Cricket - Caught & Bowled Sachin, but it is the end of the over!

Sachin is one of the greatest batsmen to have graced the cricket pitch and he has been entertaining the world for the last 23 years. No doubts about that. But, his notional 100 centuries does not in any way contribute to the above fact, it is only a by-product of his greatness.

Don Bradman too, was great, however, he retired even though his average was so close to 100. So is he any less of the "Greatest Batsman" tag because his average is not 100? Take another great, Sir Vivian Richards, who does not top any piece of statistics like the highest individual score, number of centuries, strike rate, etc. nothing but, the world still acknowledges him as a great batsman, even though he is retired, isn't that so?

So there!

Sachin, please retire gracefully, it is heart-rending to see you struggle against lesser attacks than the ones you once decimated.

I want memories of a great Indian batsman

Sachin R Tendulkar made an interesting comment recently. He said that he is patriotic and therefore wants to continue playing.

Great! But having said that, why didn't he extend his patriotic thought process and request former greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, etc., so that we can start winning matches? Similarly, shouldn't the West Indies recall Garfield Sobers, Brian Lara, Richards, Garner, Holding, Walsh & Ambrose so that they become a patriotic and winning team again? And while we are at it, perhaps Australia should recall Shane Warne, McGrath, the Waughs and some others like Lillee and Thommo so that they can become a force too?

Everything in life has a "use by date". After that, things become stale, putrefy and unpalatable. A beautiful flower starts to fade and rot. Musicians, however great they might have been in their prime (e.g., Paul McCartney!), cannot produce the same work or evoke the same emotions that they did before. The same is true for sports and other walks of life.

It is unfortunate that the great master that he is, Sachin, does not have the dignity to retire gracefully. He has already made people ask "when" rather than "why". See this article by Mukul Kesavan How not to close a great career

Sachin, please, I want memories of a great Indian batsman, not someone who is struggling to make runs! Already, you have pushed yourself to below lesser batsmen, don't go any further down!