We do not often see Sachin Tendulkar on the receiving end of selection debates, but a recent podcast moment turned that idea on its head and delivered a genuinely funny twist.During an episode of Stick to Cricket, a discussion around an all-time XI took an unexpected turn when former Australia batter Mark Waugh left Tendulkar out of his side. For a name that almost selects itself in any all-time list, the omission raised eyebrows instantly.Across Tests and ODIs, Tendulkar remains the gold standard. He is international cricket’s leading run-scorer, the most capped player the game has seen, and still the only batter to reach 100 international centuries. Even more than a decade after retirement, he is usually one of the first names written down.That is why the moment felt surreal.As the panel reacted, former England captain Michael Vaughan nudged David Lloyd into action. The suggestion was simple. Call Tendulkar live on the show and see how he responds. Lloyd did not hesitate.He dialled the Indian legend on air and repeatedly introduced himself as “Bumble”. Before the conversation could even settle, the call abruptly cut off. Lloyd broke the silence with perfect timing, saying, “He’s gone,” setting off laughter across the studio.The comedy landed because the numbers never lie.We all know Tendulkar signed off with 34,357 international runs from 664 matches across formats, retiring in 2013 after an emotional home Test against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Among active players, Virat Kohli is the closest challenger. He currently sits second on the all-time run list with 28,091 international runs, still over 6,000 behind. With the 2027 World Cup widely tipped as his international swansong, the clock is ticking.In a recent ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, Kohli moved past Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 28,016 runs to claim second place outright. He had already surpassed Tendulkar’s ODI centuries record during the 2023 World Cup, taking his tally to 53 hundreds.In Tests, England’s Joe Root is also closing in. He is fewer than 2,000 runs behind Tendulkar but still trails by 11 centuries, underlining the scale of the challenge.
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