Tendulkar v Kallis

They’re among the senior citizens of IPL 2010, but more importantly, Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis are the leading run-scorers of the tournament so far, and the only ones to top the 500-mark. So here’s a more detailed look at how the two batsmen have scored their runs so far:

Tendulkar has a 14-run lead over Kallis, who in turn has a slightly better average, but the most interesting numbers are the run rates and the dot-ball percentages, especially during the Powerplay overs. Overall, Tendulkar has scored one run more per over than Kallis and played about four fewer dot balls, but the difference is far more in the first six overs. Tendulkar has tended to take charge during the early overs, scoring at 8.67 per over, while Kallis has played the anchoring role, which has generally suited Bangalore well, but cost them dearly in the match against Deccan Chargers, when Kallis wasted 37 balls in scoring 27 as Bangalore botched up a run-chase of 152.

Kallis also has a dot-ball percentage of more than 47 in the Powerplay, which is significantly higher than Tendulkar’s 36.65. Another significant difference is the number of twos for each player: Tendulkar has run 34 twos in the tournament so far, while Kallis has managed just 19. Kallis has taken more singles, though – 186, to Tendulkar’s 154.