Thoughts on Sachin

First off. I wrote a piece for EspnCricinfo on Tendulkar retiring from ODIs. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t written this piece  for Mumbai Mirror, which was a recollection of micro moments in Tendulkar’s one-day career. What I found interesting while writing these is the innumerable moments in Tendulkar’s career which you remember but can’t

Twenty-three years of magic

Tracing Sachin Tendulkar’s international career through 40 unforgettable moments 1989: A late Saturday afternoon. Grainy monochrome images from an exhibition match in Peshawar strain our eyes.  The sixteen-year-old on the screen is draped in white, milky white. Helmet, shirt, arm guard, gloves, trousers: all white. Fifty three off eighteen balls. Abdul Qadir prances in with

Be bold, be practical, do the right thing

Sachin Tendulkar must be dropped from the Test team. Let us reiterate that without any ambiguity. The selectors – who are paid Rs 60 lakhs per year – must drop Tendulkar. Whether Tendulkar retires or not, whether he is given a fitting farewell or not, whether he leaves the game in a dignified manner or

Indian cricket’s hell at Eden

None of what follows may be derived from studied logic. I am not here to offer you a rational diagnosis of what ails Indian cricket. Neither am I in a frame of mind to tell you what India must do differently in the Nagpur Test, let alone the near future and beyond. I will attempt