Do we appreciate Chanderpaul Enough?

[PokerAce]

The test for any top of the line cricketer (or indeed top of the line any discipline) for me is that if suppose aliens were to visit, and first heard of the game of cricket, and batting and said, oh batting sounds interesting, can you show us some videos of some of the best batsmen you have had to show what batting at its peak is like. That is when batting is at its best, how good is it? Then in this scenario how likely are you to show them videos of Chanderpaul's batting as the definitive video of class batting?

Chanderpaul has scored great runs and many many runs and we all respect him for that. However is he really the type to turn heads (expect for his batting stance :P). Chanderpaul for instance has more runs, more 100s and better average than Viv Richards, but in the aforementioned scenario, would you rather roll out vids of Viv Richards or Chanderpaul !!

Chanderpaul lacks a bit of charisma in his batting, that extra X-Factor. Chanderpaul to give an example is like that kid in class who is not very intelligent, but still works hard and mugs up everything and reproduces in the exams and gets scores at par with the most intelligent of the lot.

I think that kinda answers the questions.

 

[grkrama]

lol

 

[PokerAce]

lol

What ... I was being serious

 

[War]

The test for any top of the line cricketer (or indeed top of the line any discipline) for me is that if suppose aliens were to visit, and first heard of the game of cricket, and batting and said, oh batting sounds interesting, can you show us some videos of some of the best batsmen you have had to show what batting at its peak is like. That is when batting is at its best, how good is it? Then in this scenario how likely are you to show them videos of Chanderpaul's batting as the definitive video of class batting?

Chanderpaul has scored great runs and many many runs and we all respect him for that. However is he really the type to turn heads (expect for his batting stance :P). Chanderpaul for instance has more runs, more 100s and better average than Viv Richards, but in the aforementioned scenario, would you rather roll out vids of Viv Richards or Chanderpaul !!

Chanderpaul lacks a bit of charisma in his batting, that extra X-Factor. Chanderpaul to give an example is like that kid in class who is not very intelligent, but still works hard and mugs up everything and reproduces in the exams and gets scores at par with the most intelligent of the lot.

I think that kinda answers the questions.

Ye basically, Shiv is similar very good/great batsman in the style of Gavaskar, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ken Barrington, Len Hutton, Jack Hobbs, Boycott, Graham Gooch, Kallis, Dravid, Sutcliffe, Hanif Mohammad, Gower, Thorpe

Common traits, scored plenty of runs in a controlled accumulative manner. Some did it stylishly with textbook & some like C'Paul with ugly techniques.

But none of them ever could destroy a attack (or hardly ever did it) in the way Bradman, Sobers, Lara, Tendy etc etc did....

 

[PokerAce]

Ye basically, Shiv is similar very good/great batsman in the style of Gavaskar, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ken Barrington, Len Hutton, Jack Hobbs, Boycott, Graham Gooch, Kallis, Dravid, Sutcliffe, Hanif Mohammad, Gower, Thorpe

Common traits, scored plenty of runs in a controlled accumulative manner. Some did it stylishly with textbook & some like C'Paul with ugly techniques.

But none of them ever could destroy a attack (or hardly ever did it) in the way Bradman, Sobers, Lara, Tendy etc etc did....

Its not just about destroying attacks. Lara and Tendy have played normal innings, scoring at around S/R 70 in tests where they hardly destroyed an attack, but there was just that aesthetic touch to their style of batting. It was just not about the boundaries, but even in a forward defensive shot, they had that X-Factor, it would be picture perfect, and thus a defensive shot from them would be as pleasing as a cover drive. Just the sight of anything they did with a bat in their hand would make you stay and watch them bat.

I would include Dravid, Kallis in this category, to some extent Sanga even. Chanderpaul just doesn't have it.

Its hard to put a finger on it. Its not even the technique, it something in the body language of these greats that says I own this stage and terms of the play are being dictated by these greats. When they are at the crease they are the ones in control, even when they are defending, they drive the match in everything they do.