Reply to the "Choosy Patriot"
This post has got a small history to it. There were a couple of very close friends with whom I always argued, waged quite a few tom and jerry fights over topics like Sachin, Telangana, Politics, Relegion etc, had taunts on each other every other day. Now each of us is miles apart, but the arguments have never declined. I miss those debates and arguments as much as I miss them. Coming to this particular post, it is in response to a comment by Vinil on my facebook. I did not really find a right time to post this, despite composing it on the same day I was asked to give a reply to. Here it goes, in response to this.
I would compare Sachin choosing the innings he want to play to a senior vice president who worked for 30 + years in a company, reserving his "Accumulated earned leaves" for a vacation when he feels his team mates can handle a project without any help from him. What we should not forget is, the CEO ( read BCCI ) could still want and force him to handle a project if he thinks the severity of the project requires his services. It happened with the Australia tour where Sachin couldn't perform to his best, though relatively not bad compared to his other team mates.
The CEO is changed now, the top management has changed now, they could perhaps even force a retirement now. But the managers know what players deserve best, else the outgoing lot wouldn't have taken those decisions to let the master pick and choose the matches he want to play.
Once in a while we keep hearing experienced commentators say, preserve Sachin for the upcoming SA tour next year, why is that skepticism still in air about the team not performing in sachin's absence, coz they know he is one man on whom we can rely on, despite his short stints of bad patches, and probably that is the reason why the big bosses are ok with him being a choosy patriot!
Now coming to IPL, "IPL duties" has become a buzz word now, and people delve in to a lot of analysis about players, simply because it is a huge money ball. I agree that every Indian has a say in weather Sachin should play for India or not coz when he plays for team India, he represents a country and has an emotional connect to all Indians, buy IPL ? who are we to say and question him to play or leave IPL, he is an employee of Mumbai Indians and he has to work to get paid for why he is hired ! People say he chooses IPL over Indian matches when he is fit, but why can't we understand where the similarity ends - He can't let others play in his place in IPL unless his franchise agrees to, unlike with BCCI where he has earned the luxury to do so!
Though I would also want to see Sachin representing India more than in IPL, I can understand and relate to his predicament. I would have done the same if I were to be in his place. People cribbing about Sachin not getting a hundred for a year and toddling to a hundred against Bangladesh should compare his stats to his other team members. I always argued, one should earn a place in the team not get it by virtue of others leaving it. The age doesn't matter as long as performance is on track. People will only realise his importance when he is not around in the team anymore.
For the people questioning his patriotic fervor and calling his down to earth attitude "practiced modesty". It is not a single year or two that he has been serving his country relentlessly. Never has been a dark spot in his behavior and actions that brought a bad name to the motherland. I always felt he kept the team before him, victory before personal records, and nation before anything else all the while. (Remember his father's death ?, broken elbow etc read here ) That is why he is still willing to serve even after taking so much of verbose on how he should behave and play for all these years without crumbling to the harsh comments. Just think how you feel when somebody questions your true services to a company, true love to your family and brand you selfish after you sacrifice everything you have got to them. That feeling is worse and can easily succumb anyone to surrender and accept what is not true, but he didn't and that is why he is a true soldier, a hero who still wants to fight till his last breath ! Dare not question his services to the nation. Question yourselves, how could he have behaved not to look like "practiced modesty" after scoring his 100th century. I can't think of any other way, he was naturally modest as he is, you may differ in opinion but it is just individuals perception of varied expressions and things, no questioning that !
Tendulkar’s unwillingness to compromise on his batting positions : My foot you know about what is happening in the team discussions and requirements, how can one say, that he never wanted to change his position in the team ? Why does the team want a man who scored 12 thousand plus runs at no 4 to move and experiment with the combinations ?
To refresh the memories, In tests, no 3 was occupied by one of the best no 3 batsman of all time till recently and sending Sachin at no 5 would be a foolish act coz laxman would have to be accommodated before Sachin. Only option hence was to open. Where was the spot to open when it was already being competed for, amongst Sehwag, Rahane and Gambhir. Gambhir and Sehwag's pair is touted as one of the best opening pairs. Would you want to disturb that? In fact I would say, the team ran out of choices when Sachin din't play a test match rather than when he returned, again it is all about how you or I read the game which doesn't matter, coz what matters is how the captain and team reads it !
In ODIs also, Sachin was sent down the order in a world cup under Ganguly, that decision was later in contemplation accepted as biggest mistake by the then coach Chappel, Even now, if Sachin lets Gambhir and Sehwag Open and Sachin takes one down, it is just the top 3 places that get shuffled, how are we accommodating other players ?
I would compare Sachin choosing the innings he want to play to a senior vice president who worked for 30 + years in a company, reserving his "Accumulated earned leaves" for a vacation when he feels his team mates can handle a project without any help from him. What we should not forget is, the CEO ( read BCCI ) could still want and force him to handle a project if he thinks the severity of the project requires his services. It happened with the Australia tour where Sachin couldn't perform to his best, though relatively not bad compared to his other team mates.
The CEO is changed now, the top management has changed now, they could perhaps even force a retirement now. But the managers know what players deserve best, else the outgoing lot wouldn't have taken those decisions to let the master pick and choose the matches he want to play.
Once in a while we keep hearing experienced commentators say, preserve Sachin for the upcoming SA tour next year, why is that skepticism still in air about the team not performing in sachin's absence, coz they know he is one man on whom we can rely on, despite his short stints of bad patches, and probably that is the reason why the big bosses are ok with him being a choosy patriot!
Now coming to IPL, "IPL duties" has become a buzz word now, and people delve in to a lot of analysis about players, simply because it is a huge money ball. I agree that every Indian has a say in weather Sachin should play for India or not coz when he plays for team India, he represents a country and has an emotional connect to all Indians, buy IPL ? who are we to say and question him to play or leave IPL, he is an employee of Mumbai Indians and he has to work to get paid for why he is hired ! People say he chooses IPL over Indian matches when he is fit, but why can't we understand where the similarity ends - He can't let others play in his place in IPL unless his franchise agrees to, unlike with BCCI where he has earned the luxury to do so!
Though I would also want to see Sachin representing India more than in IPL, I can understand and relate to his predicament. I would have done the same if I were to be in his place. People cribbing about Sachin not getting a hundred for a year and toddling to a hundred against Bangladesh should compare his stats to his other team members. I always argued, one should earn a place in the team not get it by virtue of others leaving it. The age doesn't matter as long as performance is on track. People will only realise his importance when he is not around in the team anymore.
For the people questioning his patriotic fervor and calling his down to earth attitude "practiced modesty". It is not a single year or two that he has been serving his country relentlessly. Never has been a dark spot in his behavior and actions that brought a bad name to the motherland. I always felt he kept the team before him, victory before personal records, and nation before anything else all the while. (Remember his father's death ?, broken elbow etc read here ) That is why he is still willing to serve even after taking so much of verbose on how he should behave and play for all these years without crumbling to the harsh comments. Just think how you feel when somebody questions your true services to a company, true love to your family and brand you selfish after you sacrifice everything you have got to them. That feeling is worse and can easily succumb anyone to surrender and accept what is not true, but he didn't and that is why he is a true soldier, a hero who still wants to fight till his last breath ! Dare not question his services to the nation. Question yourselves, how could he have behaved not to look like "practiced modesty" after scoring his 100th century. I can't think of any other way, he was naturally modest as he is, you may differ in opinion but it is just individuals perception of varied expressions and things, no questioning that !
Tendulkar’s unwillingness to compromise on his batting positions : My foot you know about what is happening in the team discussions and requirements, how can one say, that he never wanted to change his position in the team ? Why does the team want a man who scored 12 thousand plus runs at no 4 to move and experiment with the combinations ?
To refresh the memories, In tests, no 3 was occupied by one of the best no 3 batsman of all time till recently and sending Sachin at no 5 would be a foolish act coz laxman would have to be accommodated before Sachin. Only option hence was to open. Where was the spot to open when it was already being competed for, amongst Sehwag, Rahane and Gambhir. Gambhir and Sehwag's pair is touted as one of the best opening pairs. Would you want to disturb that? In fact I would say, the team ran out of choices when Sachin din't play a test match rather than when he returned, again it is all about how you or I read the game which doesn't matter, coz what matters is how the captain and team reads it !
In ODIs also, Sachin was sent down the order in a world cup under Ganguly, that decision was later in contemplation accepted as biggest mistake by the then coach Chappel, Even now, if Sachin lets Gambhir and Sehwag Open and Sachin takes one down, it is just the top 3 places that get shuffled, how are we accommodating other players ?
After saying all this, the question still tickles in my mind: are we greater thinking minds than the players themselves ! I guess we should all keep our thoughts parked and let the people who matter call the shots!
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