Sachin Tendulkar

[shankycricket]

Well said Adi.Those saying that he is hanging on in ODIs just for his 100th 100 are talking absolute BS.

However regarding his ODI career,unless he is planning to play the 2015 WC he should quit ODIs within the next year,not because he isnt good enough.He of course is still the best batsman in the Indian team.But just because you need to blood youngsters in time for the next WC.

However,I hope he is planning to play the 2015 WC as the youngsters barring the excellent Virat Kohli dont look much cop.And with the likes of Sehwag not being able to perform outside the subcontinent anymore,India could well need Sachin in the next WC.

However if he doesnt want to play that next WC then he should retire from ODIs.But as a sachin fan,I would love to see him play that WC.

[Making_Splinters]

There is a huge difference between expecting a player to be altruistic and calling them selfish, no player at the top level does not have one eye on their personal records, after all cricket is a game where players are remembered by and sellected for their individual statistics, show me a bowler who has taken four with just one wicket remaining and is happy to give someone else the ball!

What being selfish means for me, is putting your individual goals ahead of what the team needs, for example; A team need 50 off the last ten overs to win a test match and a series, they have wickets in hand and one of the batsmen is on 85. This batsman proceeds to bat out the five overs with no obvious intention of trying to score the 50 needed for the team and brings up his ton in the last over. The team draw the test and the series because of that: That is being selfish.

Wanting to score tons, take wickets is what any player wants to do, it is not being selfish.

[shankycricket]

There is a huge difference between expecting a player to be altruistic and calling them selfish, no player at the top level does not have one eye on their personal records, after all cricket is a game where players are remembered by and sellected for their individual statistics, show me a bowler who has taken four with just one wicket remaining and is happy to give someone else the ball!

What being selfish means for me, is putting your individual goals ahead of what the team needs, for example; A team need 50 off the last ten overs to win a test match and a series, they have wickets in hand and one of the batsmen is on 85. This batsman proceeds to bat out the five overs with no obvious intention of trying to score the 50 needed for the team and brings up his ton in the last over. The team draw the test and the series because of that: That is being selfish.

Wanting to score tons, take wickets is what any player wants to do, it is not being selfish.

Well said

[GGAS]

I think he has to either commit fully to playing ODI's or retire...simple as that. Continuity in the side is vital and his fielding costs India runs. I can see him playing tests for another year or so, he's probably better than any potential replacement in the longer form.

[shankycricket]

I think he has to either commit fully to playing ODI's or retire...simple as that. Continuity in the side is vital and his fielding costs India runs. I can see him playing tsts for another year or so, he's probably better than any potential replacement.

I hope he commits fully till the next WC as I believe India will need him.But he need not play the weaker sides in ODIs as long as he is playing tests.

[rich1uk]

i cant see him being around for the next WC tho , he'll be 42 in 2015

[meninblue]

I do not see a point in the concept that a cricketer should retire just because he is unlikely to play in next World Cup. By that note many players should have retired. What does one wants Sachin to do in days when he is supposed to play for international team; play List A, Ranji, Deodhar, Under 22 C. K. Nayudu, Vinoo Mankad, Under 22 Shalini Bhalekar Trophy, Times Shield, Harris Shield

Clive Rice, Grant Flower, Graeme Hick, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dominic Cork, Robert Croft are some examples of aged cricketers playing cricket in recent times or in their upper 40's, 41's. The difference between them and Sachin is that Sachin is still good to score runs in international level. Off course Sachin plays more formats and matches than they do but he is a fit player. Also, Sachin is skipping some ODI series by requesting BCCI to grant him rest. I would say Sachin is better on field than Ashwin. If you have to drop Sachin only because he has slowed as a fielder then drop Ashwin, Sehwag and Zaheer who are much slower than Sachin even at their ages. As far as a cricketer is in top class in his skill of expertise or primary skill and fitter than other players in team then he should be in playing X1. It's not that Sachin is 42 something that he needs to be rational about retirement. I mean whats wrong if Sachin scores few hundreds in next world cup too. Does his age has to be below 35 to knock those tons

[andy]

I think he has to either commit fully to playing ODI's or retire...simple as that. Continuity in the side is vital and his fielding costs India runs. I can see him playing tests for another year or so, he's probably better than any potential replacement in the longer form.

that was my point...i dont think its fair that he can pick and choose....your either fully commited or you dont play...

[rich1uk]

of course it doesn't adi but history suggests that playing at the highest level beyond 40 years of age is not too common

btw i wasn't suggesting he should retire now, i was responding to the point specifically about him having to still be around for the next world cup that shanks made

[meninblue]

of course it doesn't adi but history suggests that playing at the highest level beyond 40 years of age is not too common

btw i wasn't suggesting he should retire now, i was responding to the point specifically about him having to still be around for the next world cup that shanks made

Yes Rich, it's uncommon but he is playing cricket since very young age and hence is a well oiled machine. He will put quiet a few Indian and other international cricketers to shame who are younger than him. His 200 in ODi against south Africa said a lot about his fitness in humid Indian conditions. That was in 2011 i think.

He might not be certain of making it to next world cup but if he continues to skip ODI series against lesser teams, skip half games in IPL or like the current series then he can make it. Only time will tell. If there was a better batsman than Sachin and equally fit to him then i would have not mind Sachin retiring. As far as players being given an experience of Aussie and Kiwi wickets and weather, BCCI should schedule A list tour for the younger guys . Also they are rotating the seniors in this series. So in two years they can plan proper exposure for Indian young players if BCCI wishes so. There are ways to deal with the the idea of giving players experience in Aussie and Kiwi conditions. Sachin's retirement just because others have not yet experienced Australian and Kiwi tours is not the good move.

Pathan has toured to Australia twice now, so has Dhoni, Yuvi, Ashwin, Jadeja and Rohit have one Aussie tour under their belt. They might tour once again to OZ before the next world cup. Imagine even if Sachin retires but there are no tours scheduled for Australia then how will the younger players get experience of those conditions by playing in other countries. If there are tours of Australia before next world cup then rest Sachin, Gautam and Sehwag once again in that series one by one to give newcomers another chance. Either way there is chance to groom youngsters who haven't had a single tour of OZ. Also at the maximum only one specialist batsman will get experience due to Sachins retirement. Given all factors is it worth giving premature retirement unless Sachin becomes unfit to play cricket.

[rich1uk]

not disagreeing with you adi

i have said in the past that i think its easier to blood new players while there are still the veterans around to take them under their wing

i'm not saying drop him now because he might not be around in 2015, i am just unsure whether he will be

[meninblue]

Yes, even Sachin might not be knowing for sure whether he will be around by then. But i wont mind even if he retires few months before the World Cup. I won't be saying that why didn't Sachin retire in 2011 if he wanted to retire in 2014. IMO The only negative impact on "Team India" even if Sachin retires few months before world cup is that we will have lost an experienced match winner. I have enough faith that Sachin will take the right decision at the right time and myself as a cricket fan will respect his decision rather than complaining about it, because so far he has only done what is good for Team India and there is no reason why he will not take good decisions for the benefit of team India henceforth.

[dan08]

At the moment, Sachin is only playing the odd ODI series which isn't helping him or the team. India will never have a settled top order because he is in and out of the team. If Gambhir and Sehwag do well then one of them will still be shifted down to 3 because when Sachin is back, he has to open. Sachin rarely plays ODIs now and looks rusty because he isn't playing in the format regularly. He either has to commit to playing in most ODI series or he has to give it up. If he isn't going to play in the 2015 World Cup then he should quit ODIs after this CB series.

[GGAS]

Agree no7 May he be planning to bow out at the Asia Cup?

[dan08]

Agree no7 May he be planning to bow out at the Asia Cup?

I wouldn't mind if he did that. He either has to give it up soon or play until the WC.