Sachin & his times...
This one's in an instinctive response to the Editor's blog on rediffiland on the India-SA cricket series! As I started writing my response, I realised the character length limitation curtailed my freedom of ex-pression (!) and voila, here is my next blog posting !!
At the moment of posting of this comment, SA are well in command on the fifth/final day & are greatly poised to win the match and with it, the series too. However, Lady Luck has delayed it by a few hours...rain had stopped play with SA still needing about 90 runs to complete the series triumph, and play has just resumed. If not for the rains, it would've been all over by now. Well, the questions here are Do we really think India deserves to win this series, given their shoddy, lack-of-application batting on the 4th day? More importantly, what's happening to Sachin Tendulkar these days? Talking of Tendulkar, yes, I am a great fan of his... There were days when every move of this little master simply used to be a treat to savour! but these days, I think I've lost the confidence in him. He is hardly a shadow of his prime. I think it's not a matter of talent as much as it is a matter of his own inhibition when he gets into the act on the 22-yard stage. I think he's still enthusiastic anywhere else on the ground, whether he is fielding or bowling or sharing a thought or two with his captain in a tense moment of the game! Coming back to what I was saying, Yes, I think he gets too bogged down by his own self-doubts and not-able-to-define-exactly negativism that makes him an easy prey even to a bowler on debut (think of a Monty Panesar of England or a Harris of SA). It's this self-imposed inhibition that's pulling him down.
I don't know what could be the reasons for this...Is he too concerned about his commercial ventures (including that of his hotel business), or is it the education & future of his children or thoughts about how much money he should invest in what investment channel, just when he steps in and takes guard! True, health and fitness problems may be reasons, but then these have to be known pre-match so as to make sure he gives 100% when he's padded up. I'm sure it's not captaincy or anything of that sort either that's bothering him. He's too mature to be bogged down by all that.
I'd rather ask him to sit back in a lone room, and think hard to himself as to what he is contributing to Indian cricket. He should ask himself the question if he is really giving his 100% when he gets out to bat, what is it that's bothering him everytime he pads up, and what he needs to do to raise his level of game to somewhere near his prime. If he thinks his health or fitness is becoming a constant source of all his trouble, he better decide to quit one-day cricket (I don't know if he wants to do that immediately after the 2007 World Cup, but I hope he has atleast made a decision to that effect). I think he still has atleast another 2-3 years in Test cricket, provided he doesn't get worried about anything else. If he thinks his commitment levels are not the same as before, I sincerely suggest he decides to quit international cricket, a la McGrath & Warne who quit the game at their peak! If his inner conscience says 'Yes' to this question, he better quit the game for the good of himself and Indian cricket. Or if he thinks he still has some more cricket in him, he shld set himself targets match by match, take it by the innings and try to do justice to the role he is expected to play (that does not necessarily mean curbing his fluency with the bat, it's just the focus to play his natural game. He's been a winner because of his flamboyant batting style, rather than an orchestrated approach to batting).I think he has the mental maturity to do the talking to himself and come out of whatever it is that puts him in a shell when he goes out to bat. If he thinks he needs to, he can have a personal word with the coach or any other sportsperson or a practitioner of psychology, and I'm sure anyone on this earth whom he chooses to seek advice would be more than glad to help him out.Sachin - I do not want to see you being a shadow of the real YOU. For the sake of millions of followers like me, please come out of what you are trapped in!
At the moment of posting of this comment, SA are well in command on the fifth/final day & are greatly poised to win the match and with it, the series too. However, Lady Luck has delayed it by a few hours...rain had stopped play with SA still needing about 90 runs to complete the series triumph, and play has just resumed. If not for the rains, it would've been all over by now. Well, the questions here are Do we really think India deserves to win this series, given their shoddy, lack-of-application batting on the 4th day? More importantly, what's happening to Sachin Tendulkar these days? Talking of Tendulkar, yes, I am a great fan of his... There were days when every move of this little master simply used to be a treat to savour! but these days, I think I've lost the confidence in him. He is hardly a shadow of his prime. I think it's not a matter of talent as much as it is a matter of his own inhibition when he gets into the act on the 22-yard stage. I think he's still enthusiastic anywhere else on the ground, whether he is fielding or bowling or sharing a thought or two with his captain in a tense moment of the game! Coming back to what I was saying, Yes, I think he gets too bogged down by his own self-doubts and not-able-to-define-exactly negativism that makes him an easy prey even to a bowler on debut (think of a Monty Panesar of England or a Harris of SA). It's this self-imposed inhibition that's pulling him down.
I don't know what could be the reasons for this...Is he too concerned about his commercial ventures (including that of his hotel business), or is it the education & future of his children or thoughts about how much money he should invest in what investment channel, just when he steps in and takes guard! True, health and fitness problems may be reasons, but then these have to be known pre-match so as to make sure he gives 100% when he's padded up. I'm sure it's not captaincy or anything of that sort either that's bothering him. He's too mature to be bogged down by all that.
I'd rather ask him to sit back in a lone room, and think hard to himself as to what he is contributing to Indian cricket. He should ask himself the question if he is really giving his 100% when he gets out to bat, what is it that's bothering him everytime he pads up, and what he needs to do to raise his level of game to somewhere near his prime. If he thinks his health or fitness is becoming a constant source of all his trouble, he better decide to quit one-day cricket (I don't know if he wants to do that immediately after the 2007 World Cup, but I hope he has atleast made a decision to that effect). I think he still has atleast another 2-3 years in Test cricket, provided he doesn't get worried about anything else. If he thinks his commitment levels are not the same as before, I sincerely suggest he decides to quit international cricket, a la McGrath & Warne who quit the game at their peak! If his inner conscience says 'Yes' to this question, he better quit the game for the good of himself and Indian cricket. Or if he thinks he still has some more cricket in him, he shld set himself targets match by match, take it by the innings and try to do justice to the role he is expected to play (that does not necessarily mean curbing his fluency with the bat, it's just the focus to play his natural game. He's been a winner because of his flamboyant batting style, rather than an orchestrated approach to batting).I think he has the mental maturity to do the talking to himself and come out of whatever it is that puts him in a shell when he goes out to bat. If he thinks he needs to, he can have a personal word with the coach or any other sportsperson or a practitioner of psychology, and I'm sure anyone on this earth whom he chooses to seek advice would be more than glad to help him out.Sachin - I do not want to see you being a shadow of the real YOU. For the sake of millions of followers like me, please come out of what you are trapped in!
Until I'm back with another...
~ Penapunaivan
posted by PEnaPunaivan @ 6:26:00 AM
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