of personal choice: Ponting's hard-headed craft, Lara's shot-making brilliance or Tendulkar's technical perfection and style?

Bradman reckoned Tendulkar to be the closest thing to himself at the crease. On this tour New Zealand crowds have seen two demonstrations of his capabilities, a sizzling 163 off 133 balls in an ODI in Christchurch and now a superb 160. Days to savour.