Sachin Tendulkar’s Final Deal

By John Cheeran

To pretend that Sachin Tendulkar got his timing right when it came to his final innings would be utter dishonesty on the part of the great batsman as well as you and me.

I’m rolling on the floor with laughter reading what Tendulkar told Boria Majumdar in The Times of India front page story on October 11 that it (the decision to quit) “was not about body and mind.”

Retirement is all about getting old, body and mind, and heart too. Ask your HR department, they should tell you. To say then that Tendulkar quit playing because he thought he has reached a stage where he no longer enjoys the game is merely stating the obvious.

Everyone, except Tendulkar, knew that the great batsman has outlived his shelf-life. So when the decision came on Thursday, nobody asked“why”, the classic measure of a well-timed retirement. BCCI bosses had given broad hints that they were going to push out a batsman reluctant to leave the crease, despite the fact that Father Time had given him out a long time ago.

There were front page stories in at least three newspapers -- The Times of India, Mumbai Mirror and The Indian Express -- citing BCCI’s decision to give Tendulkar a farewell treat by hurriedly putting together a lambs-to-the slaughter West Indies squad for the run machine. That was the ultimate snub.

Those who were sticking to the pretty but pretentious line that“only Tendulkar knows when he decides to quit,” must be a relieved lot now. This was coming quite close to a good riddance minus the ‘thank you’ notes.

Debates about retirement of sport icons only happen in team sports. Consider the case of Roger Federer. Federer has the right to decide when he wants to quit. He alone is the master of his sporting destiny. If he is going to lose consistently, Federer has little choice but to pack his bags and leave. There is no need for a debate. The scoreline 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 would be enough.

In sport, nobody expects you to be forever young. So there is a time to go but your contributions will be recalled henceforth during tea breaks and rain intervals. A star is a star when it shines. The world has no time for a faded star.

So how does it matter whether Tendulkar plays his 200^thTest or not? Is it not a mere statistic? Had Tendulkar said on Thursday that he has decided not to play any longer and is not bothered about BCCI inviting the West Indies to play a two-Test series in November, would his legacy as a great batsman have diminished?

May be people, fans, critics, commentators would have cried hearing that, knowing they would never see him play cricket again. That would have been a purifying moment, glorifying all aspects of cricket, and sport at large.

Now how does it matter whether Tendulkar scores zero or centuries in the last two remaining Tests? What difference will it make whether he has scored 15,837 runs or 16,000 and odd?

By saying it is all over, Tendulkar would have put BCCI in a fix. But such a call would have come only from a rebellious man, a man of substance, and not from a middle class icon, who stayed away from controversies by careful public relations management, and shied away from taking a stand when the great game was imperilled by match-fixing and other crises. Brands that have a contract with Tendulkar would have thrown a fit.

What you now have is a deal. Broadcasters, sponsors can have a once-in-25-years sporting moment. And you can rush for your tickets to Brabourne or Wankhede Stadium to be there when Tendulkar will have his final walk. You can bet on how many runs Tendulkar will score in his final innings. This is turning out to be more of theatre than sport. So, let’s salute the deal.