Monday, August 11, 2008

Sachin: Failure in SL

OK, where do I start?
I hate to say it, but Sachin Tendulkar has failed in the 3 test series. He has failed not the fans or the country but he has failed himself.
It is not his poor average of 15.83 that makes a compelling case to support my statement. Neither it is the fact that he has not scored more than 31 in any of the 6 innings he played on the sub-continent pitches. Every batsman goes through a phase where runs dry up and things go wrong even when you try your best. And who knows it better than someone who has played the cricket at highest level for over 17 years!!!
But where I think he has failed himself is the way he played.
Here is why.
He had two Sri Lanka LBW appeals being turned down in just last over where he did not play a shot.
Both went to a review (I agree with Mahela for taking the chance, it was worth it) and yet, in the very next over, he attempts to not play a ball on turning pitch only to be given out this time and rightly so.
What in the god's name was he thinking????????
When the team is down in dumps, when you know that the floodgates will open if you depart, when the team's / country's future lies in your hands, when opposition thinks and understands all this, and yet when you have had 2 close LBW shouts going for you just 2 minutes ago, you take this risk of not playing the ball!!!
This is another instance of a legend who looks like he has mentally decided (and declared to the whole world) that "I am not 25 anymore and I am 35. So don't expect any superhuman stuff from me." Once any sportsman thinks this way and imbibes this thought in his mind, he begins to lose. And Sachin has lost it.
And I am sure that this is not the Sachin Tendulkar that he would have wanted to grow up into.
Sigh...

Update: A cricinfo comment: "Since 1999, India has won 36 test matches. Most surprisingly Sachin Tendulkar was not man of the match in a single match. It shows he is not a match winning player. On the other hand man of the match award in these winning matches have gone to: Kumble -7, Dravid - 5, Harbhajan - 5, Sehwag - 3, Ganguly - 2, Laxman - 2 and Zaheer Khan - 2."!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. Not only Sachin, but rest of the 3 Budhhas (old and used furniture) have miserably failed.

They do not deserve the kind of money and luxurious benefits they are getting despite consistent poor performance.

They also do not deserve the blog posts :-)

On the contrary, I support sportsmen like Abhinav Bindra, Rathod who win medals for India in the Olympics. It is really very tough and creditable to win Olympic medal!

Three cheers for Abhinav Bindra, for his first ever Gold Medal...

Ranjeet said...

Hi Abhijit,
Yes Congrats on the first ever individual gold for India in Olympics!!! It is a super super super achievement and I hope he gets the same recognition as the T20 WC winning India cricket team.
On playing Mendis, someone mentioned that even the youngsters failed to read Mendis in the Asia Cup. I thin kthat this is where the seniors should have shown what their experience has taught them. But they failed and the way they failed is what makes me sad.

Inner Vision said...

I would go a step further than Abhijit and say that even the captain has failed. Who will make them understand that they should retire now? Why don't they stop playing now? They all have dissappointed millions of fans. Just see their records in this test match series. God save Indian cricket.

Anonymous said...

I agree with what Abhijit & Shivanand say. And I had exactly similar thoughts what you have for these senior players. In fact I got into an argument. :P

If after so many years of batting experience, they fail to play Mendis, not once but again & again then I can say they are not good batsmen.

Where so many talented juniors have to struggle hard to make it to final 11, these seniors think it is their 'right' to be in the team. At least juniors will try to learn something.

Cuckoo

Ranjeet said...

Abhijit/Shivanand/Cuckoo: In my view, Sachin needs to introspect. Dravid is still a good solid test player and so is Laxman. Dada should hang up his boots and probably so should Sachin after his introspection.
Let us not go overboard in asking for mass resignations since we need to double-check whether we have players who can substitute these 'buddhhas'? While we continue to groom them, if we still have these guys as the best possible guys, they have to be picked.
There will be times when these guys will fire once a while, but if we have better guys who are more consistent, let's get them in - young or old!

Anonymous said...

For quite some time since Franklin Rose ( yes there was such a fast bowler who once played for the West Indies) exposed him, Sachin has been vulnerable to the inswinging delivery. These days he is vulnerable to just about anything and everything that is thrown at him. Not only he has lost his skill as a batsman ( gone are the trademark shots such as the mighty pull-drive) but he has also lost his thinking cap. The way Chaminda Vaas with his limited abilities but incredible accuracy set him up and finally got him out flashing outside the off-stump suggests that it is the end of the road for Sachin Truly ENDulkar.

As for the rest of our cricketers including Bhajji - ho hum....yawn. India's 1.1 billion cricket fans, better watch shooting....more exciting than T20...honest to God you are promised to get more ROI (perhaps even from the Kabbadi matches held at the local Municipalty grounds). Ask Bindra...Abhinav not Inderjit Singh.

cheers,
Sanju

Anonymous said...

For quite some time since Franklin Rose ( yes there was such a fast bowler who once played for the West Indies) exposed him, Sachin has been vulnerable to the inswinging delivery. These days he is vulnerable to just about anything and everything that is thrown at him. Not only he has lost his skill as a batsman ( gone are the trademark shots such as the mighty pull-drive) but he has also lost his thinking cap. The way Chaminda Vaas with his limited abilities but incredible accuracy set him up and finally got him out flashing outside the off-stump suggests that it is the end of the road for Sachin Truly ENDulkar.

As for the rest of our cricketers including Bhajji - ho hum....yawn. India's 1.1 billion cricket fans, better watch shooting....more exciting than T20...honest to God you are promised to get more ROI (perhaps even from the Kabbadi matches held at the local Municipalty grounds). Ask Bindra...Abhinav not Inderjit Singh.

cheers,
Sanju

Ranjeet said...

Sanju,

As usual, you have hit the nail on the head! I am also now more concerned about what our boxers do today than the 2nd ODI in SL today.

-Ranjeet

Anonymous said...

Where are you ? You owe a post to me now after the ODI series. :P

Nahi to mujhe likhna padega kuch apne blog par. :P