The Indian cricket team for the Sri Lankan tour was announced last week and a name conspicuous by its absence was that of the great Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar, as he told in an interview, wants to spend 'quality time' with his family and hence decided to skip the tour.
A lot of cricket commentators are criticizing this move with some even bringing up the club vs country debate to the fore asking why couldn't Sachin spend his 'quality time' during IPL.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong in the desire to spend 'quality time' with the family. Everybody wants to do that. If, like me, you work in a office where you have a limited number of leaves in a year you would want to utilize the leaves to the maximum extent. But what if I ask my boss that I want to take an additional month of leave after I have exhausted my annual quota? Will the boss indulge me ? Or, will he put his foot down and tell me in clear terms that no more leaves are available ? My boss' response will depend on how much I contribute to the company on a day to day basis. If he thinks that even after an additional month of absence I can come back and not only finish off the work allocated to me but even help my team members with their work and that on a whole I will have a positive impact on the team he might grant me my wish. However, if he thinks an additional absence of a month is going to negatively impact the organization he might not allow me the luxury of more leaves.
In either case, I cannot be blamed for asking additional leaves as everybody has a right to look after their own personal interests. Then why is Sachin being blamed for asking to be rested for the Sri Lankan tour ? If the boss - in this case the selectors - think that the 'pick and choose' style of Tendulkar is harming the balance of the team and that it makes the younger players more insecure about their future , then they should have a straight talk with Tendulkar and let him know their predicament. On the other hand, if they think that even if Sachin picks and chooses the tournaments, overall the team will benefit from his experience and expertise then they should clearly communicate their plans so that there is no confusion regarding Sachin's inclusion in the team.
But to blame Sachin is completely unfair. Sachin is blamed when he scores a century, Sachin is blamed when he gets out for a duck, Sachin is blamed when India wins and Sachin is blamed when India loses. But again, it is probably a price he pays for being considered a demi-god in India. His fans and the media demand a higher standard of morality from him compared to the rest.
In my opinion the real culprit in this case are the selectors who lack the courage to take on the great man. The objective of the national selectors, who are paid handsomely by the way, is to take decisions which take Indian cricket in the right direction, even if they have to defy the GOD.
Lets not put the burden of the selector's cowardice on Sachin's shoulders. The burden of a billion people is heavy enough.
