Sachin Tendulkar future splits cricket fans

Dubai: A prolific batsman and arguably one of the biggest icons the cricketing world has seen, the name Sachin Tendulkar is often synonymous with the sport.

So when former Indian captain Kapil Dev told Gulf News the most important stage of Tendulkar’s career is “over”, it split readers into two different camps. His comment received both outrage and agreement from readers, who debated over whether the ‘Master Blaster’ should retire.

Geo Francis, an Ajman resident, said: “I believe taking a call on someone’s career would be better left to that individual. At the same time, it’s the responsibility of the selection committee to always do justice to talented young players and make sure that Sachin is selected on his current form and not because of his past glories.”

A.M. Jalal Al Deen, a Dubai-based reader, said the ‘Cricketer of the Century’ title should be passed on from Kapil Dev to Tendulkar. He said: “Age should never be the criteria to decide when a sportsman should retire.”

But, considering the batsman’s declining performance over the past few years, he added: “Tendulkar should retire... or Indian selectors can do him a favour and drop him from the Test side.”

Another reader from Dubai, Bijjith, posted a comment on gulfnews.com raising his concern about who would replace the legendary cricketer as a reliable batsman if he were to retire. Bijjith said: “Who would we have as a batsman on the fast-paced South African pitches or when facing the swing in New Zealand? Would we have Virender Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir, provided they come back to form?”

Refuting claims that Tendulkar announced his retirement from One Day Internationals (ODI) because he was out of form, Bijjith added: “Sachin has taken a decision to quit ODIs to devote more time to Test cricket and thereby build a better Indian team.”

For Shafi, who also posted on gulfnews.com, just having Tendulkar on the pitch is “special”. He said: “I request all retired players and fans not to push Sachin to retire from Test cricket. He has just retired from ODIs and it’s still painful to his fans throughout the world. He still has a passion for the game so let him continue with Test cricket for another two or three years — it will be a morale booster for upcoming young players.”

— The writer is an intern with Gulf News