Please Leave Him Alone!

It is high time he retired!
His back to back hundreds showed that he is just a shadow of himself!
He is past his peak!
Age is catching up with him!
He is not explosive enough!

Please give me a break. We have all had enough of these cynical views and comments from “experts”!

People have lean patches and a lack of form. How many of them come out and in those times and score hundreds? Leave alone back to back hundreds.

One has to admit that Sachin is probably the most studied batsman by any opposition.
So when Sachin walks out to bat all the time, there is ALWAYS a studied strategy and game plan waiting for him. Mostly a new one each time and much more focused than for any other batsman.
This is also because not only the attack but also the other batsmen around the world study his batting and hence what ever little flaws may exist are exploited.

When we play for smaller teams like for our school, college and build a reputation, we are often earmarked for certain situations. By this I mean that if one has a reputation of batting explosively, he is sent in when the run rate needs to be picked up. A strike bowler may be given the ball to break a partnership, etc. These matches hardly have any audience. They are not written about at all. In spite of this, players in these situations feel the pressure.

Imagine being watched, studied, and looked up by almost the entire cricketing fraternity and covered by almost any media worth its salt. Imagine the expectation of scoring a hundred one walks in to bat. Now a days a hundred doesn’t alone suffice, it has to be a slam bang explosive one. An effective, consolidating one doesn’t suffice.

Most of us do sedentary work. When we are down with small ailments like a fever, cold, head ache we find it difficult to concentrate on work and if the ailment has kept us bed ridden for some days, like a fracture, we take a bit of time to get into our grove to do our jobs which do not involve physical activity.

If this is what physical injuries do to us, imagine what serious injuries can do to athletes. Yes, he has had injuries like most athletes with the exception of players like Kapil Dev, but, what is important is that he has had the resolve to make the comeback. We can not imagine the amount of physical and mental turmoil that an athlete experiences when he is put off the game.

Let us not forget the some innings like his hundred against Pakistan at Chennai after which he was forced to take a break and rush to Australia for a back surgery. We saw a new range of shots which replaced his usual ones which he could not play due to the injury.

What has been most daunting is that he has had to live up to the reputation and standard that he has set for himself over the years!

People often complain that he isn’t as aggressive as he used to be. But as a batsman matures he develops newer, safer and more effective ways to score runs and so long as he is able to maintain a strike rate as good, why should he play slam bang cricket?
Doesn’t he knows best as to how to build his innings.

This man has given us reasons to smile in gloomy times. Has been a devoted athlete. Has been a role model for budding cricketers including some who are playing alongside him for the national side.

The least we can do is leave him alone. He has played enough cricket himself to decide his own future.

Give this great athlete his space and I am sure he has some even more magnificent marvels to unveil.