Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hittin.- Yogi Berra
Events they say have a momentum of their own and Tendulkar is among the very few who have enjoyed an upward momentum through out his career.
It is inevitable that both good and bad has an end. In the case of Tendulkar the recently concluded Sri Lankan tour could well be the beginning of the end.
Consider this, after more than 16 years in the Indian team due to recurring injuries his continuation is very much in doubt. Until now he has been fortunate enough to miss only ODI's, but as his body ages it will be sooner rather than later when he will have to skip Tests due to injuries.
His recent dismissals are another indicator of his declining poweress.Most of them have been brought about by playing down the wrong line. Surely, it shows his batting radar is out of kilter. Sadly, his recurring breakdowns is not going to help him here as what he needs is to play more cricket at least at the domestic level in order to regain his lost touch.
This brings us to the most damning indicator. His aggregate of 95 runs in the recently concluded Sri Lankan series was his lowest in a 3 Test series.In addition to this fact, his poor performance in Sri Lanka means Sachin Tendulkar ICC rankings has dropped to his lowest ever since 1992. He now stands 23rd in ICC rankings.
If these indicators were not enough to highlight his declining career, the most damning is the fact that for first time in his career, his detractors far outnumber his fans.
One can argue that bad form, injuries, ICC rankings are temporary, but the loss of his demi-God status among Indian cricket fans cannot be attributed so. There is growing sense of realization among his fans that he had his day and it is time he retired before he is forced to do so.
Events they say have a momentum of their own and Tendulkar is among the very few who have enjoyed an upward momentum through out his career.
It is inevitable that both good and bad has an end. In the case of Tendulkar the recently concluded Sri Lankan tour could well be the beginning of the end.
Consider this, after more than 16 years in the Indian team due to recurring injuries his continuation is very much in doubt. Until now he has been fortunate enough to miss only ODI's, but as his body ages it will be sooner rather than later when he will have to skip Tests due to injuries.
His recent dismissals are another indicator of his declining poweress.Most of them have been brought about by playing down the wrong line. Surely, it shows his batting radar is out of kilter. Sadly, his recurring breakdowns is not going to help him here as what he needs is to play more cricket at least at the domestic level in order to regain his lost touch.
This brings us to the most damning indicator. His aggregate of 95 runs in the recently concluded Sri Lankan series was his lowest in a 3 Test series.In addition to this fact, his poor performance in Sri Lanka means Sachin Tendulkar ICC rankings has dropped to his lowest ever since 1992. He now stands 23rd in ICC rankings.
If these indicators were not enough to highlight his declining career, the most damning is the fact that for first time in his career, his detractors far outnumber his fans.
One can argue that bad form, injuries, ICC rankings are temporary, but the loss of his demi-God status among Indian cricket fans cannot be attributed so. There is growing sense of realization among his fans that he had his day and it is time he retired before he is forced to do so.
Technorati Tags Sachin,Tendulkar
6 comments:
BCCI should invest some money in organising crash course on graceful retirement...
may we all live enough to know why subcontinent players like to be kicked...remember kapil...he kept on going...
Pan,
He held on to set the world record and thus killed Srinath's career.
if he is going to persist with his career he may go out as the most riled cricketer. It will only take a change in the set up to see him geting humiliated. It has hapnd to so many. Evry sportsmen shd know when his spirit is taking a walk away from the flesh.
R,
I think he knows. Maybe the EMI he has to pay for the new house he bought is keeping him going. :)
Very true. The number of times he gets out bowled or LBW shows that he consistently plays down the wrong line, and seems to have no answer to fairly innocuous deliveries.
Swaminathan,
A warm welcome to you. Though yours is a new blog, I find that you have some well -written posts.
Yes, he seems to be sorely out of touch.
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