Retire in Peace, Sachin Tendulkar

How do you tackle a batting legend whose aura of invincibility permeates beyond the boundary on the field of play?

Sachin Tendulkar is behaving like a modern day W.G. Grace who according to cricketing folklore refused to walk when he was clean bowled by saying: "Play on, they've come here to see me bat, not you umpire."

No one who has followed his career will deny him this right but it is agonising to see the once-champion batsmen struggling to get into double figures.

It was India's original 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar who raised concerns when Tendulkar failed in the home Test series against New Zealand.

Ever since he scored the much-awaited 100th century against Bangladesh earlier this year, Tendulkar hasn’t been in the best of form and was bowled in most of the innings and clearly lacked confidence.

The batting stalwart who is eight short of becoming the first cricketer to play 200 Tests, has not reached the three-figure-mark since the Cape Town match against South Africa in January 2011. Since then, he has played 15 Tests, and 28 innings, without a century.

No one asked Sir Donald Bradman or Michael Jordan to go but such decisions were taken by the great players themselves.

Now it is a question of when for Tendulkar and only he can make that dreaded call which every sportsman finds it difficult to make before he is asked to go.

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