‘I’d be 5,000 runs past Sachin Tendulkar’ - Former CSK star makes bold claim

Former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey jokingly said that he might have finished with 5,000 more runs than Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar if he had started playing for the national side at a younger age. Hussey is among the most accomplished batters across formats, amassing 12,398 runs at an average of 49, including 22 centuries in 302 matches.

Despite his prolific domestic career, Hussey’s international debut came relatively late, at the age of 28. He was part of Australia’s 2007 ODI World Cup-winning squad and the Champions Trophy-winning teams of 2006 and 2009.

"I've thought about it a lot. I'd probably be about 5,000 runs past Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in the game. Most centuries, most wins, most Ashes wins, and the most World Cup wins, probably all those things. And then, unfortunately, I wake up in the morning and it's just a dream. I would have loved an opportunity earlier, but the good thing for me was that when I got picked, I had a great understanding of my game,” said Hussey on The Grade Cricketer YouTube Channel.

The left-handed batter boasted an incredible first-class record, scoring nearly 23,000 runs at an average of 52, including 61 centuries in 273 matches. However, a dominant Australian lineup in the late 1990s and early 2000s prevented him from breaking into the national side sooner.

Hussey was renowned for his consistency and match-winning impact, but his relatively late start limited his overall numbers compared to Tendulkar. Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in Tests and ODIs, with 15,921 and 18,426 runs, respectively. In contrast, Hussey amassed 6235 Test runs, almost 10,000 fewer than Tendulkar in red-ball cricket, and 5442 ODI runs, nearly 13,000 behind the God of Cricket.

Interestingly, Hussey outscored Tendulkar in T20Is, amassing 721 runs while Sachin played only a single match in the format. Overall, Hussey finished 78 centuries behind Sachin in international cricket.