Tendulkar greater than Bradman: Gavaskar

Sachin Tendulkar may not agree but, according to his compatriot Sunil Gavaskar, he should be regarded as a greater batsman than Donald Bradman.

Gavaskar told Saturday's Daily Telegraph: "For all Bradman's achievements, Tendulkar is the closest thing to batting perfection I've seen -- in terms of technique and temperament."

Tendulkar's 185 not out in India's first innings of 584 for four on Friday, gave him his 30th Test century -- one more than Bradman. Only Gavaskar, with 34, has scored more.

The 29-year-old Tendulkar, looking to push on to his third double century on Saturday, had said: "Statistically I have passed Don Bradman but I can't be compared with him. He's not a normal person.

"You can only dream of scoring a hundred every three innings."

Gavaskar added: "If you have a look at some of the film of Bradman, you see his bat came from third man. Because Bradman was Bradman, he could see the ball incredibly early and score at a phenomenal rate.

"Tendulkar's bat comes down very straight, he is perfectly balanced off either foot, and there is not a shot he cannot play.

'COMPLETE BATSMAN'

"He is probably the most complete batsman the game has seen.

"I would back him to become the first man to score a hundred international hundreds -- that's fifty in Tests and fifty in one-dayers. Bowlers of the world beware."

Tendulkar overtook Bradman's haul in his 99th Test. Bradman made his 29 Test centuries in 52 matches and averaged a whisker under 100 each visit to the crease, around 40 more than the Indian's average.

The right-hander from Bombay has also scored 33 one-day international hundreds, the most by any player.

Tendulkar was honoured to be invited to the reclusive Bradman's birthday party shortly before he died, aged 92, in February 2001.

Bradman, widely regarded as the greatest batsman to have ever played the game, had said Tendulkar was the one contemporary batsman who reminded him of himself.

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