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I just hope we don't build on this for England. Because if Dravid decides to stay with five batsmen in England, he can't, after this performance, pick Laxman for the first Test and Jaffer, Karthik, Dravid, Tendulkar plus Ganguly and Dhoni would be an iffy line-up against the moving ball and short-pitched bowling. Lots of people have written in to point out that Ganguly did well against an all-pace attack in South Africa and so he did. He has earned his place in the team…at No.6. I don't want him walking in against Harmison and Flintoff at the fall of the fourth wicket, specially if Dhoni's in next. Dhoni's a splendid player in sub-continental conditions but he has yet to show us that his home-made brutality travels well. Besides, I'm not sure that India's dominance in this Test match has much to do with a five-man attack. Zaheer and Kumble between them have done the business as so often before. I can't see that the exclusion of Ishant Sharma would have made much difference to our fortunes in the Mirpur Test. Footnote: given that Karthik can't catch anything without gloves on, Laxman in the slips in seaming conditions would be more than useful.

I notice that cricket reporters on web sites and newspapers (and not a few of the comments in response to the last post) are 'perplexed', 'baffled' and 'worried' by Tendulkar's strike-rate. The conclusion is a) that Tendulkar is batting for individual milestones, not for the team and b) that he's past his sell-by date. Sanjay Manjrekar had a piece in the May issue of Cricinfo Magazine where he observed "…Indian players have a tendency to overstay their welcome. Kapil Dev, with due respect, clearly robbed India of two good years of cricket from the young Javagal Srinath…There is a fear that a great cricketer can never be replaced. But didn't Tendulkar replace Sunil Gavaskar adequately in a matter of two years?" You could be forgiven for thinking that Manjrekar's hinting rather broadly that it's time to send Tendulkar on his way, but even if that's not what Manjrekar meant, from the evidence of public comment over the last couple of days, there are lots of fans and journalists who think Tendulkar's a liability.

I think they're daft. On the matter of Tendulkar thwarting the team interest by scoring too slowly, it's worth remembering that India scored over six hundred runs at four runs an over in less than two days and there was enough time after the declaration for Zaheer to wreck the Bangladeshi top order. There's a difference between a proper nostalgia for a younger Tendulkar who took attacks apart and the unlovely, irrational instinct to savage a great player because he has been diminished by time. Yes, Tendulkar isn't the batsman he was and his decline is the more poignant for having been accompanied by a change of style: a great attacking batsman has become a nudging accumulator. But I suggest that till we find a young batsman who can nudgingly accumulate at the same rate as Tendulkar does now, we leave him be. I don't think Suresh Raina or Yuvraj Singh are credible rivals for his batting spot. In the South African series Tendulkar was well below his best but it's worth remembering that he played rather better than his captain did.

I'm not surprised by Tendulkar's attritional methods and his determination to get his hundreds. Having been slandered by gossip (the rumours about his subversion of Dravid's authority), dissed by Chappell, reprimanded by the board for speaking out of turn and excluded from the Bangladeshi ODIs as punishment for unspecified 'sins', he could be forgiven for thinking that he had been put on notice, that given the opportunity the time wasn't far off when the selectors and the team management might 'rest' him for Test matches. Having struck two centuries in successive Tests he's achieved two things: One, a stay on the popular Manjrekar Prescription (viz. old guys should be recycled) and two, he's boosted his own morale as a batsman. For those of us who wish the team well this is good news at the start of a busy Test season.

I agree with your conclusion that Sachin is unfairly picked upon by journalists and commentators. I don't know why, since I'm not either, but maybe it helps in getting the right number of eyeballs to that article and enough tongues to wag, to matter in some way.

The team selection cannot be rigid and must take into account the local conditions and the pitch before deciding upon 4 or 5 bowlers and who the respective personnel will be.

I like to see Laxman in the test team, maybe penciled in after Dravid, and I don't have any problems in seeing Ganguly come in when Flintoff is bowling (I'll never be bothered to see anyone coming in if Harmison is bowling!); who will play will depend upon the factors I mentioned above. When it comes to five bowlers (which we may well need seeing that England bats deep now - an explosive Prior at 7), Saurav could double up as the fifth bowler if the conditions are helpful for seamers, thereby allowing an extra bat to play.

I am bothered by the experiment with openers...that isn't convincing. I am an ardent supporter of DK (for long) but I don't know if this is the right combo at the top.

The second part of the summer will not be like the first part, and spin will certainly matter against England.

Mukul, I really do find this baffling. "It's hard to argue with runs on the board ...." when those runs are scored by Tendulkar and not by Ganguly? The point is, Ganguly HAD more runs on the board than candidate Laxman in the last series played, which, I believe is a good indicator of current form. If you know of another metric, let me know.
Yes, Ganguly was, and still is uncomfortable against the short ball, and it continues to remain the best way to get him out. That has not stopped him from doing well in either South Africa or destination next: England. His record, both recent and distant past are ample evidence of that. In a five batsman line up, where grit, determination, experience of playing conditions and past records ought to be considered in addition to current form, I fail to see Laxman edging Ganguly out on any of those counts especially if the destination is England. Actually, I really don't remember Laxman distinguishing himself on India's last tour there in 2002. And, I don't think he's played a lot in England. In fact, if you do go by technique, there are not that many purists who would say Laxman's is the correct approach to the moving ball. As regards the short pitched stuff, wickets in England are spongy and not the hard deck variety of Australia. It is the movement rather than the bounce which needs to be looked into. Is Laxman capable of handling that? Undoubtedly. Would he do a better job of doing that than Ganguly? The past records indicate no, but I wouldn't mind being proven wrong this time. Because, at the end of the day, it is far more important for India to win the series in England than to have a conclusive answer to the Laxman - Ganguly conundrum.

Hey Mukul,
This is a typical article from the Indian Psyche. Suddenly, everthing is forgotten and we are back to hero worship.

For heaven's sake, Sachin should be dropped precisely for one reason: for taking too much time in getting a century after getting a head start from the first 3 batsmen. His attitude is pathetic.

Everyone knows how we all rever Sachin. But, honestly it is time for him to retire unless he decides to play a key role for the team through unselfish, virorous contributions through attacking batsmanship. His selfishness just stinks.

I am amazed that selection committee should name him vice-captain. It is another strategy to carry on even if he fails.

Getting him and Ganguly is blocking the progress of the Indian team. For heaven's sake: give opportunities for: Uttappa, Yuvraj, Tiwari, Joginder Singh, Akash Chopra, gambir, Chawla,..........even to someone like Appanna (young spinner from Karnataka)..........certainly drop Sachin, ganguly, Kumble...........

Sachin was great. But it is obvious his cricket in last 3-4 years is very ordinary. There is only so much time you can continue based on past glory.

Thanks Suching for your great contribution to Indian cricket. But, please do retire.

P.S.: Selectors, please wake up and start fooling people.

Prasad S. Thenkabail

Ok, and now the Tendulkar issue. Yes, his "attritional methods" as you seem to describe them, have worked for him, not just in Bangladesh but also in Sydney. Tendulkar is a genius in more ways than one, no questions. I don't think any other batsman now or in the past has had this ability to will himself back in form. And Tendulkar has done this twice. However, the questions regarding his ability to bat INDIA and not himself out of jail have not gone away and they won't unless we see a superlative third or fourth innings performance (like that against Pakistan in Chennai but with a happier ending) sometime soon. Many a time has the stage been set for him to do that: the third test in SA, Dravid's test in Adelaide, going further back, the India Pakistan test in Kolkata which was played to an empty stadium, the occasions have been far too many, the response, disappointment everytime.

I dont know why sanjay manjrekar is always behind sachin.he has always got some nasty comments to make on sachin.But neways i feel that sachin has got some good 2-3 years of cricket left in him.Watchout he may well feature in 2011 world cup in India and may end his glorious career with a worldcup victory in his hometown.Wow!!

You really seem to have a soft spot for Laxman! I confess that Im a huge Ganguly fan. But I've given my $0.02 worth on this topic already. I just wanted to say, you're so right about Sachin! He's scored consecutive centuries in very difficult conditions at a strike rate of over 50.. there's nothing wrong with that. He is still one of the best batsmen in the line-up. I really hope he does well in England, just so that he can silence his critics. But they're never quiet for very long are they?

Unconvincing. From start to end. The same set of criteria that can defend Tendulkar is used to damn Ganguly. The number of people who can be critical of Tendulkar can be counted on the fingers of on one hand. Manjrekar is one of them. Do not tell me that Tendulkar is beyond criticism. I clearly recall that since century number 35 watching Tendulkar play has been a very uncomfortable experience. There was no pressure on him till the WC '07, but there was no performance either. Form may dip but how can he suddenly turn into a lesser player?
The way these hundreds were scored does not look like the start of a great new chapter. It certainly looks like his one way ticket to the one day team as well. Thanks in large measure to torch bearers like you.

all who wants tendulkar to retire have no knowledge of cricket and that includes majerkar who himself was a medicore batsman at best and now commenting on one of the worlds best...

Timely piece. It is truly amazing that the fans who would discount this win as simply one against lowly Bangladesh are the very same ones who would have argued, had the game ended in a draw or narrow win, that India could not even demolish lowly Bangladesh. Surprise, surprise - one can only score runs, or win games for that matter, against teams that one plays.
The Laxman question is definitely a dilemma. Ganguly has done well in tests since his return, and runs on the board are hard to discount. Still, looking at him, it is clear that he has tremendous problems with the short pitched stuff. As a batsman, Laxman would definitely be a far better choice, but for now Ganguly must be retained. His weaknesses are already known by even his most ardent supporters but until they are repeatedly exposed he will be persisted with.
Even in the one day game he struggles. In the World Cup game against Bangladesh Ganguly batted 35 balls for his first 6 runs. While not laying all the blame at his doorstep - Tendulkar is the one who should shoulder much responsibility for that loss - it was that snail pace of Ganguly that emboldened the young Bangladeshis to step up their game and forced India on to the back foot. In cricket, momentum is most everything.
Tendulkar will always have the misfortune to be criticized by journalists and media personnel looking for some cheap publicity and recognition. Hey, every one knows about sensationalism in the media business and who still generates the biggest news in cricket? Why, Tendulkar, of course!

I fully agree with the comments..! For some reason, it has become a fad to criticise Sachin. If he scores runs, we say he is slow ... or he palyed for himself..! and if he doesn't - well, we know what the criticism is...! It's time we stop these nonsensical comments about the only playing legend that the game as now - the other one having retired recently...!!!

Mukul, I am thrilled that you have responded along the lines that I wanted to, after reading a criticism of Tendulkar's innings on this very website. It is a measure of his genius that he can be criticised after scoring a century. Two thought experiments for everyone who is critical of his approach - If Tendulkar scored anything less than a ton in the 2 matches where everyone else was getting centuries, what would your response be? Sack Tendulkar. If he dominated the Bangladeshi attack into submission in the two tests, what would your response be? Oh, he is a minnow basher.
The fact is your response will not be anywhere close to positive until Tendulkar scores a dominating/important hundred against Australia, SA or England (doesnt seem to matter that he's done that many times over). In such a demanding, post-WC loss scenario, Tendulkar's methods are justified. And trust me, these are ominous signs for the English summer.

Under any other circumstances, Ganguly would have been history long ago. Everyone cribs about Sachin's inability to win matches for India, when was the last occasion Ganguly won one??????? In SA he was at best the 'best of a bad lot'. And the worst part is that a thing called self-criticism is entirely lacking in him. If he himself admits that he worked on his fitness and technique during his absence from the team, it's obvious that he was lacking on those fronts before being dropped. Speak to him about that and his constant refrain is that he's never actually failed!!!
England dropped Thorpe AFTER a successful series of series of good performances and discovered Pietersen. Will our selectors take a leaf out of that book?

Mr Kesavan - clearly teaching social history does not pay enough or keep you busy enough, so perhaps some moonlighting in Creative Writing may do the trick. You do have a penchant for maudlin, sentimentality and no concept of performance, and it shows. ... or maybe a career writing screenplay for Sanjay Leela Bhansali?

Yeah, 3 out of the last 4 hundreds of India's batting champion are against Bangladesh and we are singing his paeans to him. Why do we wan't to give dozens of chances to our aging heroes but drop young guys at the slightest hint of failure. On the contrary, the youngster deserve more chances than the older ones. They are bound to fail but we need to support them. In fact the selectors did a stupid thing by not having young batsmen in the test matches. Now Tendulkar and ganguly can live on this glory till the next series against Bangladesh or Holland or Ireland. Play on mates

Prasad, I don't know what selfishness you saw in Sachin in this match where India won by an innings and 239 runs under three days. I can understand if you said that he was slow when India were chasing a target or something. I perfectly well knew what he was doing and its probably a team decision. I don't why you are so adamant that he should retire? I think he is coming back to his best and we'll see how invaluable his contribution will be in England.

Geoff Boycott scores a painful double century and gets axed from the England team. Mongia decides its a lost cause in an ODI (against WI, if i remember correct) and considers it time to increase his average just that wee bit. What follows next. He's dropped. I am by no means suggesting that Tendulkar as a player cannot be compared to the above two. Or rather Tendulkar was a player who was beyond compare.

Even by the standards that he has set in the recent past the century was pathetically slow and uninspiring. Even Dinesh Karthick who was approaching his maiden Test century danced down the track to loft the ball over midwicket. Just for a moment when Sachin hit that six of Rafique one hoped that he'd go for the bowling. Wrong! Rather than proving his critics wrong he chooses to fool his ardent fans. Tendulkar is a pale shadow of himself, maybe in the darkness of an eclipse. Rather he seems to be have been looking at the four shadows from the floodlights and assuming that he is a much more powerful force to reckon with.

The Australians were right after all. We do play for records.

I do not think people are being a critic of Tendulkar for unfound reasons. His bating skills are declining for quiet sometime now. Even against medicore B'desh attach, he did not bat like the master batsman that we foundly associate him to. I would like the next tour of England be presented as a litmus test to him. If he does not fair well there, then he should be sacked. Better yet, Sachin please hang your shoes then. If he performs good, then we have a real problem. It is time to look for future. We have nearly 5 people in our test team who are "OT" (Over Thirty).

It will be really interesting to see how India performs in the long tour ahead in England.

B. Oruganti.

As far as the fact that tendulkar scored more than his captain in SA'06, his captain was given out in ridiculous manner in 2 tests. The only reason we lost the series is due to fact that Tendulkar squandered the momentum in last test by allowing 'world's best leftarmer' to dominate. India has one two matchwinners in Dravid and Laxman, and the last time Tendulkar actually played for team in important games was in 2003 WC. I would expect Cricketnext or other useless cricket sites to write such articles, but to see cricinfo come up with this stuff is a diasppointment.

There are still some good articles written in cricinfo (esp by Anand vasu, Dileep, & others), but I hope the editors put more thought in publishing ones that dont make sense.

Read somewhere that would Ponting or Lara have played similarly had they walked in at 300 odd for no loss? Well the simple answer is no and the reason is it’s not their game to play as Sachin did. But in the same breath I'd like to ask...would other "modern" greats like Dravid and Kallis to name a couple end up with a better strike rate in the same situation?
Give the man some respect. He has had a great career and deserves among other things, the right to make the call on his future.
Please do not try telling me that he didn’t play to the situation. What was the point of him getting out in search of some quick runs, with the risk of the same happening to others in the batting line-up. Would 480-500 all out seem as strong a statement as 610-4 does? The team would then be ridiculed for getting all out against Bangladesh!
My only grouse with Sachin is that with his new style of playing, he is allowing not only the good bowlers but also mediocre ones to settle into a rhythm and dictate terms. This is affecting not only him but also the other batters. While he has the game to cope with this, the others in the line-up might benefit if he is more aggressive with the bowlers. I believe this attitude has led to the recent collapses in the fourth innings where India had a chance to win tests or atleast bat out ‘draws”.

What the hell is all this rubbish?!?!?! If Sachin does well, he is a minnow basher, if he fails he is past his best! The people who have put this comments, have no idea, constantly critiscising Sachin. Nobody has a go at Dravid for his snail batting, in fact we gloriously name him "The Wall!". I remember in ODIs in the late 90s, he was so slow, but people like Sachin and Saurav when they were captain stuck with him. This kind of support for Sachin and Saurav, two world class players who have given their all for Indiann cricket, is disgraceful from the Indian management. Especially towards Ganguly, who has been the victim of the team management, i.e. missing the bus (nobody bothered to tell him), his name wasnt mentioned in the list of medalions (given by the Indian management!!). If they fail in England, then please give constructive critiscism. This series has meant nmtohing, BAngladesh played their hearts out, but there was still a huge difference in the teams. Sachin's ton was a well paced innings, he is not young, are indian supporters still living in the 90s! his reflexes are going, but he adds stability and expereince to batting, which is key to winning a test match. I wonder what they young players who many have mentioned would have done, many will lose thier heads in England. Some of the ways Gambhir got out were atrocious. England are not Zimbabwe!! And let us remember, we have finished a series against a team that allowed JASON GILLESPIE to get a double century!!! ENGLAND HERE WE COME!!

Tendulkar's recent two century innings have been scored at a rate of 56.45 runs per 100 balls.His first 18 were scored at an average rate of 58.02 runs per 100 balls.Both these centuries were useful innings for the team. the first at Chittagong saved us from a potentially dangerous situation.I recall that we were 130 odd for 3 with only Dhoni as a recognized batsman to follow. The second century did the job required of taking the team to a sizeable total within the planned time. Even today, barring Dravid there is no batsman in India I would pick ahead of Tendulkar. We should count ourselves lucky to have watched this great batsman in his prime and respectfully allow him to fade away in his own time. hopefully he will be with Team India for a few more years.

sanjay manjrekar always writes poisonous things about sachin, because of a simple reason. jealousy. Manjrekar always thought he was a better bat than sachin, but unfortunately he lives in fools paradise

i think there is no one to sachin ability he is a world class player and there is no doubt about it
though his centuries were slow it was very much useful and also hitting a century at that condition was really a tough one we must congrats sachin for doing that

I am a die hard Sachin Fan. I will be first to agree that Sachin is no where near the top 5 batsman in the world at present. He never signed a contract that he will remain the top 5 in the world as long as he plays. It is all the hype of medai and corporate world that causes the terms "master" "master blaster" thrown out by all and Sundry. Maybe Tendy also contrbutes to this wth all his endorsements (though i cant care less how these players make or dont make money). Is being the top 5 in the world a pre-requisite to playing for India. Sachin is still the top 5 bats in India. So unless one one of the youngsters play him out of the team, Tensy should go nowhere.
The journalists and critics can write anything. That is their job. With a mad rush for stories, cricket in India is no longer a game. It is a show biz. Many people commenting just play along the mantra that seniors shud go. First of all Zaheer with his experience is a senior. The same Zaheer was carted for 4 RPO in the last test and there were some who suggested that he is returning to his bad ways again. Now he is a hero.
Cricket is a game and everyone will have good and bad days. Journalists who seek masala prey on this uncertainity.
The arguement that Tendukar has not featrured in matchwinning/match saving innings in the last one year is true. But to argue that a team like India should throw him out on that basis is absurd. If we have a hussey to replace Tendy like he replaced Martyn, please bring him on, but dont bring in Dinesh mongia and G.Gambir to replace the "seniors". It stinks of politica and it is a shame that the sineless RD let it happen. No wonder the players are playing for records. When you have your employer (BCCI and popular opinion) and your captain trust, then you get good performances. If RD supported others in team India like he blindly and openly supported Shewag, then Team India can become world beaters. HOwever that is too much to ask of him. He is a clever cookie who will pull of a kovala beach trick when team India is going down the drain and then emerge when and play the chamcha to BCCI. Defeat in England will break Team India and ONLY a strong leader on and off the field can save it. I hope RD steps up or my beloved team will fall... AGAIN as it did in WC 07 and this time it would be more painful :(
Lastly... wonder what manjrekar has done for Indian Cricket to convert himself into a commentator and fill the air waves with runbbish. Does he not feel awkward to talk trash when no same person with any degree of cricketing knowledge or history will ever talk abt him even as the top 100 Indians to have played the game. He was a strokeless wonder. Mr. technical if you will with no runs to prove his technique.

Sam Shamaroo,
Mark Waugh was anyday a far more attractive player to watch with apparently no conspicuous chink in his armor, compared to brother Steve. Yet, guess who had a longer and a more distinguished career. As I said earlier, against good, short pitched bowling, Steve Waugh jumped around like a cat on a hot tin roof. His shirt was marked with red dots from the body blows that he took. Yet, at the end of the day he had 200 not out against his name. Ganguly is yet to score 200, perhaps he never will score as much, but when it comes to batting with the tail, and gritting it out in the middle, or supporting a more fluent Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, or Yuvraj for that matter, count on his tenacity, and mental toughness to do the job 8 times out of 10. He is pretty much a more gifted version of his present cricket manager, Ravi Shastri. Yes, Shastri too was "hai hai"'d through out his career but his effectiveness at no. 6 and later on, his forced role as opener was accepted and appreciated by anyone and everyone who understands and appreciates an iota of Test cricket.
Shastri, Steve Waugh, Ganguly, are all prime examples of why the mental component of cricket is often prized over physical skill. Not only does it help the concerned cricketer, the energy and the determination can spread through the ranks as well. That's why Shastri is such a great motivator, while Ganguly and Waugh's record as captains speak for themselves.

Coming to the issue about Tendulkar that every one is talking about one should feel that he is getting criticised more than he needs to be. After all he is still the best batsman in the world. Yes, i agree that he didn't played well when the crunch time comes in test matches but his approach is never discouraging. What people will say if he had failed in this series? I cant even think about it. Many times he also played well in crunch situations like the chennai test and again the chennai test against australia in 2001 and manier times he was given out unluckily when we required him most. Also it was our wonderful tale that let him and our team down many times. Remember that also. Anyway he should silent all this critics on him by an much needed innings for his team in an 3rd or 4th innings off a crucial match. I hope he will do this within the next few games..

SRT is finished product. He is liable to Team except his big turning leg breaks and wrong'uns.

His arrival at the crease doesn't excites many of us now.

SRT looks great only when he dominates bowlers right from word GO. This is the SRT fans crave to look for. But amount of respect he is giving to bowlers in last few years has definitely shows he is mortal and on decline.

If he retires now it is not a day soon.

Its amazing how Mr.Mukul Kesavan doesnt even mention in passing the century from Dravid,among the 4 in this match the captians was the most brilliant and effortless one which looked like the one played for the teams cause,if Dravid had adapted the same approach as Sachin he would have made a double hundred that day.In England our batting fortune will depend on Dravid,Laxman and now a days I am hoping of Sourav as well.I am not sure about Sachin I watched this match and Mortaza really troubled him with some short pitch stuff.

I agree with thw writer of "The Dhaka Test and the Matter of Tendulkar". It is ludicrous to criticise Tendulkar for his average strike rate in recent test innings. What an easy target Sachin has made over the past few years. Why have these 'commentators/experts' not questioned Rahul Dravid's pathetic (batting) strike rate at all levels of international cricket? Sachin has sacrificed too much for his country over the past 18 years, not playing enough for himself (as some others do). Shall we take the comments of a former sub-standard batsman (Sanjay Manjrekar) as gospel?

I didn't see Tendulkar's century but I saw Matthew Hayden get a century against England earlier this year in the Ashes. Hayden scored slowly, got some chances & looked a mere shadow of his previous self. We all know what Hayden did at the World Cup not long after. As an "OT"(over 30) myself, it never stops amazing me how quickly players can be "written off" as too old. Dad's army from Australia showed the world how cricket should be played against England in the 2006/2007 Ashes & the World Cup 2007. I count 7 OT's in Australia's World Cup Final win & 29+ year old(Bracken). Perhap's Tendulkar should try using a squash ball?? lol. Yes, I did expect India to comprehensively beat Bangladesh. Anyway's, enough of my Lambrusco inspired ranting. Cheerio.

Having read much of Mukul Kesavan, I am fully convinced that distance does give perspective. His earlier blog against the 5 bowler theory and now this one endorsing Tendulkar's new approach to batting proves the truth of this spectatorial axiom. In both these articles he is spot on with his views. In a team of stroke makers, the presence of the Dravids and Jaffers has always been embalming for the avid fan. Now if we have a batsman as accomplished as Tendulkar also entering the same bracket, I feel it will give the middle order the solidity that has been so elusive. It does not matter if he scores runs in the manner he did in his teens as long as Team India can win more games. The Manjrekars and the Chappels are men from the media who thrive in the business of talking on sensitive issues like this. Tendulkar may not be what he was, but he will be one of the greatest batsman the world has known. Not just because Bradman saw a mirror of himself in the Sachin of the 90s. Let us hope he carries on in this vein. Indian Cricket will be served much better with this pragmatic change in his new approach.

This is the kind of thinking that typifies the problem of Indian cricket. After talking about having the best line up in the world we still need six batsman!!!

While am OK with the new role tendulkar has adopted, he must admit that being in the Indian cricket team will bring criticism when he DOES not perform. He cannot hide behind statements like - "I have been doing this for 17 years." All batsmen around the world know that change is inevitable and they must improve. He seems to have the attitude that he will score when he wants and that no one should critise him when he fails.

This is not kindergarden school. If you do not like the heat you can step off the ground. And yes we will find some one better in a couple of years !!!

Sachin is history. If he doesn't retire now, he will loose whatever amount of force he has. Once it was known when Tendulkar came to bat, now nobody cares about watching him bat. Secondly, India might as well groom another youngster in the meanwhile, rather than waiting for the time when Ganguly, Tendulkar, and the other oldies retire all at one time. That will leave a big void; God bless Dhoni's house then.
The problem with Tendulkar is that he doesn't play in pressure now, barely plays in tough conditions, and inflates his average by piling on centuries against very mediocre teams. Even what he gets, he seems extremely lucky, and lady luck will run out with time.
If India had the mind-set of Australia, then Tendulkar would have retired way back in his prime rather than what it seems to be, playing for personal milestones and money. Secondly, Australia would have started investing in new players: No doubt a weak Tendulkar might still be better than Yovraj, but really how much better he is in terms of innings which hold significance? What happens when the bunch of oldies retire together? Who fills the gap? Australians would never pursue a policy in which all bow out together to leave a void, but they would rather plan to win consistently and introduce talent subtly. I think where other teams are wrong is not because they can't challenge Australia, but because they don't learn from them either.

MK -
A really good blog. I am a big fan of Laxman - he has been a consistent performer for India and sits on the bench for no fault of his. I am also a big believer that if India had to choose between Laxman and Ganguly, it has to be the former. Come England, India still have a few things to cover - our opening combination is not right - I just don't see how we could open with Kartik and Jaffer. We need someone like Aakash Chopra on the tour of Australia a few years back. It was pathetic to see him get dropped after such a good tour. The other question is, what about Sehwag - do we select him and risk being down a wicket or two (if Jaffer fails) with next to nothing or do we see in Sehwag someone who can thrash their fast bowlers to all parts of the ground - a la Hayden? The risk in that is obviously consistency. We still don't have a good opening pair in terms of fast bowling. Sreesanth, Munaf, Zaheer will no doubt form the backbone of our bowling - but are there others? What about spin? We go to England in the latter part of the season - when the pitches do turn and the most successful bowlers are spinners. Do we take Harbhajan or stick with Romesh Pawar? How effective has Kumble been in English conditions? It's not often that a successful tour to a foreign country brings more questions than answers - but you can always trust India to be in some such boat - and as far as I am concerned, there is no one to be blamed but Rahul Dravid. To my mind he has been the most un-inspirational captain in recent times.
With regards to Tendulkar - there is only one thing that I would like to say - the moment he stops scoring runs (regardless of how quick or slow), he should be shown the door. In the last couple of Test series' that has not happened, and there is no reason to believe that the twilight of his career might not shine as brightly as his heydays.

a glorious period for indian cricket is round the corner and sachin will be part of it.

We won!!! Hurray!!! Our overseas (ok, technically Bangladesh is not overseas, but who cares?) record improved by 30%! We should all be celebrating rather than indulging in mindless chatter about Tendulkar's strike rate or for that matter Dinesh Kaarthik's butterfingers. All the sponsors who had deserted Indian cricket will come running back. Everyone will be happy watching some cricket (maybe) between commercials on TV. We will once again paint our faces blue....and start yelling 'hoohaa india...aaya india".....

It's not about Sachin. It's about how the team performs. I don't give a damn about his strike rate if the team can win by an innings and 239 runs.
I think in Test cricket at least, the future looks bright for India, both near and far. Come England, our batting lineup will be strong enough to deal with their conditions, and we have a few players who have good records there. We should definitely play six batsmen and Dhoni in England, because of the seaming conditions.
Zaheer's bowling in this series has been heartening, but he along with some others needs to figure out where to put the ball when the batsmen start attacking all of a sudden.
Kumble very much remains an indispensable asset to the team. If Sreesanth can come back and show the form he did in South Africa, we can have a pretty effective bowling attack in England.

Ok credentials first. I'm NOT BENGALI and I still think Ganguly walks into the team over VVS Laxman any day of the effing week. Seriously, I would recommend VVS as commentator just so we don't have to pick him. So much for that. As far as Tendulkar goes, I struggle to pick his last innings of substance against a quality opposition. If you have to look at Tendulkar's innings against B'desh to prove a point, we really do have a serious problem here. I knew public memory is really short but doesn't anyone remember the last test innings Sachin played against South Africa, for crying out loud? Also, try and think of one innings of substance he has played against non-test and non-B'desh opposition (For all their recent achievements, they are mediocre)? Still thinking, are'nt we? Ok to take it further, think of the last time Sachin played a noteworthy innings to actually win a match for India againt quality opposition? Not much of a case, now is there? When Mc'grath retired, we did not remember how many wickets he took, but how many World Cups he helped Oz win. Sadly, Sachin leaves behind no such legacy and the number of hundeds and runs are but mere numbers. I'd rather have seen him gone with us saying, "Why now?" rather than "Why not?" Sadly, few Indian cricketers can manage such grace. I was hoping Sachin would be different. I was wrong.

This may be one of the first instances (in the recent past)in his 17 years of his cricketing career, where Tendulakar has wandered off his exhalted status as a batsman and his territory of class . We fail to forget that it is he who defined those standards for himslef and deserves every right to find his way back to his usual methods of batting. There is nobody in the history of cricket who have been scrutinised so much and he deserves every right to go his own way. He still has two or three years left in him and he is still a treat to watch. There is no substitue for experience and a combination of young and old is always a good recipee for success. Leave the great man alone and lets not rush to write his cricketing obituary as who knows whats in store.I am sure one great innings will bring back all the accloades back given the fickle nature of Indian criticism.So for the time being lets leave him alone and encourage him as his experience will be a valuble asset for the upcoming english/australian tours and the young can definetly benifit a lot out of it. If Jaysuriya could do it at 37/38 ,there is no reason why Tendulkar cannot. Ganguly,Laxman and Tendulkar should be certainities to all these upcoming tours for their abilities and experience.The young guns still have some distance to go before the old guys hand over the baton to them.

Am I missing something here? Didn't Tendulkar score at a rate of about 60+ in the last test? Here when he had runs on the board and time to kill, why shouldn't he be taking a more circumspect approach if he feels like it?

Let's not insult ourselves by seeming to know more about batting than Tendulkar, shall we.

It was after the Mumbai test match in 2001 vs Australia that the decline really came into Tendulkar's batting. In that test match, it will be remembered, he dominated the Aussie attack in both innings,and till he was around, India had a chance. I still remember Tony Greig commenting during one of the two fifty plus innings, first there is Tendulkar, then there is daylight, then there are the rest! Following Laxman's epic in Kolkata, Tendulkar decided to stick around during the Chennai test and it paid off, India won. That set the precedent perhaps for future utlra-cautious innings. The England-India home series in 2001-02 followed, and that is where Tendulkar's batting tempo started to decline. He could'nt get Giles away, or did not want to, because he still feared a batting collapse following the loss of his wicket. From there on, the negative mindset got set deper. He managed to score a 193 at Leeds in a few months time, but really did not push on with his scoring rate until the fag end of the innings. Ganguly, batting with him, had got going much earlier. The 2003 World Cup, was a redeeming point, but in test matches, Tendulkar still had much to prove, having had a poor tour of New Zealand, where despite the wickets, he was expected to blaze India away to atleast one test win.
The two series against Australia, at home and away didn't help. Coming back early from an injury, he couldn't do much at Nagpur, but salvaged soem of his reputation with the 52 at Mumbai and a test match win. The Australia tour, took Tendulkar deeper into the throes of negativity, with an extended loss of form. He managed a painful 241 at Sydney, where again towards the end of the innings, he could not hammer the bowling around so that India could declare earlier. India could'nt force a win (due mainly to umpiring errors and Parthiv Patel) and unfortunately, that innings of his will go down as one of great determination, but helping more his cause than the team's.
Pakistan followed, and when Tendulkar was at 194*, Dravid declared, and rightly so, because yet again Tendulkar could not force the pace when it came to setting a target. Maybe if Dravid hadn't declared and Tendulkar had got his double,that addition to his CV, might have given him a much needed boost. But as it stood, the decision, grudgingly, seemed correct.
Next up,2005 Kolkata - Tendulkar is showing positive intent vs Pakistan and in the second innings is given out very wrongly by Bucknor. His chance for redemption of Chennai '99 and Kolkata's '99 run out failed. India won the test match but Dravid again took the accolades.
By now Tendulkar's positive mindset of his younder days, seemed to have gone into a freefall. Add to that injuries were not helping his cause. He managed a successful comeback against Lanka, with a masterly century vs Murali at New Delhi (though I don't recall a dance-down the-track six being hit, the kind which harrowed Warne) but followed it up with a horror test tour of Pakistan.
So it has been six years, since we have seen Tendulkar dominate a bowling attack in test matches. The decline has been clear to see. There is no mistaking it. But also no mistaking is his desire to play.
I just hope and pray, that suddenly something pops into his head and he sheds away the negative mindset, makes a quick 50-60 and gets out. And I also wish, he takes off his helmet and bats with a cap when the spinners come on. He hasn't done that ever since he was 18-20 I think. That kind of superstition is typical of the negative mindset of Tendulkar. Sachin, please take your pads off, in the dressing room, as soon as you get out, and please take off that helmet if another Giles comes on to bowl.
I wish he dances down the track and deposits some spinners into where they should be, when bowling to him. I wish he makes a few 40s, 50s and 60s, with dominating the bowlers.
And here's wishin that the greatest ever batsman in the world goes out in a blaze of glory!

Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravis, all of them are great players and they would have certainly got the place in any team of the cricket playing nations. We Indians are not lacking in any skills .The problem with us is our attitude. We do not have right attitude. People are scattered in different groups, for many reasons, caste, state, language etc. That is the whole problem for India. Even if you will see comments here, you will find, people supporting Ganguly only because he or Dravis or Sachin are from their states, majorly. We have to forget about these differences and see the truth. I hope to see the mature India, where all Indians are Indians only.

To all defenders of Tendulkar: I too am a fan of Tendulkar. Both the fast scoring version and the slow scoring one. Every innings he plays, be it a 5, 10, 15, or a 50, 100, 150, it is an example from the coaching manual on technical perfection.
That said, Wisden fails to rank a single one of his 37 centuries in the list of all time great innings. Do you know why? Because none of those have come in the second innings of a winning cause. Imagine! 37 centuries and not one has been scored to help India over the rope in the crucial 3rd or 4th innings. Sure, he has taken us close. If only, he had a little support from his team mates, we would have won the Chennai test against Pakistan. But that is the point!!!! If Tendulkar wants to be remembered as a legend, he should play at least one innings where his efforts alone have made the difference. Dravid has at least three such knocks to his belt. Laxman has a couple. Even Ganguly has come close with a 98 not out against Sri Lanka. But where is that masterpiece from the master? The nation has waited for 17 years Sachin, and now her patience runs thin. Time is running out for you. Deliver your masterpiece and allow us to browbeat every supporter of Lara, Ponting or whoever else it is that we might run into in a pub. One innings Sachin. That's all we ask.

Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid, all of them are great players and they would have certainly got the place in any team of the cricket playing nations. We Indians are not lacking in any skills .The problem with us is our attitude. We do not have right attitude. People are scattered in different groups, for many reasons, caste, state, language etc. That is the whole problem for India. Even if you will see comments here, you will find, people supporting Ganguly only because he or Dravid or Sachin are from their states, majorly. We have to forget about these differences and see the truth. I hope to see the mature India, where all Indians are Indians only.

Whether Sachin is in Wisden or not does not matter much. Outgoing Australian bowlers like Shane Warne, McGrath, Pakistan's Wasim Akram, mentioned his name in their last speech, than any other batsman in Wisden. That tells the whole story.

Welcome back Mukhul. I have many a times critised this very man for talking gibberish. If he can stage a comeback like this I'm sure a seasoned veteran will bounce back. I am no big fan of the little master. SACHIN SHOULD STILL PLAY. Tell me one good player in waiting who could fill his shoes? players were tried and it ended in shambles and Team India was shaken up and lost confidence. Now I see something building up and we need to wait and watch. If the critics say that Sachin played a sub standard innings why didnt the other batsmen score double hundred's in the same innings? Comeon guys and men of valuor who shapren their pens, be considerate. If he fails in England we have something to worry about but not panic. Sachin has 2 to 3 years of good cricket left in him. I'm sure all the guys who critised him will soon have their toes inisde their mouths. Go on Sachin India is behind you and believe's in you.

Look lets sort this out.

Sachin has been playing cricket for almost half his life and shows dedication to the game that other players don't. Have people forgotten all the match saving performances he's worked hard for? The man has had a recent operation for tennis elbow and i think that any century he scores, at whatever rate is good as long as we don't lose.

Sunil Gavaskar had a very poor run of form after his legendary 774 run series v WI. But look at him, first player to reach 10,000 runs and former record holder for most tons. I think we shouldn't be so harsh on Sachin just because he scores slowly. Dravid as Ayan mentioned, is renowned for his low strike rate and he's highest averaging Indian batsman and team captain. Sachin is only 34, Lara retired almost 40 so i feel Sachin has at least 2-3 years of cricket left in him.
The Indian public shouldn't be so back-stabbing, worshiping him at one moment and roaring for his dismissal the moment he goes a bit off form. We should let Sachin play more Tests to allow him to get back in form and then bring him back to ODI's, where he is most destructive.

Hey Sam well said. I totally second what you say. Well written. India needs to mature, boy a lot I would say.

OK. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.HE HAD HIS DAYS. NOW HE IS COMING DOWN FROM THE HILL. BETTER LEAVE THE TEAM.

Records speak for itself. Let's evaluate who are the most consistent batsmen in 2007.

Player M I NO Runs Av SR Ranking
Tendulkar 3 5 1 332 83.00 52.11 3
Karthik 3 5 1 308 77.00 53.56 5
Dravid 3 5 0 268 53.60 56.06 7
Jaffer 3 5 1 256 64.00 52.45 8
Ganguly 3 5 0 240 48.00 63.82 9
Dhoni 2 3 2 104 104.00 99.04 27

Therefore, the test team selection is easy. In addition to the top six in the just concluded series, I would include Yuvraj Singh in place of Pawar. I really cannot stand the sight of Pawar on a cricket field. A player needs to have a better physique---gone are the days of Vijay Manjrekar, Prasanna or Milburn.

The one day side will be difficult to pick. Only 3 players are in the top 50 list. I would include Tendulkar and Yuvraj. With Ganguly as an opener there are two more slots to fill.

Player M I NO Runs Av SR Ranking
Ganguly 10 9 1 509 63.62 71.89 21
Dravid 13 11 3 427 53.37 79.96 31
Dhoni 12 10 4 379 63.16 91.99 40

spot on about sachin.
everyone's simply on the lookout for a scapegoat.

Who we do decide on who should be playing or not playing? There is a system which is responsible for selecting the best players for the nation. Sachin or Saurav or Dravid are their with their ability and hard work. Watching the match from home, sitting comfortably on sofa will never give you the feel what the player has to face on the ground. All the players gave a great delight to us , time to time. We should appreciate that. Every individual will llok at his/her records, benifits. Sachin may not be the exception, neither was Sunil Gavaskar nor Great Vivian Richards or Don Bradman. Enjoy the game to the fullest without looking at the results. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER , OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM OR SOCIETY DOES NOT EMPHASIS MUCH ON SPORTS LIKE AUSTRALIA OR ENGLAND.

All I have to say to Sachin is to have a look at Steve Waugh's record. Steve was under tremendous pressure to quit towards the end of his career and look at his response. Steve scored a couple of centuries in typical back-to-the wall situations. That's what separates the wheat from the chaff. All right, Sachin is a genius, but he is mortal. I'd love to see Sachin go out in a blaze of glory, a la Steve Waugh and decide on the timing. Lets leave the little genius alone for the moment and get on with the game.

hey guys i would like to know what would have yuvrajs strike rate be if he would have walked into sachins position?75...also sehwag...100..poor sehwag ...he always plays for the team ..upping the runrate....but gets to play only as opener..why dont u keep in middle order ..pit him against sachin...say in this test had ganguly rested?u would have seen how from sehwag...he would have killed mushrafuls morale...but sadly we seem to have the old patriarchical approach ..when was the last time tenli won us a match abroad..looks like dravid has improved his strike rate all throughout his career and tendulkar has played now only for records..hope injury removes tenli out ...at least new players will get the requisite time to set in...i love excessive cricket...all shall get a chance then...look how rp singh has now displaced munaf who decided to bowl military medium when he could clock 150!way to go bcci..have a one ay series with kenya in chennai in may....u will see the fittest players survive!

Why do we not face the real issue... that there is no process in the selection methodology.
If we have a process that picks and drops players,you will notice that the players give their best in every innings.That is probably why the Aussies and to a good extent,Sri Lanka are good teams.

It is obvious that Sachin is playing for himself.Just that the test was easy to win.Had this innings been against any of the better teams,Sackhim (i did not mis spell)would have cost us the match.

Vinod, please take the charge. Go and sack Sachin.

Well done Mukul ..... another wonderful write-up from someone who knows Cricket !

And for all you people talking about "This Indian psyche" it's actually their psyche thats typically Indian and thats why they are giving more than 100% to say something or the other about the Little Master. It also shows the "Indian psyche" of not able to digest one among them being so popular, so rich, so gifted and so great !! Shame on you guys ... you are all a disgrace to the nation.

For everyone who are gunning for Sachin's head I have only this to ask : Honestly answer ...who better is there than Sachin ?

And answer only if you know anything about "CRICKET"

All this rubbish that people are throwing at Sachin is also in a way because of Sachin himself.....

Lara, Ponting or for that matter any other modern day great were never as consistent as Sachin.... As much a genius as he was , Lara has also been so mediocre many times. But Sachin has been so consistent though not flamboyant and that has been his undoing, strangely.

It's because Sachin has never been mediocre even at the worst of times, whether that made him arrogant or not it has certainly made the public arrogant.

So, in a way it's because of what Sachin has fed them with , that he is facing all this criticism now.

Sorry Sachin.... you just gave too much that all these idiots couldn't just take it !!

First of all, look at yourself in the mirror guys.

What have you done for the nation yourself ? ( Other than jump at every opportunity to criticize people who have done a lot for the country ) And why do you do it ..? Because you just can't digest it !

( And the typical "Indian psyche" would answer for what I ask now by saying ...... "That's why we are here and not playing for the country and letting the team down" )

India will never improve ...... unless Indians are actually not "So Indian"

From all that you say, its clear that many of you guys know nothing about Cricket.

And worse still, you don't have the stomach to digest someone being so great.

Shame on you guys. Go and hang yourself !!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Manish, poor Shewag? Have you been visually or hearing impaired in the near past? Do remember the last time he scored? All his dismisslas are stupid even when I was playing school cricket I was more responsible than him. Is throwing away wicket in crucial/crunch situtions called playing for the team? Please!!!! Get it right Doc!!!!!

Vinod, for every problem raised it is right to provide solutions too. If you sack Sachin who do you think can take over the vacant spot? The news when Sachin is not playing will give such a morale boost to other team they will be pumped up from the word go. Now that Sachin is playing on his "off" days they will be in the back foot cause they know he is gonna light up any moment. This puts them on the backfoot before the game starts. Who do you think can come by? Raina? Uthappa? Gambir? Chopra? Kaif? All these names put together looks much weaker than Sachin. Pack your bags and ready to hide Vinod and all his friends who wrote off Scahin ......Sachin reign is just over the corner.

Sachin you were our Champ and you will always be. Ganndhi was mahatma and they killed him, Jesus was the epitome of love and he was crucified, Socretes was too wise and they poisoned him. Sachin is one in a generation. Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga once said that he was happy to play cricket in this time cause he played with a genius called Sachin Tendulkar and not many in the future will have the privilidge. Do you guys know more than Arjuna Ranatunga one of the world most shrewedest cricketers? come on guys get a grip and leave the master alone.

Guys, I make one appeal to the folks who are the lucky ones who will see Sachin in action in England. If any one of the readers who might end up in the grounds watching the game please make sure to make a banner on behalf of the Indians expressing a nations support to the little master. He is a national treasure, not the one to be rediculed by every Tom, Dick and Harry. He does not need that but it will be an act of solidarity to show him that we, at all cost are behind him at all times, both good and bad.

We love you Sachin, shut the mouths of the idiots who think low of you especially the likes of Sanjay Manjrekar who knew nothing but to run himself out and let the country big time.

Don't understand why this argument about Tendulkar and Ganguly. If you have to field your best team both of them will be there. They have lot of experience of English condition. Don't forget Leeds 2002. I think Sehwag should replace Kartik and another batsman - may be Yuvraj in place of the fifth bowler. Also it is hard to see two spinners in English conditions.

Folks,

There is a "trending" component in sports. Lets look at recent performances in Tests (about a year and a half in the past), and predict who will do well in the coming year or two.

Even though this is not a scientic analysis, I think my conclusions will be borne out by a statiscal analysis that takes into account the stage of the match, the strength of the opposition, the "in control", "relative" strike rate, etc. metrics for measuring performance.

Player..............Trend
-------------------------------------------------
Jaffer..............Up (inconsistent)
Karthick............Up
Dravid..............Up
Tendulkar...........Down (Down-bat, Up-bowl)
Ganguly.............Flat (Up-pace, Down-spin)
Laxman..............Flat (has rescue acts)
Yuvraj..............Flat (has promise)
Sehwag..............Down (Down-bat, Up-bowl)

Dhoni...............Flat (non-subcontinent probs)

Pathan..............Down (Up-bat, Down-bowl)
Munaf...............Up (injury probs)
Zaheer..............Up
Agarkar.............Flat (inconsistent)
Sreesanth...........Up
VRV Singh...........Flat
RP Singh............Up
Ishant Sharma.......Up

Harbajan............Down
Kumble..............Up
Pawar...............Up
Chawla..............Flat (shows promise)

Based on the above, I'd pick Laxman and Yuvraj in the XI ahead of Tendulkar and Ganguly. However, Laxman must ensure that he is fit and not huffing and puffing as he apparently was in Bangladesh.

I don't see two of my favorite players doing better in the the next year or two. Tendulkar hasn't reinvented himself. He is trying but I don't see any fluency against quality bowling. Ganguly has managed to do better against pace, but he has faltered against spin.

Indian cricket has learned nothing from the humiliating ouster from the world cup. Ganguly has no place in the team. Laxman is absolutely vital. Karthik and Jaffar would be exposed in England (Given Hoggard/Jones/Anderson become fit). This would expose the middle order. If people are expecting Dhoni to perform in England, apart from daft they are being naïve. India has no bowling attack whatsoever. Zaheer is average at best. Harbhajan does not perform outside India ( Only 2 five-fors ovrseas). Patel & Sreesanth much too immature too carry on their own.

Suggestions:
(1) Ganguly should be immediately dropped.
(2) Balaji should be selected for England tour.
(3) Karthik should not be used as opener in England in any case. Opening is India's problem. No visible Solution in sight. Sehwag Big No No. Laxman perhaps can be tried as he has done it.
(4) If Laxman opens Yuvraj at five.
(5) If Balaji selected, Zaheer goes out.
(6) Only one of Kumble and Harbhajan plays.
(7) Karthik to be used in place of Yuvraj if Yuvraj fails to perform.

Team (1st Test - Batting Order): Laxman, Jaffar, Dravid, Tendulkar, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Pathan, Khan/Balaji, Kumble, Patel, Sreesnath

Here's a question for all Tendulkar bashers. Suppose its 3 down for 25 in cold, wet, seaming England, not in hot, humid and flat Dhakka. Jaffer, Dravid and whoever else you pick for the other opener are out. Who do you want coming in next - (a) Dhoni, (b) Karthik, (c) Laxman, (d) Tendulkar, (e) Ganguly?

Hei, this is getting too much on Sachin. Every blog you open, people complain about his performance even though he has done reasonably well. Everyone wants him to be the best, but you guys need to give him some time and not apply too much pressure when he is not in form. If he has to regain his confidence, he needs moral support and not criticism even after scoring some runs.

Well, I just checked Cricinfo for the stats on this tour,
Highest Run Getter
Highest Batting Average
Best Bowling Average
Most Catches by a Non Keeper

Guess whose name is against all the above. Who else, it is non other than Sachin.

If he had bowled another 15-20 ours probably he may have got another 3-4 wickets which would have placed him just behind Zaheer interms of most wickets.

He may have past his prime and he may be searching for his form. Even then, if he can achieve the above, then what is the problem in having him in the team?

If VVS or Yuvraj were playing instead of him, it is very doubtful if they would have done better than this.

Guys, please stop accusing him too much and give him a free run for a few matches even if he fails. That would help him take some risks and be more agreessive and regain his confidence. He may never be able to play the way he has played during his prime, but he may still play as the best current batsman in the work or atleast as the best of India.

There are always questions about Sachin.I agree with you that Tendulkar has done no harm to Indias chances by scoring at the rate he did. I believe his is a case just like India's was against Bangladesh - If he didn't score runs people would have said he doesn't score so throw him out and if he did score runs in both the tests, people are going crazy about his low scoring rate. I think the player like Sachin should be left alone as he has atleast 2-3 years of cricket left in him. I think he would know when to retire better than all of us.

Hey Guys,

Stop being personal about things! Learn some professionalism from other advancing countries. Actually there is NO conundrum about Sachin, or rather there should'nt be any! The question if any should be asked, is of the future. What after Sachin, Saurav, Rahul, Kumble?? Look at people traning Clarke for taking the place of Ponting...Infact Ponting is not letting Gilchrist & Hayden retire because he wants to groom someone at their place!! What about us?? For how long are we going to be trapped in personal egos? Why people are asking the wrong question? Why Manjrekar is asking 'When' instead of 'What after Sachin'? Come on people, grow up! Let Sachin groom a youngster, be it Raina, be it Tiwari, or anyone, to take his place. Let Ganguly, Rahul, Kumble do the same...only then we have a good future. I do not understand why no one is asking the question that has baffled me more than anything ==> Why not Piyush Chawla included alongside Kumble?? Remember guys, Bangladesh would have been a good chance to groom the youngster alongside the master. Instead what we do? We use Romesh Powar, wow!! What will happen after Kumble? We need to have youngster ALONGSIDE experienced guys to have a good team and future! And no one is even questing it!!!! People are so busy is proving Tendulkar right/wrong that they are missing the whole picture! India is not about Tendulkar!

Hope I made my point clear...

Hi Mukul,
I think enough has been said about Sachin. The truth is we have no one to replace him at present and so he will continue to play. For the England tour Ganguly has to be in the lineup for the sole reason (apart from other qualities comparable/debatable to Laxman)that there is no other left hander in the line up (to counter Monty at some stage).
Against England the five bowler theory can only work if Pathan is included as a bowler-batsman(I will not be surprised if he is selected for the conditions will exactly suit his type of bowling).
The other 4 bowlers will inevitably be 3 seamers (Khan, Munaf & Sreesanth) and Kumble.
So with the current batting line up picking itself(Jaffer, Karthick,Dravid, Sachin & Ganguly), I think the team tank may opt for Laxman or Pathan depending on the conditions and the need to win or hold onto an early need.
I don't see any further options or any new debutants for the England tour.

Sachin should be even more "selfish" nad score more centuries and runs.History will judge him by his AVERAGE,RUNS,and CENTURIES.No matter how slow, as long as he does not make India lose,he should score CENTURIES,DOUBLE CENTURIES and REMAIN NOT-OUT.The Sanjay Manjrekars,Ian and Greg Chappels will be forgotten in the dung heap of history and only his FIGURES will remain for people to judge who was the best cricketer ever!

You know guys, why we do not have a single sport legend (in global scenario) because we do not know how to respect our own greats. Its the same sad story with SACHIN TENDULKAR "The Greatest".

Manjrekar, kapil and all this family, on given chance, would not even bother to say that Don Bradman had his bag full of runs/avg just because of England(In a way its true). but this pundits just keep criticizing our own greats....for nothing more than just publicity and some money.

Why don't we look at Tendulkar's last 6 hundreds?

248* vs Australia
194* vs Pakistan
241* vs Bangladesh
109 vs Sri Lanka
101 vs Bangladesh
122* vs Bangladesh

All but one have come in not just India's first innings,but in the first innings of the match.Considering the venues,I'd say these hundreds came when the pitch was at its best for batting and there was no pressure of the opposition having put runs on the board.

The last time Tendulkar scored a hundred in an innings other than the first innings of the match was in October 2002 against West Indies.He has scored big almost every time India have batted first but make him bat under pressure or on a wearing wicket and he fails.

Take out the first match innings and Tendulkar has scored 1 hundred and 7 fifties since October 2002.

When Dravid plays slowly he gets the label of 'WALL' and considered as consistent batsman. At that time no one blames hom that he is playing for himself. But when Sachin does the same thing he is being critised for being selfish and 'adviced' to retire. This is unfair and portrays typical 'Indian attitude' of pulling 'greats' down when they are going thru their bad patch. All have forgotten that in past only Sachin used to play and at that time 'WAll' was busy building his career 'brick by brick'. If it not had been Ganguly's support 'WALL' would have never been builded. So lets respect the 'GREAT SACHIN TENDULKAR' and given some time he will come up strongly. Your so called 'hopes' Sehwag, Dhoni are one match wonders and out of form for a long time....but no one is bothered about that....Its my request to my fellow Indians please get rid of the habit of being mean to great players...show some brand loyalty...Never underestimate greats like Sachin or 'Amitabh' who was totally written off of film industry, public and media and now all can see he is on the TOP...

I don't know which is funnier, some of the comments here or the author's attempt to glorify a mundane victory, and thereby satisfy the largest contingent of fans (or his audience), who only think of India's stars when they think of cricket. Some joker here called "Rajesh", (as usual someone who seems to think he knows everything about cricket, unlike everybody else) has challenged his countrymen to justify their criticism by comparing it to what they have done for their country! What are "Rajesh"'s credentials, one must wonder, to ask his fellow countrymen this, for surely he has just criticized people who's contribution he knows little or nothing about. As for his cricketing knowledge, his comments reveal exactly where that stands, more likely he is a fanatic reveling in the euphoria of his "heroes's comeback". One last thing, if you were giving everything for your country, you wouldn't sign a performance clause on your sponsorship contract.

But why do I bring this up? Not too long ago, Mr Kesavan wrote a scathing piece on the contemporary fan, and prior to that, he wrote an article that was published on the BBC's website, about destructive fans and the evils that the subcontinent brought to cricket. I have long maintained that Mr Kesavan is a hypocrite, who is extremely biased and I now also believe he is a chameleon, changing his every opinion to best suit contemporary perceptions. It doesn't help that he knows nothing about contemporary cricket and seems to hate every modern invention since the radio, be it cricinfo's database or the internet via which he submits his utter rubbish. As noted by another poster, Mr Kesavan has forgiven all that occurred prior to this series, and now places Tendulkar on a pedestal that he clearly does not deserve these days. This is exactly what the geniuses in the BCCI board rooms were hoping for, keep the fans happy by sending in the aging (fading) idols against one of the weaker attacks in the world.

There is no one who can doubt Tendulkar's extraordinary contribution to Indian cricket in the mid to late 1990s. In the same vein, no one /should/ deny that he is a shade today of what he used to be. If you don't play someone like Raina or Yuvraj in place of Tendulkar, how can you claim his nudging around is better? If you really think his recent modus operandi is unmatched by the rest of India's reserves, then we really are in terrible shape. In April 2006, little over a year ago, another player nudged his way to 201 not out against a similar Bangladesh attack (Mortaza and Rafique are really the only ones worth mentioning). This was a nightwatchman, none other than Dizzy Jason Gillespie, who was also given a real rough time prior to being picked for that series. He actually came in to a slighlty worse position than Tendulkar ( a weary bunch of bowlers who had toiled for 77 overs without taking a wicket vs a nightwatchmen coming in at the fall of a wicket towards the close of play). Gillespie faced 425 and had it not been for Hussey's 182 (strike rate of 90), the innings run-rate might have been closer to those matches which our nostalgic Mr Kesavan took such delight in listening to on his radio.

Many of you will call this an unfair comparison, Gillespie was(/is) no allrounder, and Tendulkar has been hailed as one of the all-time greats by even Bradman. But the point is, if a tailender like Gillespie could do it, it is ludicrous to think Tendulkar (Man of the Series) has overcome the odds and will be a better test batsman because of this series. The manner in which Tendulkar scored his runs , not unlike Gillespie except that the opposition was perhaps worse given their lack of Test matches (not to mention they might have been weary after having played more world cup ODI matches than India :) ) and the situation, is perhaps the strongest criticism of the way he played. Tendulkar has made the most ordinary bowlers look good, from Rafique in this match, to Nagamootoo (that one-hit wonder from the West Indies), to Giles, in fact to almost anyone who's bowled straight on a half decent pitch. His failings at crucial times in the last 8 years have further reinforced that he is not the man the team can turn to in times of crisis. That image of being cleaned up by Dilharo Fernando will continue to haunt many, when it should really be looked at with the same perspective of Sehwag slashing anything within a hair's breadth from the off-stump.

Seriously, what harm would it have done to have let Tendulkar play a few county or domestic matches, and try out a younger player for this tour?

I think we have a bigger problem with Indian team rather than Mr. Tendulkar alone. We don't have a nucleus for the future that plays consistently. The sell by date of the big 4 is not far off and we continue to depend on them and their experience. If this experience is so important then shouldn't we bringing in the "future" - Yuvraj or the numerous other aspirants and put them through the rigors of competitive cricket? How do you build experience in the next generation if you don't give them opportunities. Yes they might not match Mr. Tendulkar's run crawl/accumulation efforts today but surely one day you are going to have them replace him. It is the case of the old shoes - worn yet very comfortable and does its job but you know it has got to go soon but if you don't break in the new shoes then you are going to go through a very painful time and the temptation might be to find fault with the new shoe?

I had a check of sachin's averages against pontings - he's doing better than ponting against england (almost 67 there), australia and srilanka. Whilst ponting is ahead against pakistan, new zealand and south africa.

Now you have to remember against pakistan that ponting never really faced their best bowlers (89/90)in the prime: e.g. wasim, waqar, imraan.

so i'm just pointing out that stats don't mean everything.

So please before posting stats here, try to comment on the persons actual "performance" in the games.

You're not helping your cause by coming here and telling everyone that tendulkar sux because he scored a century at a strike rate of 53. This in no way tells me what the rest of the match was like. (i.e. sachin scored 9 run out of 33 balls) at the end of the first day because jaffer retired (he ended up throwing up).

Seriously, you guys blame sehwag for throwing his wicket away (he scores his runs fast though right, thats what you guys want - wait no, you want more runs rather than fast), then sachin scores hundreds (first one was at a strike rate of 60, second at 53), wait no, you don't want lots of runs, you want sachin to score the runs faster.

Look if you want ridiculously fast scoring watch 20/20.

Test cricket is about playing great chanceless innings that provide your team momentum to win a match (how often has sachin done this, except india never had a bowling attack capable to taking 20 wickets until recently, even thats still a little debatable). Sachin did exactly that, played a almost chanceless innings; but the point is that india reached 610 with 20 overs to spare on the second day.

Don't forget that australia (at adelaide in 2003) made 400 in one day and they still lost).

all the centuries vs bd show is that as in the recent past sachin continues to score heavily vs minnows and is in form and temporary loss of form wont be to blame for any failures in england. any failures would then be clearly attributable to factors other than form, such as ability to play now at the highest level; so england will be the real test not bd. hope kesavan is right and sachin has time left at this level on performances; but my intuition is that this may not be the case

Some very erudite comments on this blog, filled with statistical evidence and also some irrational rants. Unfortunately, we seem to take the line that anyone who disagrees with a given (MY) oint of view is a moron.

It is a culture to raise someone, in this case mr Tendulkar, to the status of a demi god and thereafter brook no criticism, however justified. Sanjay Manjrekar is generally considered to be one of the most thoughtful commentators of the game today. However, because he has the gall to criticise Mr Tendulkar he is the object of much abuse.

erhas those who keeing on Sachin's (and Saurav's) past achievements in their glory days should reflect on the decline of the great man's performance. (Perhaps Cricinfo could give a comparison of his performance (average & strike rates) in ten or 20 match blocks over his career. Perhaps a similar exercise for Dravid and Ganguly could determine whether they are improving or declining. Most commentators have agreed that Sachin, should decide when to go. He needs to consider the writing on the wall. From a time when many would switch of their TV sets (or leave the ground) when Sachin was dismissed, a day is fast approaching when people groan at watching the once great Sachin scratching around and struggling to play average bowlers.