Sachin Tendulkar

[yuppie]

I guess you could say that the list shows Sachin to very consitent, but others have had better patches for shorter periods of time.

[mikesiva]

Sachin's form in this Test series was poor, and leads the speculation that the end of his Test career is drawing nigh....

It must be very hard for a great batsman to decide when to go, before he's pushed.

[meninblue]

In reality,no selection committee will ever drop a batsman of Sachin's / Ponting's caliber on basis of three below average or bad series. Will England drop Cook after three or 5 bad series now that they have seen the quality of his batting. No. Will they drop Cook or any other player on few bad series if they have scored as many runs as Sachin has in their career. No IMO. They will persist with him and treat it as bad form. And Cook hasn't even achieved half the runs of Sachin. Sachin will be dropped only if he does not has any good series amongst the bad ones. Or if that is not the case, he won't be in the team unless he retires himself. Having said that, if he does not retires, he will come back in good form. Fans will want cricketers to start playing cricket and retire as per their expectations. Impossible. That should never happen. Lest about Sachin, even if someone tells me to retire from club cricket i am not going to listen. Those who are on the field know their abilities than those who sit in air conditioned rooms with a laptop to comment on retirement etc. The fans just don't know whether the cricketers are fit or not, whether the motivation is there or not, whether the player is capable of touching form again or not. It is too silly off the cricketers to retire as per wishes of the fans who will only see few bad series from a 21 year career and ask the player to retire. I have no objection if millions of fans would want Sachin to retire. Everyone has their own views and need to be respected. However, I would not be one of them to demand his retirement. I would like to see him take a call, in Sachins case atleast.

VIV Richards feels the same

Nobody qualified to suggest Sachin Tendulkar on retirement: Viv Richards

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 626196.cms

[greyblazer]

Punter was dropped from the one-day team. #justsaying Punter also said as he wasn't contributing enough he has decided to retire from the test team. SRT isn't even averaging 20 in this series and his overall average for this year is below 25. If he can't contribute he has to go as it is about team India and not team Sachin

[Arthur Crabtree]

From interviews I've heard, players and journos just aren't willing to stray from an orthodox position, for fear of provoking the SRT industry. Especially those who have interests in India. As many ex cricketers do. Others seem to adopt a Michael Owen style inscrutability.

[DeltaAlpha]

... team. #justsaying Punter also said ...

What's "#justsaying" mean?

[Making_Splinters]

I don't think Tendulkar's future can exist with out a fixed leaving date should India lose this series, infact I'm not sure whether he will survive India losing this series as a loss at home will provoke some sort of responce from the BCCI and Tendulkar is the highest profile scapegoat going.

[shankycricket]

In reality,no selection committee will ever drop a batsman of Sachin's / Ponting's caliber on basis of three below average or bad series. Will England drop Cook after three or 5 bad series now that they have seen the quality of his batting. No. Will they drop Cook or any other player on few bad series if they have scored as many runs as Sachin has in their career. No IMO. They will persist with him and treat it as bad form. And Cook hasn't even achieved half the runs of Sachin. Sachin will be dropped only if he does not has any good series amongst the bad ones. Or if that is not the case, he won't be in the team unless he retires himself. Having said that, if he does not retires, he will come back in good form. Fans will want cricketers to start playing cricket and retire as per their expectations. Impossible. That should never happen. Lest about Sachin, even if someone tells me to retire from club cricket i am not going to listen. Those who are on the field know their abilities than those who sit in air conditioned rooms with a laptop to comment on retirement etc. The fans just don't know whether the cricketers are fit or not, whether the motivation is there or not, whether the player is capable of touching form again or not. It is too silly off the cricketers to retire as per wishes of the fans who will only see few bad series from a 21 year career and ask the player to retire. I have no objection if millions of fans would want Sachin to retire. Everyone has their own views and need to be respected. However, I would not be one of them to demand his retirement. I would like to see him take a call, in Sachins case atleast.

VIV Richards feels the same

Nobody qualified to suggest Sachin Tendulkar on retirement: Viv Richards

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 626196.cms

For how much longer are you going to defend him, Adi?

[shankycricket]

Regardless of what happens in this Test, SRT simply has to retire and this is coming from a chap who's defended him for ages. Gambhir and Sehwag need to go too. I'd drop MSD too. One good knock doesn't mask blatantly obvious fallibilities.

[rich1uk]

Regardless of what happens in this Test, SRT simply has to retire and this is coming from a chap who's defended him for ages. Gambhir and Sehwag need to go too. I'd drop MSD too. One good knock doesn't mask blatantly obvious fallibilities.

so you would go into the next series for india with a top 7 where the most experienced player was kohli ?

[Arthur Crabtree]

I always thought you were a big SRT fan, Shanky.

To me, the issue seems more about whether he is droppable, rather whether he should be dropped. If someone were to argue that looking at his game, there is reason to hope that he will find better form, then ok. But if I see people arguing that he can't be dropped because of who he is and who he was, then that's is plainly strange.

Players normally have a choice. They can retire at the right time, just before the inevitable decline. Or they can find themselves overtaken by new players coming through. There may be a grey area, and I'm sympathetic if this is that grey area. But if a team is willing to weaken itself rather than move on a former great (cf Steve Waugh) then it isn't really what we think of as a national team anymore.

I'm not saying that is what is happening. It may be that Tendulkar is the best that India have now, and in the short term. But the fact that many suggest he doesn't need to be worth his place seems to me, pious nonsense.

[Arthur Crabtree]

so you would go into the next series for india with a top 7 where the most experienced player was kohli ?

You have to pick the best player available, and give them the best chance they can. But picking an older player who isn't scoring runs isn't necessarily going to help the younger players. What I'd guess India should do is stand by the players they believe in. If they believe that SRT is the best they have over the next two years, against the teams they will face, then ok. If they are picking him because he is Tendulkar, then that's difficult to understand.

I thought Shanky wanted Sehwag in the middle order?

[rich1uk]

I always thought you were a big SRT fan, Shanky.

To me, the issue seems more about whether he is droppable, rather whether he should be dropped. If someone were to argue that looking at his game, there is reason to hope that he will find better form, then ok. But if I see people arguing that he can't be dropped because of who he is and who he was, then that's is plainly strange.

Players normally have a choice. They can retire at the right time, just before the inevitable decline. Or they can find themselves overtaken by new players coming through. There may be a grey area, and I'm sympathetic if this is that grey area. But if a team is willing to weaken itself rather than move on a former great (cf Steve Waugh) then it isn't really what we think of as a national team anymore.

I'm not saying that is what is happening. It may be that Tendulkar is the best that India have now, and in the short term. But the fact that many suggest he doesn't need to be worth his place seems to me, pious nonsense.

cant argue with any of that AC

as a cricket fan i take no pleasure watching one of the best players to play during my time watching the game struggle in the way he has this year

[rich1uk]

so you would go into the next series for india with a top 7 where the most experienced player was kohli ?

You have to pick the best player available, and give them the best chance they can. But picking an older player who isn't scoring runs isn't necessarily going to help the younger players. What I'd guess India should do is stand by the players they believe in. If they believe that SRT is the best they have over the next two years, against the teams they will face, then ok. If they are picking him because he is Tendulkar, then that's difficult to understand.

I thought Shanky wanted Sehwag in the middle order?

yeah you do but similar to the england situation india haven't really solved the #6 spot yet , there were calls to drop kohli before this test and pujara despite his success is still finding his feet at this level

i just dont believe its in the best interests of the team to make so many changes at once

[shankycricket]

Regardless of what happens in this Test, SRT simply has to retire and this is coming from a chap who's defended him for ages. Gambhir and Sehwag need to go too. I'd drop MSD too. One good knock doesn't mask blatantly obvious fallibilities.

so you would go into the next series for india with a top 7 where the most experienced player was kohli ?

I don't buy into the experience argument, neither do most of the Indian fans on twitter. Tell me who are performing? Its the youngsters. SRT looks to be on terminal decline. Gambhir hasn't scored a Test hundred for 3 years (read again, 3 years). Sehwag half the time doesn't look as if he gives a s**t. I don't see any benefit in having "experienced" players if they are hell bent on chucking their wickets away. As far as MSD is concerned, this is probably the first time he has performed under pressure in Test cricket. Honestly, there are better options available. Saha has performed consistently well for his state side under pressure and in some bowler friendly conditions too. Also has a better technique to cope with pace, bounce and movement IMO and is also a far better keeper. Given the results India have endured in Tests in recent times, wholesale changes seems perfectly reasonable and possibly the only way the team is going to move forward. How exactly does picking non performing "experienced" players help the team? The fact is that the team is losing with these "experienced" players. Youngsters are performing and there is no reason why more youngsters shouldn't be tried out.