Should Sachin retire?
Sachin's retirement has been the burning topic for discussion in the cricket crazy Indian nation. A spell of drought in his run-scoring has invited ironic and stingy comments from critics,the media and fans, who are heavily pressing for his imminent retirement. Is his retirement really that necessary? Read the article to find it out.
The big, burning issue that has attracted most of the limelight in the media world, recently, has been the issue concerning the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar . As with every legend facing crisis of form in the twilight of his career, Sachin is being treated in a similarly untenable fashion by the Indian cricket fans and the media, alike. The man who scored his 100th international ton just a few months ago is now being literally pushed to the edge of retirement by the irksome comments from media-persons and fans. This trend, sadly, has been an oft repeated one – the legendary Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, and later the phlegmatic Rahul Dravid and V.V.S.Laxman were forced to bid tearful farewells to cricket, when their presence on the cricket field failed to charm the viewers anymore. This tendency to scoff at ageing legends and ultimately forcing them into hanging up their boots is a typically Indian quality! One can never expect such discourteous behaviour from English and Australian fans, and this is sadly one of the differentiating factors between Indian and, English and Australian fans. What hurts most is the pathetically short public memory in India – the same Sachin who was receiving accolades from every quarter on Earth when he got the elusive 100th ton is now being treated as an appendage in the Indian team; the same Sachin who was being recommended for the prestigious Bharat Ratna award is now being pushed into obscurity by the same media and the same 'fans'.
Emotions apart, I would now try and show why Sachin should NOT retire from international cricket just now, and commit the same mistake that Sourav Ganguly did when he announced an untimely retirement in 2008. The reasons listed below ought not to be seen from the point of view of a die-hard Sachin fan, but through the eyes of a logical cricket analyst.
(1) Sachin had stopped playing One-Day cricket regularly, ever since the successful campaign in the World Cup 2011 and his zeal to play in the shorter format has waned considerably after he scored the 100th international ton in Asia Cup , 2012 . It would be safe to assume that he has decided to sacrifice his place in the ODI team in order to provide valuable chances to evolving youngsters. This decision from Sachin also gives us the cue to a more important fact – that the Master is, now, interested ONLY in Test cricket. This effectively means that he is devoting all his time and energy to Test cricket, and his passionate efforts ought to be rewarded with a slot in the Test side
(2) The Indian Test side has been rocked violently after the frantic spell of retirements in quick time– Ganguly , followed by Kumble , Dravid and Laxman . An element of instability has been introduced into the team morale, after the big-wigs left in quick succession. It is in the hands of Sachin, now, to play out the 'senior's' role in the team and aid Mahendra Singh Dhoni in properly mentoring the newcomers in the team.
(3) Sachin's batting is still an asset, untarnished by his recent debacles against New Zealand. In the event of Sachin quitting Test cricket at this point of time, the Indian team may be left groping in the dark to search for able replacements to fill the big boots of the Master. It would be a horrible sight to see a totally inexperienced Indian middle order fall flat on its face in the absence of the guiding star- Sachin Tendulkar.
Even though Indian cricket fans can only dream of becoming remotely as courteous and disciplined as the English and Aussies, their attitude towards the fading stars of Indian cricket has been seriously disgusting. The man who could hold the viewers captive and motionless in his charm, the man who provided unrestrained joy and pleasure to the whole nation and the world by wielding his willow for more than two decades deserves to be treated with awe and respect, even at the dying stages of his career. Hence the attention grabbing 'retirement' issue should never be allowed to flourish in public; let the Indian cricket selectors and Sachin himself decide whether he wants to retire or play on. Let us not insult the 'maestro' by constantly pressing for his retirement, which shall ultimately result in the fall of the last warrior who stood representing the most glorious era of Test cricket in India.
