Dream

What’s with the batting maestro Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and controversies? Of late, the Little Master has courted more than his share of controversies all that he has done for the country not withstanding. His recent failures are hard to explain away. Finally the age is catching up with him. This is precisely why the time for him has come to hang the boots and walk into the sunset.

This is what every expert on the subject has been suggesting to whoever cares to listen. Some of these experts have been close SRT watchers ever since his debut. It is indeed ironical that the same experts had never grown tired of waxing eloquences on the man when he was on a song and no world record – however big – seemed to pose any major challenge to his magical willow.

The reason often cited apart from his recent loss of form both home and abroad is all his contemporaries have called it a day. What for SRT is waiting? Every time he interacts with the media, the million dollar question invariably crops up which he politely leaves alone like a delivery outside his off-stump. He is a genius who doesn’t like to be told what he should do next although he may be acutely aware of the growing clamour for his retirement all around him. He just shrugs it off and moves on.

What makes him hang in there? He has everything. He has broken every record there was to break. Then why not give up? Why not make way for younger feet and fitter body? Well, it is easier said than done especially when all you have done throughout the life is just go out there and play cricket.

However dangerous it may be to mix politics and sports together, nobody can deny that when mixed together, they produce a heady effect. For example, try as one might to control the temptation to draw certain parallels between Sachin Tendulkar and Dr. Manmohan Singh, it is so difficult since they are so glaring.

At the moment both these men are under tremendous pressure to give up their jobs. The louder the demands for their resignations, the more tightly they appear to be clinging to their respective jobs. Although cricket is a team game, the individual performances do matter. If a member of playing eleven is unable to contribute to the side’s victory, he has to face the axe. This is a rule supposed to be applicable for all the players irrespective of their stature. Nobody can rest on his past laurels to quote a famous adage, “you are as good as your last innings.”

The similarities between SRT and MMS are many. In SRT’s case, despite his poor run the team is winning. In MMS’ case, both he and country are losing. SRT is unable to move his feet to face the delivery bowled at him. MMS is unable to move his lips to answer questions put to him. SRT undergoes long practice sessions at the nets to play himself back into the form. MMS holds long closed doors meetings with the party High Command to keep himself glued to the chair.

Noticing their present discomfiture both their respective well-wishers and detractors unite to demand their resignations which always falls on deaf ears.Do we have any right to sharpen our knives and bay for these two gentlemen’s blood? Haven’t they done this country enough proud during their hay days?

As one extremely knowledgeable gentleman rightly put it on Twitter that those who have never held a cricket bat are demanding SRT’s retirement. How true this observation is! Come to think of the fact that more than fifty percent cricket lovers who watch the teams play either in stadiums or on TVs have never held cricket bats in their hands.

I wished the gentleman had gone on to say that those who have never held prime minister’s post are asking for his resignation. How apt it would have been!

Morale of the whole retirement/resignation saga is ex-cricketrs and ex-prime ministers have the exclusive rights to demand their counterparts’ retirement/resignation. If this point goes across, then hopefully all the noise will die down.