Tendulkar a comic hero: Atherton

By Mike Atherton in Sunday Telegraph
For many, one of the sub-themes of this year's World Cup was to be the farewell of a so-called golden generation. Some of the greatest players of the modern era came to the Caribbean in the knowledge that this would be their last hurrah - in the short form of the game at least.
Already we have seen a tearful farewell from Inzamam-ul-Haq, and a stately, restrained retirement from one of the most under-rated players of that golden crop, Anil Kumble.
Brian Lara has already announced that he will concentrate on Test cricket after the West Indies commitments in this tournament are over, and given the way they are playing, and the in-fighting that followed their latest defeat, that will not be long in coming. Glenn McGrath will head off to less demanding pastures when his tournament is done, and it is unlikely that we will see another World Cup featuring Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Pollock, Matthew Hayden and Muttiah Muralitharan. There are a few runs and wickets to keep the notchers busy there.
But one name, possibly greater than all those mentioned, has kept his counsel. According to dressing-room reports, Sachin Tendulkar, not normally a man to open his heart too readily, shed tears in the aftermath of India's early departure, but nothing has come from the little master's mouth.
Given the almost obscene attention that he attracts, that has been his way throughout most of his career. Say little, score runs and if things don't go well beef up security at the family home in Bandra, as was done this week.
But the runs have dried up. The man with more one-day international runs than any other - a staggering 14,847 with 41 centuries - found himself impotent to prevent his team's demise. He seemed a peripheral figure, scoring seven and nought in the two defeats that condemned his team to early departure.
In truth, Tendulkar's decline has been in evidence for a while, even to his normally adoring public. His dismissal in his last Test match in Mumbai against England provoked a round of boos, and recently in a Times of India poll 92 per cent of respondents felt Tendulkar should quit.
Most pundits have remained silent - it doesn't do India's pundits much commercial good to be seen criticising Tendulkar - but one has been conspicuously tough. Ian Chappell writes regular columns in Indian newspapers and this week he cut to the quick. He challenged Tendulkar to ask himself why he was still playing the game, and that if he wasn't playing to help India win as many matches as he could, if he was only playing to improve his statistics, then he would be well advised to quit now.
For whatever reason - fatigue, injuries, the goldfish bowl that is Indian cricket - the joy of playing has not been in evidence in Tendulkar's batting for some time. He is careworn, not carefree.
But in the same week that Chappell questioned Tendulkar's future, another interesting press release came out of India.
This time it was from Virgin Comics, who announced a tie-up with Tendulkar to create new super-hero, called Master Blaster, for comics, animation and games. Gotham Chopra, the chief creative officer of Virgin Comics, had this to say: "When two powerful brands like Virgin and Tendulkar collide, an iconic hero like Master Blaster is the result."
Quite apart from the brazen hijacking of a sobriquet that has always been associated with Viv Richards, it gives a clue as to why Tendulkar might be around for a short time yet. The truth is that Tendulkar has been marketed as a brand for some time, advertising many of the biggest commercial names in India. There are many interested parties who are keen to see Tendulkar wearing India's colours for a while yet.
I hope, like Ian Chappell, that he is strong enough, and independent enough, to make up his own mind. There are only two proper reasons to carry on playing: if you are good enough, and if you still love the game. Only Tendulkar knows whether that love is alive. Everyone else is painfully aware that, despite his new super-hero status, his powers are very much on the wane.

Bell tolls for Sachin Tendulkar

MUMBAI: India’s premier batsman Sachin Tendulkar may not escape the wrath of the cricket-crazy country’s fans following the team’s disastrous World Cup.
The 1983 winners crashed out in the first round of the event after losing two out of three group matches, to Bangladesh and former champions Sri Lanka.
Irate fans and a number of former players have called for the axe to fall on captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell, while senior players are also under fire.Local media yesterday highlighted a television news channel’s poll that showed 64 percent of those who responded wanted Tendulkar to retire.
The Asian Age newspaper quoted another television poll of 60 current and former first-class cricketers on Tendulkar’s future, which found that a third were in favour of Tendulkar retiring from both Test and one-day international cricket.More than half wanted him to retire just from one-day internationals while one in 10 wanted him to retire from all forms of cricket.
The 33-year-old Tendulkar became the darling of Indian households since making his debut as a curly-haired 16-year-old in 1989, but at this World Cup he flopped against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and managed only a half century against Bermuda.Former South African batsman Barry Richards said it would take a huge commitment for Tendulkar to regain his former dominance with the bat.
“He could slaughter the minnows, in other words he’s still capable of taking lesser attacks to task, but to truly earn the respect of his peers he has to score runs when it matters and against the best,” Richards wrote in a column yesterday.
“Does he have the dedication to do that or has all the pressure over nearly two decades taken a toll on body and mind? Only Sachin can answer that and his answer must be honest.” Tendulkar has been a shadow of his former self since shoulder surgery in March last year.Former England captain Mike Atherton suggested in his column in the Sunday Telegraph that commercial interests might be the only reason for Tendulkar to stay.
“The truth is that Tendulkar has been marketed as a brand for some time, advertising many of the biggest commercial names in India,” he wrote.“There are many interested parties who are keen to see Tendulkar wearing India’s colours for a while yet.”