Ricky Ponting to retire after Perth Test. Will Sachin Tendulkar follow suit?
December 4, 2012 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
As Australian batsman Ricky Ponting finally announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of the third Test against South Africa beginning Friday, a lot of things he said during the hastily-called press conference stuck a chord. They also, ironically, threw up a series of questions that Sachin Tendulkar needs to answer, to himself if nobody else, as speculation gains momentum on the Indian legend’s own career.
“I think the timing is just right, coming at the end of the series. Gives, whoever my replacement is, enough time to get into the team structure and start afresh with a new series. These are things that have always been important for me,” Ponting said.
Tendulkar is in a position to do the same. The Test series against England, a tough battle, will also be the end of India’s Test outing in this calendar year, and with the next Test series only in February, give any player enough time to settle down.
“My preparations have been as good as it has always been. I scored runs in the (Sheffield) Shield but when the big moments came, I wasn’t able to deliver for the team,” Ponting said.
Tendulkar came into the series on the back of a century against Railways in the Ranji Trophy, which indicated his scoring form was back. But through the series, he has scored a grand total of 29 runs. Worse, in the second Test, he walked in with the team needing him to hang around the crease but managed to stay for 42 minutes, both innings included. He failed the Indian team when it needed him most.
“Over the last 12-18 months I have not been consistent. I have had very good starts and prolonged periods of not playing at the level I am expected to. In my own eyes, the reason’s been consistent failure,” the Australian said, when asked if there was any particular moment when he felt he had to go now.
Those good starts have included a 221 and two half centuries for Ponting; Sachin has scored a grand total of 153 runs in his last 10 innings, his last three-fugre mark coming in January 2011. Ponitng was also dropped by the selectors for ODIs in February this year and hasn’t played the shorter format since then. Sachin remains an integral part of the Indian team in ODIs, picking and choosing his competitions.
“Decision not made by the selectors, it’s been made by me,” Ponting said when asked about the role of selectors, implying that despite all the pressure from all sides, the final call was taken by him, to ensure he went out before being kicked out.
Sachin, though, has left it to the selectors to take a call on his future, according to reports, avoiding the responsibilty. The selectors, and the BCCI, in turn, have thrown the ball straight back into Sachin’s court, saying he would know when to quit and doesn’t need anyone to tell him, which may be true. but with Sachin himself reluctant to quit and no one else seemingly brave enough to take a decision, there doesn’t appear a resolution of the status quo anytime soon.
