An
unexpected and hasty exit of VVS Laxman has raised a big question-mark on team
selection committee and management’s reckless behaviour in not keeping up with
a proper balance of seniors and juniors in the team, thus hampering team’s
morale. Was VVS made a scapegoat? Did he announce his retirement under
pressure? Many such thoughts but no need of getting into all this, I mean,
dirty politics, I presume.
After
the two greats ‘The Wall’ and VVS moving out of test team, real test of the
Indian youngsters begin, who are more prone to the fast-pace cricket,
now-a-days. We see more of entertainment, glamour and money in today’s new cricketing
format but in five-day format cricket which is less glamorous than the former,
we find character, determination, patience of a player being tested bringing out
a true cricketer into being. But in all this recent happening of exit and entry
of players in Team India, one man still seems to find a place in the squad of
Indian team, even though there are people continuously questioning his
existence in the team and now with the three biggies retired, he is the one who
is been eyed by everyone, especially his critics.
Sachin
Tendulkar is the only surviving veteran of the golden generation of Indian Fab
Four batsmen that includes Sourav Ganguly also, making the Indian middle-order
look shaky. God only knows how the new generation is going to cope up in coming
times with couple of big home test series lined up for the season, along
with rigid overseas venture.
Firstly, let’s do a reality check, practically nobody steps down from one’s place to give chance to youngsters (these are only things to say), be it in any field. Would you retire to give your job to someone coming fresh out of university? Ask this to yourself. Be honest. It’s just player’s body and mind that tells them when to stop. Dravid did that..Laxman did that (still doubted though)..and believe me Sachin will and has earned rights to do that when he thinks it’s appropriate for him to hung up. As Sachin, himself, once said, ‘Nobody took decision for him when to enter into cricketing field, hence the decision of retirement is his sole right.’ Let him do it.
Looking at one’s performance over the past one year, no batsman
can be judged good or bad and definitely this cannot be a case with the Master,
who has performed to his best for our nation over last two decades. And, now,
with the retirement fracas heating up once again due to the three balls that shook
the nation i.e. three clean bowled in consecutive three innings in just
concluded New-Zealand Test series, the pressure has build up again on him. More
importantly, the way he got out has been the question top of the chart. His
reflexes are getting weak, age showing up, no more class seen, chuck it yaar. Naturally,
it may seem so that with time the co-ordination between mind and body is
weakening but it’s just a question of few more games for the Master and he will
be back in his form. This is not the
first time he is under scrutiny, whenever he is been challenged on his
technique, he has come out in more refined version.
‘Karara Jawab milega..Karara jawab milega...” as always.
Next up, the age factor, is of mere concern in any game unless you
are mentally strong to cope up with any physical injuries and performance pressure.
Never go by numbers, they are deceptive and very true in case of this ‘Little
Genius’ who at the age of thirty-nine, still looks very fit and energetic like
any of his young team-mate. I have talked on this issue lot many times in my previous
articles, so let’s move ahead.
A connect with the game, passion to live the game is all that what
counts and when these things die, one can think of disconnecting
himself/herself from the game. This is my opinion. People say, ‘Sachin doesn’t
want to leave cricket because once he leaves, how would he earn money.’ To such
senseless criticism, I would just say, Boss, no need to worry about Sachin’s
income, he has earned so much that his next seven generations would sit and
eat. Hyperbole! is it? But why am I talking about money, for Sachin or in case
of anybody, who is in love with his/her work, doesn’t care about how much he is
earning from it, satisfaction and happiness from work is far more than any
penny. Note, I am talking about the passion which one has for, not about the work
for survival where definitely money matters.
When things are not going in your direction, people starts
criticizing and once it does go your way, these people only come up with all
praises. So, just chill and give him some breather and let him perform his job,
so do we.
