Where does he rank among cricket's all-time greats?

This debate is now closed.

Tendulkar's century against England took him to 30 Test hundreds in 99 matches.

Only compatriot Sunil Gavaskar has scored more centuries, racking up 34 in 125 Tests.

Now Tendulkar has surpassed Bradman, it is yet another proud landmark in the glittering career of a man who has constantly had to shoulder comparisons with the Australian.

But where would you rank him among the game's all-time great batsmen?

I would rank Tendulkar at four. Surely Don is the greatest. He scored on uncovered pitches, without modern day protective gear and with unlimited bouncers that a bowler could bowl (with unresticted fielders behind square leg).

Next comes Gary Sobers, the greatest all-rounder the game has seen to date. Followed by Gavaskar who faced almost all the best bowlers of the time and scored heavily against the mighty West Indies at their peak.
Raj, USA

I for one don't see any point in comparing him too much with past masters like Sobers and Bradman. It's enough to say that he deserves a place in the list of the greats. They are all freakish in their abilities and it's hard enough to compare Tendulkar with Viv or Barry Richards or Gavaskar let alone Bradman. It's not a contest between cricketing eras.
Tim, UK

The greatest bat is undoubtedly Bradman, followed by the likes of Gavaskar, Richards, Sobers and Tendulkar. We must remember that the whole world didn't have the benefit of watching the past greats on TV as we do today.

During the TV era, Tendulkar is without doubt the greatest. Perhaps that explains why people today equate Tendulkar with Bradman.
Hormis Tharakan, India

Tendulkar may be today's best batsman, but the Don is still the all-time great.
Ram, USA

It is unfair to compare two great individuals of entirely different eras. Sir Don was amazing and his sheer statistics demonstrate that. However, they played far less cricket in those days and were not under the same pressure and media glare.

On the other hand, batting was always a dangerous game then, without the kind of protective gear batsmen have these days, not to mention some bowlers with tearaway pace.
Shubhranshu Patnaik, India

I think the greatest comment on Tendulkar's achievements is the Don's own comparisons between himself and Tendulkar. If the Don thinks his abilities are comparable to Tendulkar's then why should we question it?
Debasish Datta, Canada

Sachin to me is truly an amazing batsman. The best thing about him is that although he is a master of this game, he always has been a very receptive student. He adapts very well to new challenges and new tactics which are employed against him, and has always emerged as a winner.

He has won all the battles through his hard work on the field and an amazing cricketing sense. Even if we ignore the talent part of Sachin, his cricketing attitude alone makes him one of the greatest batsman this game will ever see.
Alok Tomar, USA

The Don was the greatest batsman the game will ever see. His record speaks volumes, not only for his consistency, but also for the fact that he won so many matches for his country.

Tendulkar, for all his greatness, has rarely been a match winner. He does not dominate attacks the way present day players like Trescothick, Gilchrist and Langer do.

Of course, Tendulkar seems to become better with each passing day, and could, by the time he retires, very well rival even the Don in terms of achievement!
Anil, Singapore

For me, watching Garfield Sobers do the things he did on the pitch makes him number one. He made everything look easy, the mark of true greatness.
Lee Meade, USA

Tendulkar is obviously the best batsman of his era, but to try to compare him with players of the past is an exercise in futility. The playing conditions were vastly different in Bradman's day, with batsmen having to play on uncovered wickets.

Overseas tours were conveyed by ship, not jet planes, so players' fitness levels varied considerably. On the other hand, those that have said that Bradman didn't have to face the same level of bowling that Tendulkar does have obviously never heard of the likes of Voce and Larwood.
Ron Ward, Australia

No doubt Bradman is a legendary batsman. Amazingly, there are incredible similarities in technique and style of batting between these outstanding batsmen. From that perspective, Sachin and Bradman are equal, and Sachin won the admiration of Bradman himself.

By the end of his cricket career, Tendulkar will be miles ahead of the current generation of cricketers such as Richards or Steve Waugh - not only in Tests but also in one-day games.
Lakshmi, USA

Bradman scored most of his runs against just one opponent - England. He played exactly one series against each of the other Test nations at that time - South Africa, West Indies and India - and they were on home grounds in Australia.

Apart from the higher standards of fielding today, Tendulkar has succeeded in the face of partisan crowds in many other parts of the world.
Renganathan, Singapore

Master Blaster, Little Master, even "Tendu" as we so affectionately call him back home is pound-for-pound the best player cricket has seen!

We should all be glad we're around to actually watch him play and not simply hear about his great feats, as some unfortunate ones will have to settle for in the future.
Rahoul Saigal, USA

I'm sceptical of comparing athletes unless they directly compete with one another at the same event. Bradman, Sobers, Richards, Gavaskar, Tendulkar - each delighted crowds and each brought to cricket his own special signature. Cricket fans should consider themselves fortunate that the game has produced such wonderful players.
Pranay Gupte, United States

Bradman achieved in short period what no other batsman will ever get close to, and will remain the greatest batsman ever. Tendulkar is the best batsman, but only in the present era.
Wasim, Canada

The Don had it relatively easy compared to Sachin. He only batted against two or three teams his entire Test match career, played much less cricket every year and was faced less public pressure and expectation.

Also, the Don never had to play the modern game of one-day cricket, which causes the batsmen to make considerable adjustments to their batting techniques, and also takes a lot more physical toll due to the extra amount of cricket played
Prasad Prabhu, USA

Sachin Tendulkar has to be the greatest batsman of all time. Donald Bradman and Viv Richards never had to face the best bowling attack during their time as their team had the best bowling attack while they were playing.

India have the poorest bowling attack in world cricket barring Bangladesh. Imagine how many more runs had Tendulkar scored if he had faced the Indian attack.
Akshaya Bhatt, UK

No doubt Sir Don was the best, but Tendulkar is very near. Look at the improvements in the fielding standards around the world and you end up giving Tendulkar a lot more credit for the runs he scored.
Shivendra Gupta, Canada

Sachin definitely ranks alongside - if not above Sir Don. One must remember the quality of cricket wasn't as good back in the days of Bradman. Bowlers weren't as lethal, fielders as sharp and the game wasn't as skilful.

Different times require different people. Sir Don was great during his era, but I fear that if he was to bat now like he did back then, he wouldn't be able to achieve such amazing goals. In this sense Tendulkar is unparalleled.
Raj, UK

Tendulkar is technically sound and correct, but not as exciting or spectacular as Sir Garfield Sobers.
Jack Husbands, British Virgin Islands

It is very difficult to compare these all-time greats, but Tendulkar is definitely one of the two or three best batsmen ever. One thing I'd like to point out is that all the other great players - Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers and Viv Richards - had the luxury of being a part of a very strong and consistent batting line-up, unlike Tendulkar. With so much pressure on his shoulders, Tendulkar performs with amazing consistency.
Amit, USA

Tendulkar is without doubt a great player, but Bradman made his 100's in only 52 matches - 37 of which were against England. There were no Zimbabwe's in those days! Then there's the small matter of uncovered wickets...Bradman by a distance.
Ross Cooper, USA

He is certainly the greatest batsman in the world. Unfortunately, our team has not made sufficient use of his talent to win matches.
Dattathri SG, India

The situation of last evening demanded that Tendulkar batted in the free way that he is capable of, in order to break the shackles imposed by Hussain's negative leg theory tactics.

Perhaps most importantly, it showed India and the world that he still can destroy attacks, and not just gather runs without remorse. Perhaps this will silence the critics and even more importantly remove pressure from Sachin. Long may it continue thus!
Ajoy, UK

For me, Tendulkar will go down in history as the second best batsman of all time, and the most influential cricket player in the last 50 years.
Yunus Ali, India

I have not seen the Great Don, but Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsmen of our times without a doubt. He has the best technique and scores consistently well, with an average above 60.
Russel, David, New Zealand

I believe Tendulkar only trails Viv Richards, Garfield Sobers, and Donald Bradman. He's probably the most technically sound batsman of all time, but he isn't the most feared or entertaining. That honour goes to Sir Viv, who didn't bat for mere statistics, but to ensure the paying public was well entertained.
Bert, St. Kitts

Sachin Tendulkar ranks fourth. He follows Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards and Donald Bradman.
Abhinav Sunil, India

At present I would rank Sachin second to The Don. However, with Tendulkar playing so well and with so many years of cricket to come from him, I would be inclined to think that he could become the world's best batsman ever!
Mike Lingen, Thailand

Tendulkar is truly a maestro, and one of the greats of the modern game. But please, let's not insult everyone's intelligence and pretend that he, or any other batsman for that matter, comes within a country mile of Bradman. There is simply no comparison. And if you ask Tendulkar himself I doubt he would disagree.
Greg, Australia

He ranks right at the top. He has been destroying bowling attacks day in and day out for more than ten years, and in contemporary cricket, his record is unrivalled in both forms of the game.

He is living in an age where the demands on the cricketer are enormous, and to have carried on with so much of panache and consistency is remarkable. Considering the fact that is a demigod to the billion strong Indians, his attitude is an example to other sportsmen, most of whom could not handle such celebrity and superstardom.
Prabhkar, India