Sachin Tendulkar: a Victim of ‘Age’ and Timeless Appeal

The elusive 100^th ton may have put a hold on his career progression for the last year or so, but Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar remains India’s most accomplished batsman of the age. His technique and his hunger remain unparalleled and so does his natural talent. He however, suffers from his own lofty standards. A below average streak from India’s premier batsman of the last 20 years makes him a much easier target than say, a Gautam Gambhir. It needs to be pointed out for all those sharpening their cudgels and preparing to write the obituary of the Little Master that the great man averaged 47.24 in Test Cricket in 2011 when he was in a bad patch! Gambhir on the other hand averaged a little over 31 in the same phase and has escaped detection from our scribes and ‘pundits’.

A suitable parallel can be drawn with Ryan Giggs of Manchester United football club. With only 7 months separating him and Tendulkar at birth, Giggs has spent over 20 years in top flight football and is still going strong. This is in spite of the fact that football is a much more demanding game than the Gentleman’s game which can literally be played at a walking pace compared to football. There is no magic potion that leads these golden ‘oldies’ survive professional sports at the highest level for an eternity. It is the undying passion for the game and an inherent genius that makes them contribute significantly to the team’s cause year after year.

The furor over Sachin’s recent slump and calls for retirement stems from the fact that certain sections of the discerning masses (including journalists and the so called ‘pundits’) equate age with performance on the field. This morbid fascination with age limits for professional sportsmen fails to take into account the tangibles like advances in modern medical sciences and the intangibles like the undying human spirit. While recuperation rates are getting shorter by the day, players of today are at the same time able to look after themselves in the best possible manner and maintain longevity at the peak of their mental and physical states.

Perhaps, the issue has got something to do with the Indian psyche as well where age is not just a number; it is taken as a barometer and a deciding factor in determining individual capabilities. But world over, the field of sports is about meritocracy irrespective of the years under one’s belt. The Australian cricket team is a prime example (where most debutants are established domestic circuit players and not greenhorns with talent). In our own backyard lies the even more pertinent case of Narain Karthikeyan, who at the ‘ripe old age’ of 35 has signed for another stint at Formula One – the most demanding of motorsports events.

So what does this say about Tendulkar? Only a year back he was the star batsman in the World Cup (behind only Dilshan in the aggregate runs scored), and today the critics are scathing in their assessment of his abilities. Tendulkar is for sure a ‘father figure’ to many in the current Indian line up but like all great teams across different sports, it is a chance for India to blend the young with the old. Not only does it ensure a smooth transition period, it also sends an unequivocal message – ‘meritocracy trumps all’.