Sunday, January 29, 2006
Tendulkar: the beginning of the end?
Day 3 of the Faislabad test between India and Pakistan: Shoaib Akhtar pitches one short, Tendulkar thinks he has gloved the ball as it went through to wicketkeeper Akmal and decides to walk without waiting on the ump.
Turns out, he actually had his hand off the handle at the moment of impact and hence might have been ruled not out had he stuck around for the decision.
If Moin Khan is to believed, Tendulkar was so terrified of Shoaib Akhtar steaming into bowl on the dreaded Faislabad pitch that he decided to bail out. Fair enough? Well, after all Shoaib is one of the most feared bowlers of our time and he was pretty charged up (ask Dhoni for he bowled one aiming for his throat not too much later). Could Moin be on to something here?
Well, let us see.
The Faislabad pitch was indeed dreaded. Up until the point Sachin did his hasty retreat, no fewer than 824 runs had been scored in the test match for the loss of 12 wickets. When Sachin walked into bat, the score was 236 for 2.
The Faislabad wicket was indeed turning out to be a dreaded one. But not for anyone carrying anything remotely resembling a bat.
So, what is Mr. Khan talking about? Isn't it absurd? I mean, how dare he accuse a great like Sachin of running away from fast bowling on a dead pitch?
But then again this is just the next in the series of phases that Tendulkar and the circus that goes along with his insitution goes.
1989 to 1990: Debut at the age of 16. Breath of fresh air phase.
1990 to 1996: Young genius flaying attacks across the world phase.
1996 to 2004: The best batsman in the world phase.
2004 to now: No longer the best but senior statesman/run accumulator phase.
And now, in 2006, Moin has begun the debate on whether this is the "beginning of the end" phase.
All through these different phases, corporate houses, journalists, authors, editors, politicians, cricket administrators, coaches, agents and commentators alike have ridden the wave.
His emergence coincided with a time when sweeping changes were underway. Markets were being liberalized. Doordarshan was giving way to Cable Television. With Gavaskar having retired and Kapil Dev on the decline, a fresh, young, dynamic figure-head was needed.
Back in in those days, there were no Paes/Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, Miss World titles, Infosys, Lagaan at the Oscars or American Presidents coming the Delhi way.
Sachin was the good news everyone was waiting for. And often times, the only good news around.
All through the saga from 1989 to date, a multi million dollar industry has thrived with him at the center. It showed stellar growth in the pre -Dravid/Sehwag/Yuvraj days when he was the only wicket standing between opponent teams and victory. It continued to flourish through the dark days of match fixing where he emerged squeaky clean. It got a shot in the arm when he returned from his Father's funeral to be with the World Cup squad. Even an indifferent captaincy reign and a series of painful injuries did not prevent the industry from chugging along nicely.
Books were written. Newspaper columns by former and current players paid their "Tendulkar tax" faithfully. Visiting team captains were made to mouth a tribute to him in every interview conducted on Indian soil. Commentators were besting each other to win the "Praise Sachin" contest. Awards were bestowed from a range of people from Tyre companies to the President of India. And of course, he was out there selling us everything from energy bars to automobiles and everything in between.
In the post 2004 era, the industry slowed down. Sehwag, Yuvi and Dravid now sell more on TV. Rival captains now talk of others as being the prized scalp. And Mandira Bedi can talk about others without feeling guilty. Most pundits would probably agree that Tendulkar has at least another couple of years at the highest level. I mean didn't Steve Waugh score most of his runs at the twilight of his career?
So, there is still some life left in the Tendulkar industry. And it is that life that Moin Khan is trying to latch on to.
What better way to do that than to question how much life he has left.
Turns out, he actually had his hand off the handle at the moment of impact and hence might have been ruled not out had he stuck around for the decision.
If Moin Khan is to believed, Tendulkar was so terrified of Shoaib Akhtar steaming into bowl on the dreaded Faislabad pitch that he decided to bail out. Fair enough? Well, after all Shoaib is one of the most feared bowlers of our time and he was pretty charged up (ask Dhoni for he bowled one aiming for his throat not too much later). Could Moin be on to something here?
Well, let us see.
The Faislabad pitch was indeed dreaded. Up until the point Sachin did his hasty retreat, no fewer than 824 runs had been scored in the test match for the loss of 12 wickets. When Sachin walked into bat, the score was 236 for 2.
The Faislabad wicket was indeed turning out to be a dreaded one. But not for anyone carrying anything remotely resembling a bat.
So, what is Mr. Khan talking about? Isn't it absurd? I mean, how dare he accuse a great like Sachin of running away from fast bowling on a dead pitch?
But then again this is just the next in the series of phases that Tendulkar and the circus that goes along with his insitution goes.
1989 to 1990: Debut at the age of 16. Breath of fresh air phase.
1990 to 1996: Young genius flaying attacks across the world phase.
1996 to 2004: The best batsman in the world phase.
2004 to now: No longer the best but senior statesman/run accumulator phase.
And now, in 2006, Moin has begun the debate on whether this is the "beginning of the end" phase.
All through these different phases, corporate houses, journalists, authors, editors, politicians, cricket administrators, coaches, agents and commentators alike have ridden the wave.
His emergence coincided with a time when sweeping changes were underway. Markets were being liberalized. Doordarshan was giving way to Cable Television. With Gavaskar having retired and Kapil Dev on the decline, a fresh, young, dynamic figure-head was needed.
Back in in those days, there were no Paes/Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, Miss World titles, Infosys, Lagaan at the Oscars or American Presidents coming the Delhi way.
Sachin was the good news everyone was waiting for. And often times, the only good news around.
All through the saga from 1989 to date, a multi million dollar industry has thrived with him at the center. It showed stellar growth in the pre -Dravid/Sehwag/Yuvraj days when he was the only wicket standing between opponent teams and victory. It continued to flourish through the dark days of match fixing where he emerged squeaky clean. It got a shot in the arm when he returned from his Father's funeral to be with the World Cup squad. Even an indifferent captaincy reign and a series of painful injuries did not prevent the industry from chugging along nicely.
Books were written. Newspaper columns by former and current players paid their "Tendulkar tax" faithfully. Visiting team captains were made to mouth a tribute to him in every interview conducted on Indian soil. Commentators were besting each other to win the "Praise Sachin" contest. Awards were bestowed from a range of people from Tyre companies to the President of India. And of course, he was out there selling us everything from energy bars to automobiles and everything in between.
In the post 2004 era, the industry slowed down. Sehwag, Yuvi and Dravid now sell more on TV. Rival captains now talk of others as being the prized scalp. And Mandira Bedi can talk about others without feeling guilty. Most pundits would probably agree that Tendulkar has at least another couple of years at the highest level. I mean didn't Steve Waugh score most of his runs at the twilight of his career?
So, there is still some life left in the Tendulkar industry. And it is that life that Moin Khan is trying to latch on to.
What better way to do that than to question how much life he has left.
