The Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar achieved huge milestones in his cricket career in November 2009. He completed 17,000 runs in one-day international matches as well as completed 30,000 runs of his overall cricket career while also slamming his 43rd century. No one can deny the greatness of the master blaster. So does Michael Atherton agree to, but according to him, calling him the best batsman of an era would be unfair to the others struggling to carve themselves a career. He has said that suggesting Sachin as the greatest of all is demeaning to others. 
“To suggest that Tendulkar – or, indeed, any modern, armored or, to use (Viv) Richards’s phrase, “pampered” player – is the best ever is demeaning to those former greats who stood at the crease in the knowledge that their next ball could be their last,” Atherton reported to ‘The Times’ on 19th November, 2009. Exactly 77 years ago, Don Bradman took stance in front of the ‘Bodyline’ attack of Douglas Jardine and others from his team. Bradman did not have the advantage of arm-guards, chest-guards, helmets, sausage gloves or such. Atherton believes that judging Sachin as the greatest would dissolve the efforts put in by the other greats like Bradman, Viv Richards, etc. Waqar Younis broke his nose in Sachin’s debut test against Pakistan and from then onwards, he went into field wearing a grille. The fact that he is sufficiently protected does not suggest lack of bravery, but there were others also who were unprotected on field knowing that their next ball could be the last one.
Technology has advanced a lot and modern day protections for a batsman are able to amply protect him from the oncoming ball. As compared to yesteryears, it has become easier for a player to score more by having more time on field. Atherton expressed a wish to see how things would have gone if Sachin had none of these protective gears. The power-packed batting style and aggressive form on field have earned Sachin an appreciation from Bradman himself to the extent that Bradman himself regarded Sachin as the one player whose batting style most closely resembled his own.
“There was, though, one crucial difference, which the image of Tendulkar on these pages on Monday highlighted. Perched on top of Tendulkar’s head … was a bright blue helmet and a grille to protect his features. Tendulkar was batting in a One-day game, but had the image been of him batting in whites, there is a good chance that, along with a helmet, Tendulkar would have been wearing an arm guard and a chest guard, too. He is always amply protected,” Atherton wrote.
Atherton believes that the Sachin’s style and form suggest that he would not be able to bat comfortably if he went to the crease without a helmet. “He does not hook, nor does he plunge on to the front foot. And he watches the ball like a hawk.” He went ahead saying, “Bradman’s average plummeted in the Bodyline series, when the need for raw courage was added to the equation. A few modern players would suffer, too. The ball is no softer now and the bowlers no less quick, but standing at the crease knowing that you can be killed demands a different level of courage from the realization that you might just get hurt.”