Shocking revelation by former chairman of selectors, Sandeep Patil.
Sachin Tendulkar had surprised everyone by deciding to retire from international cricket before the South Africa tour in 2013. BCCI had organised a short two-match Test series against West Indies and the little master called it quits by playing his final and 200th Test match at his home ground in Mumbai. However, he had already bid adieu to ODIs back in the year 2012, with Asia Cup in Bangladesh being his last assignment in coloured clothing. Now, former chairman of selection committee, Sandeep Patil in an interview to ABP Majha, revealed that the Mumbaikar would have been dropped from the ODI team had he not hung up his boots.
“On December 12, 2012, we met Sachin and asked him about his future plans. He said he did not have retirement on his mind. But the selection committee had reached a consensus on Sachin and had informed the board too about it. Perhaps Sachin understood what was coming because at the time of the next meeting, Sachin called and said he was retiring (from ODIs). If he had not announced his decision to quit then, we would have definitely dropped him,” Patil said.
However, in another interaction with the same group’s website, Patil mentioned a slightly different version of Tendulkar’s ODI retirement.
“As long as I remember, it was December 12, 2012, Nagpur. Sachin got out and the selectors decided to meet him and ask him about his wish. I was the one who staged the meet, being the chairman of selectors, and it was purely to understand what was running in his mind.
“It was a good thing to do. It did not happen in one day, one month or one year, it took two long years. Sachin retired in 2013. The meeting in Nagpur was just to ask his plans. Sachin wanted to concentrate more on Test cricket. So, it was decided that he would retire from One-day cricket. He called me and Sanjay Jagdale (then BCCI secretary). Then it was collectively decided that he would retire from ODIs,” he said.
Incidentally, just before the home series against Pakistan in the month of December 2012, Tendulkar, just one short of his 50th ODI ton, decided to retire from the shorter format of the game and broke a million hearts.
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