Tendulkar to go the Ponting way?

Ricky Ponting has been dropped form the Australian ODI squad and it looks like his grand career in the limited overs format has drawn to an end.  Ponting who captained the Australian team in the last two ODIs (including the win against India), was informed by a telephone call that his services would no longer be required in the ODI format.  Punter in his last 5 innings has failed to score a double digit score and with just an aggregate of 18 runs in those 5 innings, the axing was inevitable.  According to reports, Ponting is mulling retirement from the shorter format and might make an announcement in the near future.

National selector, John Inverarity speaking on Ponting praised the former skipper and said that the team won't be the same without him.  He said,

"Ricky's record speaks for itself. He is one of the truly great performers in the history of Australian ODI cricket, with his reputation enhanced further by him captaining Australia to two World Cup victories.  Ricky's contribution goes far beyond his batting statistics and his brilliant fielding. The example he sets in every respect and his extraordinarily positive influence in the dressing-room is acknowledged by all. He is held in the highest possible regard by his team-mates and there is no higher accolade than this. Ricky being prepared to take over the captaincy in Michael Clarke's recent absence for the sake of the team is yet another example of his selfless attitude and team-first focus."

So with that announcement the curtain has come down on an illustrious 375 ODI career of Ricky Ponting for the final time.  It is never easy to drop a player, the caliber and stature of Ponting with all his past achievements in wide display.  However a call had to be made from one side and since Ponting hadn't made any calls on retirement, the selectors decided to step in.  I applaud the way the Aussie selectors tackled this sensitive issue and have put the interests of Australian cricket at the forefront, like they should.  "Elite sport, there's no place for sentiment," Inverarity said mentioning the fact that players don't always leave on their own terms and that not all exits happen on a high.

A similar storm is brewing in the Indian camp with the head of a senior player being called for.  Sachin Tendulkar who also hasn't been on the best terms is under heavy scrutiny and with the rotation policy in the Indian top-order, it becomes even more vital that someone leaves the picture and that a balanced unit is found.  Kapil Dev, today added petrol to the already enraging fire by saying Sachin should have quit ODIs right after the World Cup.

It's no secret that Sachin's prime is well past him and that he isn't growing any younger each day.  The toils of the limited overs format is hectic on the body and add to that the IPL and you got yourself one busy schedule.  So not playing ODIs would make perfect sense as it would allow Sachin to focus on test cricket and also help prolong his career playing for India a little more.  In ODIs, this man has achieved everything and the one thing that eluded him over the years was also obtained last April at Mumbai, so there really is nothing much left for the little master in the ODI arena other than to play for the love of the game. Also it is highly unlikely that Sachin would be playing in the 2015 World Cup, down under so it would make perfect sense for him to quit and let a younger player take his place in order to prepare a proper squad for the World Cup.  Dhoni has already said more than once that he would like all his World Cup teams to have players with the experience of at least 60 ODIs and there is no better time for Sachin to leave than this.  He may have missed leaving on a high last year, but surely no one will think bad of him if he does call ODIs a day now.  This series can very well be his last.

However I feel Sachin like Ponting might not go on his own terms and might need the 'extra motivation' that Ponting received from the selectors.  However again it is a very unlikely scenario that any selector would dare stand up to Sachin Tendulkar and ask him to quit.  No one in India would dare to do that for fear of a public outcry, but as Inverarity said there is indeed no place for sentiment and if the best Indian team is one without Sachin Tendulkar and surely he must be dropped and if he doesn't make up his mind then the selectors must make up theirs and give a call to him like the one Ponting received today.

One of the questions the selection panel for a new Indian coach asked candidate John Wright in 2001 was whether he'd  hesitate to drop Sachin Tendulkar if it came to that, and Wright replied no.  Wright eventually got the job and is now remembered as one of India's greatest coaches, and his success is largely because of his simple principle of doing what is best for the team irrespective of what.

So the question that both Sachin Tendulkar and the Indian selectors must be asking themselves is 'What is best for Indian Cricket?'

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Posted in: Australia,Columns,Dhoni,India,John Inverarity,John Wright,Kapil Dev,Michael Clarke,ODI,Ponting,Sachin Tendulkar