IPL 6: Mumbai Indians' legends collection and Tendulkar's scratchy form

It is a well known fact that Mumbai Indians like to have a collection of legends by their bedside. First they had Sachin Tendulkar, the legend of all legends, as their icon player and paired him up with Sanath Jayasuriya in the first couple of seasons of the IPL. Along with them, Shaun Pollock also found himself in the middle of the MI dressing room, completing the triumvirate of iconic figures of modern day cricket. It was to be that around these three would all of MI’s cricket revolve. But with a mighty crash and bang, Mumbai Indians failed to even qualify for the semi-finals.

As the years go by, Mumbai Indians continuously pluck greats from anywhere they can find and add them to their memorabilia. Currently, they have John Wright as coach, Anil Kumble as mentor, Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach, and Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting opening the batting. On paper, this is a rather formidable side. Any team would like to give up before the toss and make sure their players are back in their rooms in time for the new Balika Vadhu episode. But if matches were won on paper, cricket would be as exciting as chopping onions. Ponting and Tendulkar, or Pondulkar as it is now being termed, are the two greatest batsmen of their generation but when the overs are few and time out of hand, their feet wobble and stumps crumble. As it is, whoever plots the strategies for the team has baffled each and every one of us to the point of absurdity. Mumbai Indians insist on bringing Kieron Pollard as late as possible, have seen an embarrassing number of opening combinations fail, made poor decisions by selling Dwayne Bravo and Abhishek Nayar, and continue to have Munaf Patel in the side. And now we see Pondulkar walking out to bat before anybody else, their gait assuring confidence, their eyes otherwise.

The last couple of years have been harrowing for any Tendulkar fan on the planet. He crawled to get to his hundredth hundred, a matter of relief more than celebration, and even after that he has tripped on terrains which he would have ran on earlier. Age is fast catching up with the Little Master and is the ultimate delivery that would eventually get him out. We’ve seen Tendulkar struggle against particular deliveries and come back stronger, improved, and sharper the next time he came out to bat. But this time it seems as though the legend has lost all hope of recovering and is ready to admit defeat.

In the two matches that have been played, Tendulkar’s behaviour has been extremely out of character. In the first game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, after being referred to the third umpire for a possible run-out, Tendulkar assured his partner that he was safe. Upon realising his mistake, Tendulkar walked back disappointed but confused, and maybe even a little bit shocked. But it’s the second match where we got to see a side of Tendulkar we all did not want to see. After being given out leg before wicket on his first ball against Chennai Super Kings, Tendulkar lashed out in anger and continued to do so until he reached the dug-out. There was nothing wrong with the decision. It was just a silly shot in the context of things.

We all wish for immortality, but more than for us, we wish it for Sachin Tendulkar. Unfortunately, the human civilization has not progressed enough to offer us that opportunity, and neither is Tendulkar a god. He’s skin, blood and bones, and will wrinkle as he ages. Even the most hardcore of fans (me included) have come to the opinion that it is best that the man hangs up his boots. Tendulkar himself said that he won’t retire as long as he can offer the best for his team, and it is evident that his best has left him stranded for a while now.

Tendulkar scratches and pushes to get his runs and it is not the prettiest sight for any cricket lover. But his outburst against CSK is where even the popular Tendulkar Man would draw the line. Tendulkar is clearly frustrated with the way things are going, and we don’t want to bear witness to that. Watching him struggle is torture for us and it is best that the man calls it a day before we all scream in frustration along with him. We don’t want to see Tendulkar bursting out expletives the next time he is dismissed. It’s best that he never gets out. And I say this with the deepest of regret.