Everyone appears to agree that Bradman was the greatest batsman of his era. But many suggest that Bradman remains the greatest batsman in cricket history. This new book challenges that assumption. Chapter by chapter, the book lifts the veil on the Bradman era of cricket to demonstrate why, on almost every count of batting excellence across the 19th, 20th and 21st century, it is Sachin who, more than any other batsman in the history of the sport, faced and defeated the greatest obstacles on the field.

As far back as 2003, Rudolph Lambert Fernandez challenged the status quo – Bradman’s undisputed rank as the greatest batsman in cricket history – by arguing that Sachin was in fact, far greater. Ten years on, his book invites readers to a detailed comparison, the first of its kind among cricket books.

GREATER THAN BRADMAN: celebrating Sachin, the greatest batsman in cricket history. That’s the title of a new, first of its kind, non-fiction book that compares the two legends and aims to prove that Sachin Tendulkar, not Donald Bradman, is the greatest batsman.

Sachin’s birthday falls this week, on 24 April – it will be his first following retirement from nearly 25 years of cricket.

What’s different about the book? The book turns the spotlight not on their personal lives but on the cricket field, where both men staked and won their claim to greatness. It is NOT another biography of Sachin or Bradman. It is NOT another compilation of interviews, match anecdotes and expert essays. It is NOT a hagiography. It is an analysis. It is a forensic study that aims to set the record straight.

Books on Bradman remind us that he was the greatest batsman of his era. But even books on Sachin remind us that for all Sachin’s exploits, Bradman remains the greatest batsman in cricket history. The few that go against the grain challenge Bradman the man, or query his iconic socio-cultural status. This is the first and only book that challenges Bradman’s rank as a batsman.

What’s new about the book? The book uses illustrations from science, history and the martial arts to challenge the unanimous popular position. It questions traditional measures of greatness that revolve around statistics. It offers a more honest approach that respects a batsman’s figures but places them against the backdrop of his playing environment. It argues that an accurate portrait of a batsman’s greatness is impossible without the frame – the growth of cricket as a global game, the evolution of cricket legislation and the emergence of more muscular on and off-field play scrutiny. The book uses behaviour theory to compare the relative mastery of the two batsmen.

The author, Rudolph Lambert Fernandez, says: ‘21st century cricket readers need a closer look at Bradman. They appear all too familiar with Sachin, having seen his every shot dissected a hundred times. They have seen his ducks, his run-outs, his many failures. Yes, they have heard the pundits but they have made their own assessments as well: what’s to assess when you can see the man’s iris in ultra slow-motion?!’

The author adds: ‘Many of the statistics are new. I hope I am also offering a new way of looking at them. This book is not about Sachin being the greatest batsman in 1998 or in 2010. It is about him as the greatest batsman in cricket history. So you will need to take your eyes off the TV screen playing last year’s ODI or replaying last year’s Test, to appreciate the arguments here.’

In July 2014, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Lord’s cricket ground, Sachin will lead the Marylebone Cricket Club, owners of Lord’s, in a 50-over match in London against Shane Warne’s Rest of the World side. As the cricket world reflects on cricket without Sachin, this new book asks a sport that was founded on fairness, to consider the evolution of the game and playing environment before recording and rewarding greatness.

The author says: 'While the point of this book is to demonstrate Sachin's superiority over Bradman, it would be a pity if this were to be read as scorning the similarities between them - their desire to dominate, their eagerness to excel, their genius. Thankfully, these have been celebrated already by other writers.'


The eBook is already available from amazon.

Rudolph’s writing on Sachin Tendulkar has appeared in The Hindu, The Asian Age, Firstpost.com, The Bengal Post, www.cricketcountry.com and www.sportskeeda.com

Website www.greaterthanbradman.com