Top 10 greatest test batsman against weak bowling attacks.

Teams with weak bowling attacks since 1990 - teams with 35 or more bowling average each year since 1990-

Year	Teams (Bowling Average)
1990	IND (52.32), ENG (35)
1991	SL (48.26), NZ (39.63), IND (38.36)
1992	NZ (37.36)
1993	ENG (50.55), NZ (42.31), ZIM (38.83), SL (36.27)
1994	SL (47.45), ENG (34.71)
1995	SL (35.56), ENG (34.54)
1996	ZIM (39.63), ENG (36.22), NZ (35.48)
1997	IND (43.62), SL (40.31), ZIM (37.19), NZ (36.42)
1998	PAK (35.75)
1999	ZIM (40.38), NZ (38.34), WI (35.93), SL (35.89)
2000	ZIM (44.05), BAN (43.27), IND (38.71)
2001	BAN (68.31), ZIM (39.83), ENG (36.75), WI (35.04), IND (34.91)
2002	BAN (61.8), ZIM (46), ENG (39.55)
2003	IND (48.75), BAN (47.17), NZ (45.15), WI (45.11), ZIM (42.67)
2004	BAN (58.37), ZIM (43.72), PAK (43.64), WI (42.68), SA (41.43), NZ (39.59)
2005	ZIM (47.25), BAN (44.3), WI (41.88), PAK (35.91)
2006	BAN (50.85), WI (40.85), PAK (38.4), IND (36.91), ENG (36.54), SA (35.28)
2007	BAN (82.83), NZ (43.43), PAK (41.61), WI (40.39), ENG (35.44)
2008	WI (42.75), BAN (40.08), IND (37.57), AUS (36.67)
2009	WI (44.95), NZ (40.88), PAK (39.98), SL (39.93), SA (39.21), IND (38.54), ENG (35.2)
2010	BAN (58.38), NZ (50.26), WI (47.57), SL (42.79), IND (38.44), PAK (35.12)
2011	BAN (48.23), SL (41.38), IND (34.68)
2012	ZIM (78.83), BAN (62.6), IND (40.79), SL (38.07), NZ (35.1)
2013	BAN (44.08), SL (43.24)
2014	IND (44.27), BAN (40.98), ZIM (39.26), AUS (36.4), NZ (35.72), PAK (35.07)
2015	BAN (52.75), WI (46.13), NZ (37.4)
2016	ZIM (60.45), WI (45.5), PAK (37.87)
2017	BAN (50.83), SL (40.92), ZIM (39.09), WI (34.84)
2018	AFG (51.22), IRE (35.2)
2019	BAN (55.58), PAK (41.91), SL (39.47), SA (35.58)
2020	ZIM (55.25), WI (43.86), SL (37.8), SA (35.76), PAK (34.74)
2021	ZIM (45.28), BAN (36.99)
2022	PAK (44.41), BAN (38.96), WI (35.55)
2023	IRE (88.34), AFG (61.07), ZIM (46.45), SL (41.26)
2024	AFG (44), ZIM (39.3), BAN (34.62)
2025	SL (43.25), IRE (42.83), ZIM (38.66), ENG (35.76)

Top 10 greatest test batsman against weak bowling attacks since last 40 years

Rank	Player	Innings	Runs	Average	Centuries (100s)	Fifties (50s)
#1	🇿🇦 Jacques Kallis	121	7,214	75.93	29	28
#2	🇱🇰 Kumar Sangakkara	134	8,202	67.22	29	30
#3	🇮🇳 Sachin Tendulkar	138	8,147	67.89	29	33
#4	🇦🇺 Ricky Ponting	155	8,628	63.44	29	41
#5	🇮🇳 Rahul Dravid	132	7,375	63.57	23	35
#6	🇮🇳 Virat Kohli	43	2,800	80.00	13	5
#7	🇦🇺 Steve Smith	54	3,039	72.35	11	13
#8	🇳🇿 Kane Williamson	48	3,059	71.13	13	10
#9	🌴 Brian Lara	65	4,034	63.03	15	13
#10	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Joe Root	59	2,977	57.25	7	18

Some Key Observations

People constantly hype up previous eras especially the 2000s , as if every bowling attack was a terrifying demon. This hype is driven entirely by intuition or nostalgia without anyone actually checking the stats. The reality is far from the truth: there were plenty of struggling attacks to cash in on back then.

People downplay Kumar Sangakkara way too much, often dismissing his incredible records . However stats shows, all of his legendary contemporaries had very similar numbers against weak bowling attacks. He wasn't an outlier who only statpadded; he was just doing exactly what Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis, and Dravid were doing.

Teams with weak bowling attacks since 1990- teams with 35 or more bowling average each year since 1990-

Year	Teams (Bowling Average)
1990	IND (52.32), ENG (35)
1991	SL (48.26), NZ (39.63), IND (38.36)
1992	NZ (37.36)
1993	ENG (50.55), NZ (42.31), ZIM (38.83), SL (36.27)
1994	SL (47.45), ENG (34.71)
1995	SL (35.56), ENG (34.54)
1996	ZIM (39.63), ENG (36.22), NZ (35.48)
1997	IND (43.62), SL (40.31), ZIM (37.19), NZ (36.42)
1998	PAK (35.75)
1999	ZIM (40.38), NZ (38.34), WI (35.93), SL (35.89)
2000	ZIM (44.05), BAN (43.27), IND (38.71)
2001	BAN (68.31), ZIM (39.83), ENG (36.75), WI (35.04), IND (34.91)
2002	BAN (61.8), ZIM (46), ENG (39.55)
2003	IND (48.75), BAN (47.17), NZ (45.15), WI (45.11), ZIM (42.67)
2004	BAN (58.37), ZIM (43.72), PAK (43.64), WI (42.68), SA (41.43), NZ (39.59)
2005	ZIM (47.25), BAN (44.3), WI (41.88), PAK (35.91)
2006	BAN (50.85), WI (40.85), PAK (38.4), IND (36.91), ENG (36.54), SA (35.28)
2007	BAN (82.83), NZ (43.43), PAK (41.61), WI (40.39), ENG (35.44)
2008	WI (42.75), BAN (40.08), IND (37.57), AUS (36.67)
2009	WI (44.95), NZ (40.88), PAK (39.98), SL (39.93), SA (39.21), IND (38.54), ENG (35.2)
2010	BAN (58.38), NZ (50.26), WI (47.57), SL (42.79), IND (38.44), PAK (35.12)
2011	BAN (48.23), SL (41.38), IND (34.68)
2012	ZIM (78.83), BAN (62.6), IND (40.79), SL (38.07), NZ (35.1)
2013	BAN (44.08), SL (43.24)
2014	IND (44.27), BAN (40.98), ZIM (39.26), AUS (36.4), NZ (35.72), PAK (35.07)
2015	BAN (52.75), WI (46.13), NZ (37.4)
2016	ZIM (60.45), WI (45.5), PAK (37.87)
2017	BAN (50.83), SL (40.92), ZIM (39.09), WI (34.84)
2018	AFG (51.22), IRE (35.2)
2019	BAN (55.58), PAK (41.91), SL (39.47), SA (35.58)
2020	ZIM (55.25), WI (43.86), SL (37.8), SA (35.76), PAK (34.74)
2021	ZIM (45.28), BAN (36.99)
2022	PAK (44.41), BAN (38.96), WI (35.55)
2023	IRE (88.34), AFG (61.07), ZIM (46.45), SL (41.26)
2024	AFG (44), ZIM (39.3), BAN (34.62)
2025	SL (43.25), IRE (42.83), ZIM (38.66), ENG (35.76)

Top 10 greatest test batsman against weak bowling attacks since last 40 years

Rank	Player	Innings	Runs	Average	Centuries (100s)	Fifties (50s)
#1	🇿🇦 Jacques Kallis	121	7,214	75.93	29	28
#2	🇱🇰 Kumar Sangakkara	134	8,202	67.22	29	30
#3	🇮🇳 Sachin Tendulkar	138	8,147	67.89	29	33
#4	🇦🇺 Ricky Ponting	155	8,628	63.44	29	41
#5	🇮🇳 Rahul Dravid	132	7,375	63.57	23	35
#6	🇮🇳 Virat Kohli	43	2,800	80.00	13	5
#7	🇦🇺 Steve Smith	54	3,039	72.35	11	13
#8	🇳🇿 Kane Williamson	48	3,059	71.13	13	10
#9	🌴 Brian Lara	65	4,034	63.03	15	13
#10	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Joe Root	59	2,977	57.25	7	18

Some key observations-

People constantly hype up previous eras , especially the 2000s era , as if every bowling attack was a terrifying demon. This hype is driven entirely by intuition or nostalgia without anyone actually checking the stats. The reality is far from the truth , there were plenty of struggling attacks to cash in on back then.

People downplay Kumar Sangakkara way too much, often dismissing his incredible records. But stats shows, all of his legendary contemporaries had very similar numbers against weak bowling attacks. He wasn't an outlier who only statpadded , he was just doing exactly what Tendulkar, Ponting , Kallis and dravid were doing.

Bowling Stats in West Indies

METRIC	CEL AMBROSE	KAJ ROACH	CA WALSH
Matches	52	47	58
Innings	93	91	105
Wickets	203	202	229
Average	21.19	22.04	23.70
Strike Rate	55.7	45.5	58.9
Economy Rate	2.27	2.90	2.41
BBI	8/45	6/48	6/54
5-Wicket Hauls	11	8	8

If you look at the raw stats after 301 Test innings, Sachin Tendulkar seems miles ahead of Joe Root.

Sachin had 15,086 runs at a 56.08 average with 51 centuries, while Root is at 13,998 runs at a 50.70 average with 41 hundreds. On paper, it's not even a debate.

But honestly, comparing raw numbers like this is totally unfair to Root. He barely gets to play against minnows like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Sachin played almost 20 matches against them, and literally every great batsman from the 2000s was averaging between 70 and 100 against those two sides back then. It massively inflated everyone's stats.

To actually make it a fair comparison, you have to look at what they did after 301 innings against just the top 8 teams that are common to both. If you filter out Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, the numbers tell a completely different story.

Against the non-minnows, Sachin (up to Nov 2011) had 13,348 runs in 278 innings at an average of 53.17, with 43 centuries. Root has 13,777 runs in 293 innings at a 51.40 average with 41 centuries.

Sachin’s raw average against the top 8 is still slightly higher, but you can’t look at averages without looking at the era they played in.

If you look at the Match Factor—meaning their individual average divided by what the other top 7 batsmen averaged in those exact same matches of both the teams—Root absolutely blows him away.

Sachin’s average (53.17) divided by his peers' average (39.59) gives him a match factor of 1.34. Root’s average (51.40) divided by his peers' average (33.40) gives him a massive match factor of 1.53.

So basically, Sachin played in an era that was way easier for top-order batsmen, where his peers averaged nearly 40. Root is playing in a much tougher era where his peers average barely 33. When you strip away the minnow matches and adjust for the era baselines, Root outperforming his contemporaries by a 1.53 ratio makes his record arguably way more impressive than Sachin's.

Sachin Tendulkar: Performance Vs. Opponents (1989–2011)

Versus	Runs	Average	Opposition Bowling Average	Dominance Ratio
Australia	3151	60.59	34.51	1.76
England	2423	56.34	37.11	1.52
New Zealand	1532	49.41	40.08	1.23
Pakistan	1057	42.28	42.20	1.00
South Africa	1741	42.46	29.21	1.45
Sri Lanka	1995	60.45	44.35	1.36
West Indies	1449	55.73	36.30	1.54

Joe Root: Performance Vs. Opponents (2012–2026)

Versus	Runs	Average	Opposition Bowling Average	Dominance Ratio
Australia	2828	40.98	27.18	1.51
India	3383	59.35	31.11	1.91
New Zealand	1980	50.76	32.97	1.54
Pakistan	1487	53.10	35.89	1.48
South Africa	1210	46.53	30.48	1.53
Sri Lanka	1376	62.54	35.37	1.77
West Indies	1513	56.03	35.91	1.56

2. Country-Wise Performances

Sachin Tendulkar: Performance In Countries (1989–2011)

In Country	Runs	Average	Opposition Bowling Average	Dominance Ratio
Australia	1522	58.53	31.71	1.85
England	1575	54.31	35.55	1.53
New Zealand	842	49.52	34.91	1.42
Pakistan	483	40.25	47.58	0.85
South Africa	1161	46.44	26.75	1.74
Sri Lanka	1155	67.94	40.75	1.67
West Indies	620	47.69	32.57	1.46

Joe Root: Performance In Countries (2012–2026)

In Country	Runs	Average	Opposition Bowling Average	Dominance Ratio
Australia	1292	38.00	24.12	1.58
India	1272	45.42	26.74	1.70
New Zealand	1006	50.30	33.65	1.49
Pakistan	477	47.70	38.47	1.24
South Africa	703	50.21	33.32	1.51
Sri Lanka	655	65.50	35.25	1.86
West Indies	824	51.50	30.43	1.69

Some key observations-

In the Sachin Tendulkar era, South Africa was the only place or team where batting was the toughest. However, in the Joe Root era, every single location has become a tough place for batting. This is why, except for Australia, Root's numbers against all other seven teams are significantly better.

Even regarding Australia or versus Australia, the bowling attacks that Sachin played against are nowhere close to the attacks Root has played against. Please remember that the majority of people are blinded by the fact that Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne are arguably better bowlers than any of the Australian quartets Root has played against. But the real fact, which barely anyone discusses, is that Sachin rarely played against a combined McGrath and Warne-led attack (only 6 out of 35–40 innings in the presence of McGrath in Australia). This is why people are blinded by the narrative that McGrath and Warne are superior so he faced better bowling attacks. that attack would not have averaged 34 in Sachin’s matches (they would have averaged around the mid-to-low 20s), given the low average of South African bowling attacks , If someone like Brett Lee (who averaged 30+) was not the best bowler of Australia in the majority of matches.

Another argument before even starting a comparison: what are the away numbers of Joe Root in Australia, the best team of the world?

Well For Sachin , South Africa was always the best team throughout his career (as shown by the opposition bowling AVG) against whom he avgaraged 42 odd ,

so joe root's 41 avg against Australia doesn't matter much while comparing him with Sachin.

In the same way, just because Sachin played only one match against Richard Hadlee, people forget about the other 20+ matches and argue that Hadlee is a better bowler than anyone from the New Zealand trio Root has faced, or other elites like Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, or Neil Wagner. Comparing the current New Zealand bowling attack to a 40+ average attack during Sachin's era is laughable.

Similarly, people overhype the 2000s Pakistan team a lot. Imagine if they had so many great bowlers like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, and the skilled Mohammad Asif, yet the Pakistani bowling attacks averaged 47.86 in Sachin's matches on their home pitches. Imagine how flat those pitches must have been. Even though current Pakistani bowlers are mediocre at best, at least they have started to prepare some green-house rank turners where anyone can take wickets for fun. Therefore, a direct comparison with Pakistan does not seem right.

The same case applies to Sri Lanka. Even if they had Muttiah Muralitharan, the bowling average of the Sri Lankan attacks of the 90s or 2000s in Sachin's matches was extremely high—like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh level. Therefore, just because he played a goat bowler like Muralitharan on flat highways in almost all the matches, it does not automatically make him a better batsman than Root, who scored the majority of his runs in Sri Lanka on rank or slow turners.

Regarding the West Indies, I agree that Sachin played against much better bowlers.

Finally, in South Africa or overall versus South Africa—Sachin played against higherquality bowlers and in tougher conditions than Root, as South Africa has prepared some "highways" for England during Root's matches. So, it's laughable when people who just see those 56 averages think Joe Root does not belong to the same tier.

now

### Who Is the Best Modern Test Batsman Against Quality Bowling Attacks?

1. Year-by-Year Teams with a Bowling Average Under 35 (Since 1990)

Year	Teams with <35 Bowling Average
1990	Pak, WI, Aus, NZ, SL
1991	WI, Aus, Eng, Pak
1992	WI, SA, Pak, SL, Eng, Aus, Ind
1993	Aus, Ind, Pak, WI, SA
1994	Ind, Pak, SA, WI, Aus, Zim
1995	Aus, SA, Pak, WI, Ind, Zim
1996	Aus, SA, WI, Pak, SL, Ind
1997	Pak, SA, WI, Eng, Aus
1998	All teams except Pak
1999	Aus, Ind, SA, Pak, Eng
2000	All teams except Zim, Ban, Ind
2001	Aus, SA, SL, Pak, NZ
2002	All teams except Zim, Ban, Eng
2003	SL, Pak, SA, Eng, Aus
2004	SL, Eng, Aus, Ind
2005	All teams except Zim, Ban, WI, Pak
2006	Aus, SL, NZ
2007	Aus, SL, Ind, SA
2008	SL, SA, NZ, Eng
2009	Aus, Ban
2010	Aus, SA, Eng
2011	All teams except Zim, Ban, SL and Ind
2012	Pak, Aus, SA, WI, Eng
2013	All teams except SL, Ban
2014	Eng, SA, WI, SL
2015	All teams except Ban, WI, NZ
2016	All teams except Zim, WI, Pak
2017	All teams except Zim, Ban, SL, WI
2018	All teams except Ire, Afg
2019	All teams except Ban, Pak, SL, SA
2020	Aus, Eng, NZ, Ind, Ban
2021	All teams except Zim, Ban
2022	All teams except Pak, Ban, WI
2023	All teams except Zim, SL, Afg, Ire
2024	All teams except Zim, Ban, Afg
2025	All teams except Eng, SL, Zim, Ire

***

2. Some Modern Legends Against Quality Bowling Attacks (Sub-35 Average)

Rank	Player Name	Innings	Runs	Average	Centuries	Notes / Peak Splits
1	Joe Root	236	10,767	49.38	33
2	Steve Smith	166	7,574	50.49	25	Peak (2014–19): 4,144 runs in 67 innings at a 67.93 average
3	Brian Lara	165	7,770	48.56	18
4	Sachin Tendulkar	178	7,447	44.86	22	Excluding teenage years (1989–92): 159 innings, 46.09 average, 19 centuries
5	Virat Kohli	167	6,430	39.69	17
6	AB de Villiers	114	5,164	48.26	13
7	Kumar Sangakkara	103	4,484	46.70	11

Stats - From statsguru espncricinfo.