Now that it is no more a secret that Sachin Tendulkar will be around till 2011 and his next (and hopefully, final) World Cup, is it not about time that the bigwigs in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sat down with him and discussed his future plans till the event?
There is no doubt that Tendulkar is an icon and, at least statistically, the greatest batsman Indian cricket has produced. Add to this the belief he has that he can carry on for sometime and contribute in more ways than one. The indications are his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni thinks so too. Dhoni, other than being a very successful captain already, seems to be one of those with the ability to do the right things all the time. And one of these is not saying a word against Tendulkar.
However, it must have crossed Dhoni’s mind that with so many young and aspiring young batsmen waiting on the wings, he has to find ways and means of providing them with opportunities. There is this uncomfortable if not embarrassing position with regard to the pairing of the two batsmen who would open the innings.
On the basis of form and understanding, the pairing has to be Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Whether this will be the pair in the 2011 World Cup remains to be seen. This is because a lot would depend on whether Tendulkar would want to open the batting. If he does, it would have to be either with Sehwag or Gambhir. Of course, it now seems that we are looking too far ahead as there are a whole lot of imponderables to be considered by the time the tourney comes round. Amazingly, all this speculation is being caused by the presence of just one individual.
If it is asked as to what guarantee there is that, say, Sehwag or, for that matter, Dhoni might be in contention in 2011, the question would be dismissed by fans saying that Indian cricket cannot even consider the possibility of these stars not being available. But then fans cannot determine the future of Indian cricket.
Someone like Tendulkar, who is well aware that he is assured of being selected and enjoys the role of being the ‘Grey Eminence’ of Indian cricket, might not want to know that the younger players are wondering when he will call it a day. There is a simple and delicate matter of someone overstaying his welcome!
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