Greatness never goes away except for fading into reminiscences. Greats, however, have to leave the stage at some point. The greatest thespian, the finest impresario on the cricket stage is now set to bow out into history.
The inevitable is upon us as also the question: How and when?
When Sunil Gavaskar announced his retirement on the back of an unbelievable, near match-winning innings of 96 on a brutal and treacherous strip in Bangalore, the country let out a collective sigh. “Why now?” the whole country asked. Everyone thought that he was still the best around. In sheer contrast was the huffing and puffing Kapil Dev who continued playing till the whole country started wondering whether the team was not paying too high a price for getting him a record. He looked incapable of getting even a schoolboy out when a relieved country bid him goodbye with his 434th wicket.
Sunny had then said that one should retire so that people should ask why and not ‘why not’. Sachin is unfortunately getting into the ‘why not’ spectrum. Sourav Ganguly has a point when he says that Sachin should retire from one-dayers.
Dilip Vengsarkar says that there is no substitute for Sachin. I would beg to disagree. There is no one irreplaceable in this universe. In the stellar world, even a solar system is not forever. This luminescent star too must come to the end of its cosmic cycle. Personal milestones can be allowed to be achieved as a token of acknowledgement for services rendered, but there has to be a timeline.
I find Sourav’s arguments lucid and logical. He says that Sachin is neither helping himself nor the team in the ODIs. It is now nearly a year since his 99th century. Ricky Ponting had to be dropped from an ODI game before he saw the light and announced ODI retirement.There are others like Kohli and many other bright youngsters waiting in the wings who need to be blooded slowly into the international arena. It cannot be anybody’s case that we fall shy of bringing up youngsters in the ODI space. This is by definition a format for younger legs and matters have not been helped by Dhoni going public about the fielding level of some of the players in the side including Sachin.
Another very important aspect is the looming big transition in the Test match format where India has produced one of its worst performances ever. A performance reminiscent of the ignoble 1960s in 2011-12 has necessitated changes. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have probably played their last innings.
The Australians breached the wall with clinical efficiency after discovering the technical adjustment made by Dravid to score big runs in England. Just one century in four Test Matches (Virat Kohli) puts the whole debacle in perspective. Sachin, therefore, has to remain in the Test matches to guide this process of transition.
In order to focus on this and serve the country with his best, he has to act as the fulcrum around which the Indian batting will revolve for the next two years. He has to channelise his thinking faculties, and just think that his job is to supervise this transition in the Test matches. This would automatically relieve him of the pressure that he has put himself under with the expectation of the elusive 100th century. Dravid and Laxman are very difficult to substitute in the star-studded batting order but every team has to move on.
While we talk of Sachin retiring from ODIs, the selectors too must develop a plan of transition.
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