Why I strongly believe (factually) Sachin Tendulkar should not retire?

“The entire nation has gone crazy and wants Sachin to retire. People are mad as they don’t see the point. There are other players on the team who have not been scoring runs, but no, they are after Sachin.”

I was surprised to hear this coming from my father who has been the harshest critic of Sachin in his life whenever he failed in an inning. When I thought about it, it made me realize, during all those times in the past, he criticized Sachin because he liked him; all he wanted was Sachin to do better just like the entire nation wanted him to score runs. And today in the times when Sachin wants his fans to support him, he is right there supporting the champion batsman.

His statement made the analyst in me go and search for the truth. And what I found was completely surprising and astonishing.

Here is the look at his record in the test matches:

Overall  Stats*	Player	C Pujara	V Kohli	V Sehwag	MS Dhoni	Yuvraj Singh	SR Tendulkar	G Gambhir	SK Raina
1 year	Matches	4	8	8	7	2	8	8	2
	Runs	604	571	507	325	82	379	353	58
	Average	120.8	43.92	33.8	32.5	27.33	27.07	25.21	19.33
Rank		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
2 year	Matches	6	12	16	20	5	18	16	10
	Runs	635	762	937	986	218	1196	892	401
	Average	79.37	38.1	31.23	31.8	27.25	38.58	30.75	22.27
Rank		1	3	5	4	7	2	6	8
3 year	Matches	7	12	29	32	25	31	25	17
	Runs	711	762	2532	1656	1331	2645	1331	768
	Average	71.1	38.1	50.64	36.8	30.95	53.97	30.95	28.44
Rank		1	4	3	5	6	2	6	8
5 year	Matches	7	12	48	50	20	51	39	17
	Runs	711	762	4332	2656	1027	4355	3200	768
	Average	71.1	38.1	51.57	37.94	35.41	53.76	46.37	28.44
Rank		1	5	3	6	7	2	4	8

*Stats are courtesy ESPN CricInfo StatsGuru.

Indian Cricketers Ranking ( Based on Average)
Name	1 year	2 year	3 year	5 year
CA Pujara	1	1	1	1
V Kohli	2	3	4	5
V Sehwag	3	5	3	3
MS Dhoni	4	4	5	6
Yuvraj Singh	5	7	6	7
SR Tendulkar	6	2	2	2
G Gambhir	7	6	6	4
SK Raina	8	8	8	8

If you closely look at these stats, one can see the difference between Sachin and the rest of the cricketers. Cheteshwar Pujara is no doubt a very talented player but I doubt that in the long run he can sustain the average of 71.1. Sachin Tendulkar has always had the best average in the last 2 years, 3 years and 5 years. Leave the current players, not even the retired ones had a better average than the Master Blaster in these categories (except once, Rahul Dravid had an average of 44.83 in the last 2 years category.)

We talk about Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, why?  Because he has not been able to score runs in the past 8 matches?  Really, then going by that scenario, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Dhoni –everyone should retire.

People talk about how in last 18 matches; he had an average of 38. Then I would like to ask those people, who in the current Indian team have a better average than him in that category? Why only Sachin should come under the bus, infact he had the best average after Dravid in that category.

Even in the corporate world, in the best companies of the world, nobody fires the best CEO in the world just because he had a poor year. Every company gives his employees a minimum 3 year period to perform. If he performs badly continuously, then he gets fired. Sachin has been the best Indian batsmen since the last 2 years,  3 years, 5 years, last 10 years, last 15 years (the stats also shows the same) and just because he has not performed well in 8 matches, he should retire. I wonder, what kind of cynical world do we live in?

Critics and so called “fans” are very strange by nature.  They applaud people who achieve success but as soon as these people falter, critics and “fans” are the first one to bring them down. They will seize the opportunity to make sure that since they have not been successful, why let others remain on that podium? One day Sachin is the greatest, the other day he is the worst. One day Dhoni is the best captain in the world, in the next match/series, he is the worst.  How fickle we can be in terms of our opinion is just surprising and funny at times? All those critics/fans that call themselves cricket experts and have asked for Sachin’s retirement based on facts should get their facts checked out. Because last I checked, Sachin has been the best amongst the current crop of active players in the longer run. One year does not define what kind of things he is capable of achieving.

People talk about his age and how his age is the factor for his decline. Then again I have a question to those people, since when does age hamper one’s performance? In some it can, but how are they absolutely sure that Sachin has been affected by age? If they are so sure, then how will they define Sir Jack Hobbs who scored a test century at the age of 46? Half his hundreds came when he was over 40. How do they define the long list of cricketers playing after 40 including Clive Lloyd, Alex Stewart and Gordon Greenidge.

No one can define how one can play at a certain age. It is only for the player to decide and not the people outside.  If we are asking Sachin to retire, deep down inside we know, it is not because of his lack of form, it is because of our pessimistic and fickle attitude where in our heart fails to understand how can the greatest player still continue to play with the same zeal as 17 year old.

Apart from his runs, people fail to see the fear that he creates in the mind of opponents and the confidence that he generates in Indian youngsters with his presence. The above two factors are tangible yet strong points one cannot afford to ignore. If we fail to see this, then it makes me remember “Divide and conquer” theory of Britishers which led to the demise of our country. Sachin’s retirement is what every opponent is secretly hoping for. The so called critics have been fueling the people in India to force the retirement of Sachin and see the fall of India as a cricketing nation.

It is time for the true fans to step up and show Sachin that we really care and we are with him when he truly deserves our support. How can we forget the times, when through his cricket, he inspired us to achieve more in our lives, we smiled and felt proud from inside for being a part of the great cricketing nation, those cherished memories ( 1999 Australian series ,the battle against Shane Warne and so may more) that we still talk about with our friends. This is the time when we all should stand up to support the greatest batsman in the world.

See the facts above, think logically, be a true fan and say to those who ask for his retirement that we do not care what they say. To us, we are with Sachin and will support him not because our heart says that, but also because facts also supports this. This is why I strongly believe that Sachin should not retire.

I am really thankful  to my father who made me realize until stats are checked, don’t believe the one sided story going on currently in the papers. I will end my article with the following quote for Sachin Tendulkar:

“Along the way there’s going to be a lot of obstacles, a lot of adversity, a lot of people who will tell you you’re not good enough. I’m here to tell you that you are. Everyone that tells you that you’re not is because they didn’t accomplish something.” - Tim Tebow

If you are a true fan, share this article so that more people can read this and come out in support of the master blaster.

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy

Change - A boon or bane in sport? ( By Redflame)

For all the abject innate human gratification indulged in, decorating our divine idols in any sport, there still remains an inevitable phase that reminds us of the ‘only reality’ we have to accept in resignation – ‘Mortality as the curse of time & boon of change!’

Be it a breezing ‘Bolt’, a ripple ‘Phelps’, a symphony ‘Sachin’ or a flower ‘Federer’, all have a past, pretty much like ours – We all started off as the same crawling infants braving those first few faltering steps, those occasional trips and falls, often painful tumbles, rolls and bruises. But no matter what the level of obstacles and falls, we got up more determined every time and strove on. Until finally a stage was reached where walking became as involuntary as breath. Common pages of history that stare back at any reader as he turns back the diary of his life!

With time though, we move into our unique destinies, by choices taken by force or free-will. And by the time we finally rest in our grave, each has a unique book for himself, in which he alone is the hero. But where along the path did those legends that once faltered like us as a kid, differ?

Sport is certainly one of those glorious chapters in this novel called life that instantly becomes a hit for it romances the mind and heart of any era, earning the protagonist fittingly a pedestal of worship and adoration in the hearts of a million and more. For, a fitting hero like that gives a spectacle to celebrate being alive.

With every sublime victory, each passing moment of awe, every instant of miracle defying logic, and inspirational struggle of determination in adversity, this hero starts transforming into an invincible master and finally a legend. So much so that we forget he is human for we’ve been taught to believe that ‘to err is human.’ Inevitably, there comes a time when he walks alone on the path of success, far from the madding crowd. He is glorified among the masses as he morphs into an enigma that attracts everybody. For while most chase dreams, they live it!

The truth remains that these icons are the only reason sport is till date our greatest theater of entertainment.

It’s in the midst of this extravagance of human virtue being dissolved in this exceptional winner that the curse of time strikes meanest. For, with time comes a defying warrior or more that is exposed in this invincible emperor; the long unseen erring human, of reduced agility and reflexes, stifling his sublime skill, burdening his indefatigable will. All our aspirations of embracing an undying immortal are crashed.The once invincible Federer, who went about his business, brushing the rest, earning a record 16 titles in half a decade, was stranded in his blocks by a single man Spanish armada, and wintry resilience of a Serb D’joke. An agonizing 2 years of no silverware which we were forced to long believe, as his fundamental right!

Not long ago we had innovative magicians led by Brazil’s Ronaldo, French’s Zidane and a host others who dissolved into the waters of obscurity. One fine day we got up to never see them amidst our dream teams.

Once upon a time not too long ago, there was the famed Indian batting line-up that reduced the rest to terror. Starting with an ‘explosive’ Sehwag partnered by a ‘resilient ticking run machine’ Gambhir, there followed ‘the impregnable wall’ Dravid. After all this, came ‘the 100 ton experience’ Sachin followed by ‘the belligerent Bengal tiger’ Ganguly. If you’d managed wading past all this, you’d end up facing the ‘elegant wristy sublime marauder’ Laxman and at the fag end, still followed by Dhoni’s ‘dispersing helicopter’, although this time to ‘cause a wreck’. No wonder this team rose to the undisputed Numero-Uno.

But just when it seemed a new super-power was settling, in a matter of few weeks, the tiger got extinct, the wall fell, the wrist wilted, the bomb was dampened, the machine lost its efficiency, and the helicopter was grounded. 8 losses on the trot and the throne forfeited. Time couldn’t be crueler to an Indian cricket fan.

Being another country’s fan doesn’t change it much either. Worst if you were the 80’s Windies’ patriot, probably a little less if you supported the 90’s n 2000’s kangaroos, now reaching you if you’d fallen for the English bet, and only a matter of time before a South African Safari shall return to the jungles.

In all essence it just epitomizes one truth – The Inevitable cruel curse of time.

Although amidst all this is another constant – CHANGE!

But how is change a boon, one might argue?

We moan that it was curtains on the galaxy of cricket stars, and possible failures in their absence. But we ought to accept it’s the darkest hour before it’s dawn, followed by the promise of a new day with its bright sun. A few mistakes can’t be the end of the road. Patience is required for when we trust change, the only change from negative can be positive. Already one can perceive a sun amidst the gloom of the dark cricketing clouds.

And here’s the final premise that is sure to raise a storm. Every fan has to accept that there reaches a point where the game is more an audience’s game than the player’s. Whether the player has a passion, talent, destiny blah… we have no qualms on enforcing our opinions of whether they must step down. Retirements are demanded, for we trust the players play into our wishes and that’s probably close to the reality. Analytically, after all in the longer run, sport is about making money, mostly from the pockets of spectators.

We discuss in forums, create live debates, pen articles, blogs, essays, draft programs like turning point, face the nation, opinion hour, fourth umpire etc… to express our views and make it clear to the legend that his long fragrant perfume has vaporized, best a distant memory.

Most complain, ‘why a retired Ferrari Icon Schumacher who once raced his way to 7 titles is back in the track competing against 5 different few time championship amateurs?’ For among the herd, he looks like a 1960 Ford; a glorious past, deserving of the best seat in a museum.

If not for the 2 year wait for Federer’s return to the throne, I’d gladly concede that his elegant pose with the silverware would probably be not as charming.

Frankly Sachin would remain my greatest batsman even if he walked into the dusk this very moment, for you can’t disagree with me that the sight of a 100 ton experienced master-blaster playing with restraint for whatever reasons is painful, while the rising sun at the other end seems to steal the warmth. It only gets tougher with every innings to savor his silent blade. With each passing knock, the Kohli’s and Chand’s lead the charge for the next generation’s debate of their greatest. That’s the game of change giving a beauty for every era.

‘Familiarity breeds contempt’ is the human psychology I hoped would spare sport. But alas, I was wrong.

Yes they are our dream, but dreams do end for ‘The Reality’ waits.

It’s harder to watch the curse of time being inflicted, rather than accepting the gradual boon of change. But the inconvenient truth remains – No time can live for eternity in one sportsman’s shadow and therefore it’s indeed the boon of change that soothes the curse of time!

As someone rightly said, “Enjoy the beauty of the moment as long as it lasts”

(This is a guest post written by Redflame:  An aspiring novelist who is passionate about writing poetry, short stories and thought-provoking plays...sports & love are his favorite subjects for writing, discussion or debate! )

Also: Five Sports Personalities who Failed at First.

For any questions, you can contact me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Five Sports Personalities who Failed at First.

Let me start this article by asking a simple question: How many times have we failed in our lives?

Many times, right?

Failure is inevitable in our lives. There is no way we can run away from it. Earlier in my life, every time I used to see a famous personality, my first thought used to be: how lucky they are to achieve success in their life! I thought they never had any failure and still achieved everything they wanted. How wrong I was.

If you don’t believe me, the following quote might help, as it helped me prove myself wrong.

“You might never fail on the scale I did. But it is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” – J K Rowling.

Until and unless we fail and learn from it, it is impossible for anyone including the famous personalities to become the best in their lives. They are not lucky; they became the best by going through the same process that we also go through in our lives.

So that’s why I thought, let’s look in the field of sports to find out if there are athletes who rose from the rock bottom to become the best in their career despite failures.

Here is the list of my top five sports personalities who failed at first, only to later emerge as the best in their field.

Michael Jordan 

He is considered the greatest basketball player ever to play the game. But did you know he was cut out of the high school team? At 5’11″ (1.80 m) back then, he was told he was too short to play at that level and lacked the skills to play Basketball.

I know it’s hard to believe it now, but this is true. Imagine the best player in the history of basketball, who redefined the game with his skills, speed, talent and attitude, was considered incapable earlier in his career. How did Jordan react to this disappointment?

“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it, and that usually got me going again.”

Imagine if he would have given up after facing failure in his life, where would he be now?

Babe Ruth

He is considered one of the biggest sports heroes of America. He has the record of having the third highest home run record in Baseball. But did you know that for a decade he held the record for the highest strikeouts (1,330) as well. On being asked about his strikeouts, he said: “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

Tom Landry

He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of American football. To his credit, he had two super bowl victories, five NFC championships and the record for the most career wins in football. But did you know that during his first season as a coach, he also had the honor of sharing the worst record ever in NFL (no wins) and later on winning five or less games in the next four seasons.

Stan Smith 

The tennis player who won Wimbledon, US Open and eight Davis Cups, and who formed one of the most successful doubles team, was rejected during his childhood for the ball boy’s position in a Davis Cup match as the organizers felt he was too clumsy and uncoordinated.

Mark Cuban

He was a failure as a carpenter, cook and waiter (who didn’t even know how to open a bottle of wine). Fast forward to 2012, he is now the billionaire owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. What did he say for his failures?

“I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how many times you failed,” Cuban says. “You only have to be right once. I tried to sell powdered milk. I was an idiot lot of times, and I learned from them all.”

Quite surprising isn’t it? For me too, it was a revelation, but the reason why these people reached the top was once given by John Wooden:

“Winners make the most errors . . . because they NEVER quit.”

So next time you fail, decide which category you will want to be in, Winner or Loser?

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy

Roger Federer: Is He The Greatest Ever?

I never thought of something like this when I was a little kid, that’s for sure. Probably one of my biggest accomplishments. I’m very proud of that record (300 weeks as World no. 1), no doubt about it.” – Roger Federer.

Roger Federer’s statement  made me go back in my memory lanes and wonder about my childhood idol Pete Sampras. As a kid, growing in a small town , I was fascinated by Pete Sampras and his serve. When he surpassed the world record of Ivan Lendl’s 270 weeks  as World No.1  on June 21, 1999, the girl in me jumped in elation and looked  with deep admiration on what he had achieved. I just wondered in my mind: Can anyone ever come even close to this record? Probably not.

But history has a strange way of repeating itself and just 13 years later, I  found myself jumping up once again in air after  seeing  Roger Federer, the perfect gentleman of tennis, surpassing the elite  300 weeks mark  at World No.1 – once thought impossible.  Till date, I have failed to pin point one exact reason why  people love Roger Federer so much.

Is it  his elegance, one handed backhand, the sweet timing, his smile, his devotion towards his family or his composure? What is it that makes people love him so much? I think it is all of the above, but if I dare try to define him in one line, it will be, "He is the most elegant player, yet the simplest player tennis has  ever seen”.

The beauty lies in the fact that he makes the game of tennis and life look so easy to everyone.  Here is how:

When I look at Novak Djokovic and  Rafael Nadal , I know tennis is  difficult and requires a lot of hard work and stamina. When I look at Federer, he makes all his shots look so easy that it makes me believe that tennis is not that difficult for an average person like me.

When I look at people around the world unhappy with their life and family, it makes me wonder about what happened  to the old days of enjoying the simple joys of life . When I look at Federer, he makes me realize that happiness is all about inner self, it's all about family and still lies in spending your life with wife and kids, taking them to a stroll in the park, putting the kids to bed in the night and waking up in the night to ensure everything is well just like a normal dad.

When I look at players running for fame and money, I know the world is now run on how much money we can earn in our lives. When I look at Federer and see how he is focused on his goals every year, turning down endorsements, tournaments and exhibitions  to make sure he can follow his passion , it comforts me and inspires to follow my own goals instead of running after money.

Yes, to me emotionally, my heart believes that  Roger Federer is indeed the  most complete  player in the history of men’s tennis because there is no way any one can be a perfect sports-person as he is. People might talk about other players and in no way do I want to condescend anyone of them as I totally respect what others have achieved in their life, but I still believe that no one has indeed been as complete as Roger Federer in tennis, be it on the court or off the court.

Tennis, family, work ethics, fans , media interviews – he is indeed the best sports-person the game has ever witnessed.Thank you Roger Federer for inspiring millions of people around the world not only with your game, but also your personal life.

( PS: I know people will argue that Rafael Nadal and others might be the top contenders for the greatest players but as far as statistics  go, I believe that he is the greatest player  tennis has ever seen. If you don’t believe me, then wait for my next article in which I will speak from my mind with certain facts to prove my point. Who is ready for a hot debate?)

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy

Saina Nehwal: Is she the Rafael Nadal of India?

Ask any tennis fan, and he will tell you that Rafael Nadal has been a pillar of inner strength and determination when it comes to meeting the nearly-impossible goals. His journey to defeat Novak Djokovic after losing seven consecutive finals was, I believe, the epitome of his mental fortitude and never-say-die attitude.

Yes, Rafael Nadal lost seven times to Novak Djokovic before he overcame his biggest hurdle at the Monte Carlo Masters in April this year.  This made headlines of every newspaper and his victory over Djokovic was a big achievement.

However, this article is not aimed to revisit his achievement but to share with the readers the news of our very own Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal, who achieved a similar kind of feat just last week in Denmark Open, and was mentioned scarcely in our newspapers.

After six straight defeats (including the humiliating defeat at the Olympics) at the hands of the ‘Chinese Wall’, World No. 1 Wang Yihan, the young athlete from Hyderabad was not to be tamed again in her seventh encounter last week at Denmark Open.  The rivalry, which started off in May 2010, grew fierce with time as Saina was unable to conquer the biggest opponent of her life – until now.

Saina went on to win the Denmark Open eventually, but her remarkable rise to the top in Badminton is still unexplored by the media. Not many people, including myself, even knew about her accomplishment of breaking the ‘Chinese Wall’.

Having followed the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry very closely last year, I have seen the endurance of Rafael Nadal and the emotional trauma he underwent in getting closer to overcome his rival in every match.  After every loss, he would seem lost and the pain of each loss was clearly visible in his eyes. I can only imagine the same kind of pressure on this 22-year-old, who through showing similar kind of spirit, was able to finally reach the summit. For me, she is the Rafael Nadal of badminton – and India.

The irony is that whereas Rafael Nadal is the king of sports in Spain, Saina Nehwal still falls behind the line up of Indian cricketers. In my opinion, this young athlete, who has been an inspiration to every little girl in India, deserves a lot more attention than Indian cricketers. Simply for the reason that to rise in a male dominated, cricket fanatic society such as ours, one should be incredibly dogmatic and hard working in their approach of achieving their goals.

When Saina was born, it was a day of sadness for her grandmother as she wanted a boy.  Her relations with her family are strained even today, as they were against encouraging girls. If not for her parents’ openness and support, India would have lost out on a determined young sports star. To be able to overcome the bias prevalent in our society towards girls is a feat in itself; which to me is the sign of a person full of courage, strength and determination.

To rise in cricket is natural in India because everyone loves cricket and male participation is encouraged in sports. But to rise in sports other than cricket is a feat considered nearly impossible till a few years ago; and that a girl has done it should be a story of pride for anyone in India.

Hopefully, many girls will be inspired by Saina Nehwal and rise up to change the way India is seen in terms of sports participation and excellence. We have our own Rafael Nadal in the form of Saina Nehwal and maybe one day, she will get the same reputation as him.

Also: Satire: The day Sachin Tendulkar announces his retirement

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy

This story was published on sportskeeda.com (http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/27/saina-nehwal-is-she-the-rafael-nadal-of-india/ ) by Apeksha HA.