Comparing Smith right now to Tendulkar at the same point in his career is remarkably close.
- Both have 35 centuries and 41 half-centuries
- Tendulkar only has 220 more career runs
- Smith's average is just .03 higher

Between 2014 & 2019, Steve Smith dominated Test cricket, averaging an astonishing 72..14 runs higher than Virat Kohli’s 58 in the same period..while excelling against SENA teams (54 overall, 53.3 away). In contrast, Sachin Tendulkar’s greatness lay in his unmatched longevity & consistency, averaging 50+ in a calendar year 13 times across his 24-year career. After 177 Tests, he averaged 57, & from 1993 to 2011, he amassed 14,203 runs at 58.21. Some of the best peak Test averages include Ponting (72.25 from 2002-06), Smith (72.02 from 2014-19), & Tendulkar (66.35 from 1997-01). While Smith & Ponting had higher peaks, Tendulkar’s ability to dominate both Tests & ODIs over two decades sets him apart, making him arguably the greatest batter after Bradman. Sachin Tendulkar played in an era where Test cricket was ruled by some of the greatest bowlers the game has ever seen. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne, Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, Muttiah Muralitharan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Darren Gough, Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock..the list goes on. One more thing Tendulkar’s legacy isn’t just about his batting records..his bowling stats are equally fascinating. Would you believe that as of now, he has more ODI wickets than Bumrah, Cummins, Matt Henry, Shane Bond, Gillespie & Ajantha Mendis?..Think back to that 2011 World Cup over against Ponting. It was sheer magic, a moment that reminded us why Sachin wasn’t just a great batter but a complete cricketer. In high-pressure knockout matches of the ODI World Cup & Champions Trophy, he is the second-highest run-scorer & the fifth-highest wicket-taker. That’s dominance on both ends! Sachin is the only bowler in ODI history to have defended six or fewer runs in the final over of a match more than once. He even has more Asia Cup wickets than Wasim Akram! & if that’s not enough, he has taken more five-wicket hauls in ODIs than some of the greatest fast bowlers of all time..Marshall, Holding, Walsh, Imran Khan, Zaheer Khan, Kapil Dev & yes, even Warne. Smith is a phenomenal player, no doubt about it. But Tendulkar played in an era where almost every team was rock solid. Aus was a powerhouse, WI weren't just a t20 side back then, & still had some fire, Pak was unpredictable & dangerous, SA was a force to reckon with, SL had world-class players, Eng was always competitive, Zim had a strong side back then & NZ as always punched above their weight. Every match was a battle, every attack had quality, & every opposition had match-winners. Scoring runs in that era wasn’t just about skill..it was about surviving against some of the best bowling lineups the game has ever seen. Sachin was more than just a run machine..he was a big-match player, a fighter in an otherwise fragile team, always stepping up when it mattered the most. Every time he walked out to bat, he faced bowlers who could dismantle any batting lineup in the world. And yet, he thrived. He piled on runs without the luxury of DRS for most of his career. If the umpire raised his finger, there was no review, no second chance. Oh, and he also had Steve Bucknor. You decide.

Both are absolute geniuses when it comes to batting but if you want to argue on the basis of prime years, I think Smith had a better prime but if you want to argue on the basis of longevity, Sachin is clear by a long shot, both aspects can't be neglected.

Sachin’s longevity and consistency just trumps everything. There are batsmen who have higher highs, but to maintain that level of consistency for 24 years and across conditions is pretty insane. Even after a slump in the last 2 years, he averages greater than 40 against all opposition and in all conditions.

just so impossible to be compared......both absolute legendary all time greats that changed cricket forever by playing.....thinking that Smudge lost 12 months of cricket too. wow....Jarrod as always such a fantastic in depth snippet of test cricket.

Joe Burns is the best batter since Bradman. It’s sad nobody is talking about this.

Steve Smith is just good imagine if he wasn't banned after the sandpaper incident he would have broken Pointing's record 😅

Only 3 players has 50+ avg &5000+ runs in 90s:
Sachin Tendulkar   58 avg
Steve Waugh.        53 avg
B Lara.                     51 avg

Feels like a sneak peak at the pointy end of the new book.

Isn't 80 innings metrics incredible flawed one as for Sachin and sobers it stretchs 8 to 9 Years while for smith and virat it 4 years. It's inevitable that modern players will having better numbers as its much easier to maintain a peak for 4 years then it's to maintain it for 8.

The longevity vs peak argument feels a bit like the Steyn vs Anderson conundrum. Do you take the higher peak or more years of greatness?

Tendulkar scored centuries in Australia and England at no.5 and 6 at ages when Smudge was trying to crack shuffled shield ..

Tendulkar had no practice playing 150 kmph bowlers .. there were no bowling machines and no Indian bolwer bowled 140 at that time (in 1980s/90s) .. Indian pitches have no bounce .. before entering international cricket (in Indian domestic) Tendulkar played 135 kmph bowling on pitches where the ball came to his knees (and he's a short guy). And then suddenly he's scoring centuries in Australia and England at 17.. Indian batsmen before 2000s had the toughest task in world cricket. Their whole formative and domestic years they practice against military medium pace (125-130) on low bounce slow wickets and then are suddenly thrust into International cricket where they faced 150 kmph, on fast, bouncy wickets. Only Sri Lanka was the other country who had similar problems. Pakistan had many fast bowlers so their batsmen were used to 150+ .. same for Windies .. Windies pitches were slow but their batsmen faced 140-150 from at domestic levels, making them used to pace. Ofc SENA batsmen already faced all that in their domestic.

The low scoring games and high scoring games prove it for me that the difference between the greater players and the rest in accentuated when the conditions are tougher

This shows how important technique and cricket IQ are to be truly great. That and drive to continue.

Things to consider. The 80 innings streak you compared would hv come in significantly short time for Smith and a long time for Tendulkar. Meaning the peak lasted more 'time' for Sachin. Also, Sachin's greatness lies in longitivity, he played for a staggering 24 years.

I can listen to Jarrods analysis and comparisons all day long

Interesting analysis.. I wish Tendulkar had played more tests in his peak 1993-2000 (before his injuries started). He toured Eng & Aus only once during the 8 year period and played 3 tests in both series. If the 'Big 3' existed then, he would have played at least 10-15 tests in both the countries during that period.

Love them both from India.

Jarrod - it may be premature but if Smith continues his resurgance at age 35 I wonder if you could find any historical parralels to his career arc. An all time great player suffering a dramatic, prolonged form dip in their early 30s only to bounce back at age 35 to something approaching their most productive years.

Great analysis mate. Keep it up.