Should Sachin Tendulkar declare his innings?

MUMBAI: The BCCI meeting on April 7 has taken on added piquancy in the context of Ian Chappell’s suggestion that Tendulkar should “look in the mirror” and consider retiring “before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to him”.

The meeting will take up reports on India’s World Cup performance by coach Greg Chappell and manager Sanjay Jagdale. The future of senior players, including Tendulkar, as well as Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid will depend on the assessment made at this meeting.

Former captain Ravi Shastri advises Sachin to take a relook at his game, while discussing the issue in a television show: “I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that he has at least two years’ cricket left in him. But he has to enjoy his cricket. I will have a chat with him and tell him he has the right to enjoy the game. Why does he give me an impression that all the pressure is on his shoulders?”

Mohammad Azharuddin concurs: “Tendulkar has to play his own free-flowing game and not listen to others... He is only 34 years old. There have been players who have played this game at an older age.”

“Tendulkar must play as an opener because he has been most effective at that spot,” says GR Vishwanath. Unlike Ian, Kapil Dev does not want to offer any advice.  “Tendulkar is the best judge of his abilities and knows what to do.”