We may never know if Sachin chose to retire from ODI cricket of his own accord, or was given a nudge by the selectors who would rather not unceremoniously drop him. I am inclined to think the latter, knowing our selectors. It will probably remain a mystery. Never, however, rule out Mohinder Amarnath squealing ten years later. It will provide Arnab Goswami and Rajdeep Sardesai a field day.
You can, however be sure of the reactions of the mango people of India. Most are too worried about the agitation in Delhi and its causes, many have switched sides from 'when is he retiring' to 'why is he retiring', some are heartbroken and a few are relieved. Nostalgia is in the air, with most recalling his exploits in the blue shirt between 1998 and 2003. At the time, I was still learning to walk and talk, which means I cannot comment. Sachin has, however, given me many reasons to smile. He has also, in the past year and a half, given me as many reasons to curse.
As I write, he is playing for Mumbai in the Ranji trophy, giving those not interested in Indo-Pak rivalry something to watch. These may be back to the days when India team players used to face each other in the Ranji trophy, these could also be the days when domestic cricket is the only refuge when you have been kicked out by the national selectors.
About two-thirds of his ODI centuries have come in winning causes. This should not be surprising. His centuries became a kind of 'unlucky-charm' in the last few years, making a friend of mine wish he never reached 100 of them.
With the old order of Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid and Sachin having flowed out of ODIs, it is time to find replacements. Rahane is not a bad choice, Kohli has cemented his place, Mukund and Pujara are flying in and out of the team, Robin Bist has been pretty consistent in the Ranji. Our team is rebuilding itself like the Australian team. I wish them all the best. Till then, let Pakistan get some thrills out of hammering our team.
You can, however be sure of the reactions of the mango people of India. Most are too worried about the agitation in Delhi and its causes, many have switched sides from 'when is he retiring' to 'why is he retiring', some are heartbroken and a few are relieved. Nostalgia is in the air, with most recalling his exploits in the blue shirt between 1998 and 2003. At the time, I was still learning to walk and talk, which means I cannot comment. Sachin has, however, given me many reasons to smile. He has also, in the past year and a half, given me as many reasons to curse.
As I write, he is playing for Mumbai in the Ranji trophy, giving those not interested in Indo-Pak rivalry something to watch. These may be back to the days when India team players used to face each other in the Ranji trophy, these could also be the days when domestic cricket is the only refuge when you have been kicked out by the national selectors.
About two-thirds of his ODI centuries have come in winning causes. This should not be surprising. His centuries became a kind of 'unlucky-charm' in the last few years, making a friend of mine wish he never reached 100 of them.
With the old order of Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid and Sachin having flowed out of ODIs, it is time to find replacements. Rahane is not a bad choice, Kohli has cemented his place, Mukund and Pujara are flying in and out of the team, Robin Bist has been pretty consistent in the Ranji. Our team is rebuilding itself like the Australian team. I wish them all the best. Till then, let Pakistan get some thrills out of hammering our team.
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