Sachin plays selectively to prolong his shelf life.
Playing the West Indies on their home ground has always been an acid test for the Indian Teams. The first visit in 1953 by the Indian team under Vijay Hazare was a success though India lost the series 1-0. In 1962 India suffered a wash out losing all 5 tests while facing the West Indies under Frank Worrell. However these defeats paled into insignificance with the arrival of Sunil Gavaskar. He more than anybody gave the Indians an identity while facing the West Indian fast bowlers of the caliber of Marshal, Holding, Roberts and Garner. In fact Gavaskar hit 7 centuries against the West Indies in West Indies. No body has hit that many centuries against the West Indies on their home grounds against them.
Sunil has gone on record and commented that the biggest test for any player is to succeed against the West Indies on their home grounds. This he himself did and in the process earned the title ‘great’. However the conduct of Sachin Tendulkar is most surprising. He has opted out of the West Indies tour on the plea that he has to spend some time with his family. Consider that he also avoided visiting the West Indies during the Indian tour of the islands last time under Dravid.
Sanjay Manjrekar in one of his acerbic comments had said that Sachin avoided touring the West Indies as he wished to prolong his cricket life and also a fear of the bouncy pitches in the islands. Remember Kingston and the blood bath of 1976 and one can get an idea of the pitches in the West Indies. The pitches have now however mellowed down. Thus it is difficult to understand why Tendulkar is avoiding the West Indies.
It must be mentioned that his record in the West Indies is just moderate and in 10 tests in the West Indies has just one century to show to his name (113 at Trinidad under Ganguly). This is a pretty average record. In addition he was part of the infamous test at Kingston when India chasing 120 to win collapsed for 83. Tendulkar himself failed with the bat.
Thus Tendulkar had a point to prove and his decision to opt out of the West Indies tour will certainly raise some eyebrows. The ultimate aim of a great player is to play and score runs against all opponents away from home. Considering the moderate success of Tendulkar against the West Indies in West Indies it was important for him to tour the islands to set the record straight of his earlier moderate performance. But alas! He has opted to avoid touring the West Indies and there is no chance whatsoever that he will tour the West Indies again. This is a sad thing as I for one would have like Tendulkar to succeed in West Indies and emulate Gavaskar. But this will remain an enigma for cricket lovers for all time to come. Perhaps the board should have stepped in, as the aim of a player is not just to pile up individual records, but also help the country win.
Sunil has gone on record and commented that the biggest test for any player is to succeed against the West Indies on their home grounds. This he himself did and in the process earned the title ‘great’. However the conduct of Sachin Tendulkar is most surprising. He has opted out of the West Indies tour on the plea that he has to spend some time with his family. Consider that he also avoided visiting the West Indies during the Indian tour of the islands last time under Dravid.
Sanjay Manjrekar in one of his acerbic comments had said that Sachin avoided touring the West Indies as he wished to prolong his cricket life and also a fear of the bouncy pitches in the islands. Remember Kingston and the blood bath of 1976 and one can get an idea of the pitches in the West Indies. The pitches have now however mellowed down. Thus it is difficult to understand why Tendulkar is avoiding the West Indies.
It must be mentioned that his record in the West Indies is just moderate and in 10 tests in the West Indies has just one century to show to his name (113 at Trinidad under Ganguly). This is a pretty average record. In addition he was part of the infamous test at Kingston when India chasing 120 to win collapsed for 83. Tendulkar himself failed with the bat.
Thus Tendulkar had a point to prove and his decision to opt out of the West Indies tour will certainly raise some eyebrows. The ultimate aim of a great player is to play and score runs against all opponents away from home. Considering the moderate success of Tendulkar against the West Indies in West Indies it was important for him to tour the islands to set the record straight of his earlier moderate performance. But alas! He has opted to avoid touring the West Indies and there is no chance whatsoever that he will tour the West Indies again. This is a sad thing as I for one would have like Tendulkar to succeed in West Indies and emulate Gavaskar. But this will remain an enigma for cricket lovers for all time to come. Perhaps the board should have stepped in, as the aim of a player is not just to pile up individual records, but also help the country win.
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