Defending Sachin Tendulkar
I get a little amused when 24 year old anchors analyze SRT’s shots and say ‘He should not have played this shot’…there is a Marathi saying…which is so un-parliamentary that I cannot use it on my site, but fits it well.
SRT has played great cricket and led a great life – I am sure most people in the world would be willing to exchange their lives with that of SRT.
Now coming to SRT’s retirement – believe me, it is not easy. How many people in real life retire by choice? None. Really none. Guru Greg Chappell forced it on Saurov Ganguly – who then made a feeble comeback in the previous IPL. The bells rang too damn loudly for VVS Laxman – make no mistake SG and VVS were great and could hold their place in any Indian team, ever, but retirement is not easy. The great Sunil M Gavaskar refuses to go away from the commentary box and from playing king maker. Ditto Ravi Shastri. Ravi was booed out of the game by the crowd. Yes, he retired young, but he also started young. As an alumni of Podar college, we remember celebrating his fantastic debut in New Zealand!
Coming to the stadium as the Most Valuable Player is very very different from coming as an ‘expert’. I find it very difficult to share my dad’s enthusiasm of CS Nayudu and CK Nayudu or a Pataudi Senior or a Vijay Merchant or a Vinoo Mankad. My heroes were Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrashekar, Dilip Sardesai, G R Vishwanath, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, ..
2 generations of cricket enthusiasts have been entertained by SRT – and I think he should retire, but I will never want to say it to him. He is a genius who has done most things right in his life – and he will know when to retire. One day he will, maybe a little unwillingly, that day we may even say ‘he has another 2 years of cricket left in him’. L O L.
Look at the politicians, businessmen (Mr. Brij Mohan Lal Munjal, B K Birla, ), doctors….sorry people do not retire, if they have a choice. It is an Indian trait. After all they have no time for hobbies, right?
shinu
sorry. will stop watching cricket that day…test nor one day…. :(.
Sanjay
I haven’t seen video of how Sachin got out. But what i read from articles, it is not about technique. People are saying that reflexes are slow. It means age is showing its effect on Sachin. Retirement is not a choice anymore.
Reality is Sachin was only batsman in Indian team 10 years back. When Sachin used to be out, people used to turn off TV because they were sure that entire team will be out in next 5 overs or so.
Unfortunately, today’s team is different. They are very good in asian pitches. And BCCI will ask them to play mostly on asian pitches.
When Indian team will go on test tour of Australia and get out without scoring 100 runs then people will realize we have lost not only Sachin but his technique as well.
prabee
Every time they talk about technique and age of tendulkar i always go back period of 2003-2006 in his career,pretty much no one gave him a chance and they said it will be last tour to australia. He showed all why its not his last in australia.
I am just hoping he repeats with some 5-6 hundreds in up coming series and shut everyone again and then go when no one expects.He makes the bat talk the best.
Dheeraj
Same with me sheenu.. I’ll loose interest in Cricket the day he retires.. I didnt watch much of India’s matches in which he didnt play//
Prav
Only matter of time before this lion roars back and shut his critics mouth. Even if he fails, it is ok – he has done so much for the country in the past. Doesn’t really matter how he retires. He is THE GOD of cricket. The great about this genius is his down to earth attitude inspite of conquering the world. May be in distant future somebody might break his record, but you wont get this rare combination of skill, integrity, patriotism and simplicity.
Vandhana Karthick
I think nobody has the right including me to speak about the retirement of SRT. As he is a giant in Cricket we need to say about his performance and scores. People did not expect/ask every Century but he did..And now also he know the right time to retire, media/Politicians/Ex-Cricketers/Actors comments this but now Subraji also joined the list..which is not at all expected..
Ram
I think SRT is overrated. He is definitely a genius and an excellent cricketer but I folks who are less talented than him have contributed more to their teams than Sachin. The last time I remember him playing for India was 1999-2000 vs. Australia in Sharjah.
Doesn’t matter what he or others think. If he is unable to contribute he should leave. In fact, I think he should’ve left years back. The centuries and statistics amount to nothing if the team doesn’t win.
Vandhana Karthick
Mr.Ram, Are you saying all Centuries hit by SRT is not a contribution to team, is it only for his own sake.Do the team not enjoyed his score, and a person cannot be all time star performer in any field, like the same SRT also..So we cannot say SRT is talent less now a days.
Jitu
“One day he will, maybe a little unwillingly, that day we may even say ‘he has another 2 years of cricket left in him’. L O L.” — Too good Subra….
Chennaivaasi
IMHO Sachin is a good, very good batsman that’s it… I really feel sad when people demand Bharat Ratna for him. For, he is the person who claimed his profession is acting to get tax exemption. For he is the person who requested tax exemption for his gifted Ferrari but sold it later.
People including his fans should realize being very good in one’s profession does not translate him to be great.
Srikanth
Its such a sin to criticize Sachin in this country, but its so easy to criticize say Manmohan. Never understood the difference. Both led great life’s, been brilliant in their domains. And both are at a stage where they need to retire.
Ram
Ms. Karthick,
I am not saying all of his centuries are in vain, but most of his centuries helped him amass statistics than they helped the team to win. I would expect a cricketer of his calibre to be more reliable in crucial times. Remember the test with Pakistan in Chennai? How could one throw away their innings (and the match) after a brilliant century? Cricketers like Dhoni, Miandad, Kapil Dev, Waugh who arguably have lesser than talents than SRT have delivered more often when the situation demands.
I don’t understand why the team has to enjoy (or not enjoy) his centuries. This is irrelevant. In a team sport, all that matters is winning. No individual glory should be placed higher than that.