Why is Sachin Tendulkar not playing the T20 world cup?

My first memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar go back to the day when he hit the leg spinner Abdul Qadir for 28 runs (or was it 27?) in a single over at Peshawar.My first memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar go back to the day when he hit the leg spinner Abdul Qadir for 28 runs (or was it 27?) in a single over at Peshawar.

Sachin wasn't originally supposed to play the game. But since it rained for the major part of the day, the game was turned into a 20 over exhibition match for the ticket paying public, instead of a full fledged one day international. (Sachin's one day debut was in the next game, where he was out for a duck. The wicket went to Wasim Akram)

Sachin had already hit Muhstaq Ahmed for two sixes in an earlier over. It seems Qadir then came to him and said "Bachchon ko kyon mar rahe ho? Hamein bhi maar dikhao." What followed was something like this: 6,0,4,6,6,6.

Sachin finished with an 18 ball 53, and despite that India lost the match. The main reason for that of course was Krishnamanchari Srikanth, the then captain of the team, and now chairman of Selectors. He had treated the game like an exhibition game, and even allowed Qadir to bowl a maiden over to him.

Sachin had played the test matches(which Doordarshan wasn't showing and all we could do was listen to commentary on Radio Pakistan) with Pakistan before this knock, and even scored a couple of half centuries, but this was the knock that really brought him into the limelight.

Now that was 21 years back and Sachin has played many brilliant knocks since then. To me, there is no better sight in cricket, than watching Sachin hit a straight drive of a fast bowler.

But even with all this awe and respect that I hold Sachin in, I simply can't understand why he is not playing the T20 World Cup scheduled to start in the West Indies in less than 10 days.

He is the leading run scorer in this edition of IPL that we all know. In the recent past he has been in the form of his life. And shouldn't that form be benefiting the Indian cricket team as well other than Mrs Ambani and Mumbai Indians?

There are several reasons that people who follow this game closely, have offered, at Sachin's reluctance to play in T20 cricket for India.

The first reason is that he wants to give youngsters a chance. That is the most specious reason to offer for someone's reluctance to play for his country. India should be putting out the best team possible and not the youngest team possible. The best team possible has to include Sachin, given that he is in the form of his life.

When T20 cricket first made an appearance, cricket analysts went to town pointing out that it's a young man's game. But this year's IPL has proved them clearly wrong. Muttiah Muralidharan in the few matches he has played has done very well for the Chennai Superkings. So has Chaminda Vaas for Deccan Chargers.

Shane Warne still gives it's a good tweak, despite not playing any cricket other than IPL. Andrew Symonds who is 34, is one of the best players for Chargers. Mahila Jayawardhane hasn't done too badly for King XI Punjab. And Anil Kumble has given away the least number of runs per over in the tournament. Jacques Kallis isn't doing too badly, given that he is the second highest run getter and has got wickets as well. And of course, on top of all this, Sachin at 37 (he turns 37 on April 24) has been the best batsman by far. So the argument about T20 being a young man's game doesn't hold at all.

The second reason offered is that Sachin aims to play for the 50 over world cup in 2011 and also looking to complete 100 hundreds in international cricket (he is currently at 93). So he should be trying to lengthen his test career and one day international career. While this clearly has some logic, but the logic clearly doesn't hold on questioning.

If the idea is to lengthen his career, why is Sachin playing IPL at all? Including the semi final match to be played today evening, Sachin would have played 14 games in under a month.

If the idea is to avoid T 20 cricket to lengthen his career, Sachin shouldn't be playing any T20 cricket. If he can play IPL, which isn't real cricket after all, he surely should represent India in the T20 world cup.

Some people, have had the view that IPL is a big money spinner, and it isn't fair to expect anyone to give it a skip. Fair point. But the question is how much does Sachin earn out of IPL every year? Around a million dollars. In order to earn that kind of money, all he needs to do is to advertise one more brand. I mean, that would be more feasible way of earning money than playing in this heat at the age of 37.

What makes me sad is the fact that none of the so called cricket analysts who appear on television and write for newspaper everyday have raised this question? Guess they are still waiting for that elusive interview that Sachin might give them.

Given these reasons I see no reason why Sachin is not playing in the T20 cricket other than: Has Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar become bigger than Indian cricket?

"India will miss Sachin in World T20"

19 Apr 2010

Five years since he hung up his boots as India's most successful coach, John Wright is still immensely respected in the country. The Kiwi operated silently and effectively - proving to be a perfect foil for then skipper Sourav Ganguly- transforming the side to world beaters in half a decade.Five years since he hung up his boots as India's most successful coach, John Wright is still immensely respected in the country. The Kiwi operated silently and effectively - proving to be a perfect foil for then skipper Sourav Ganguly- transforming the side to world beaters in half a decade.

Back in India for a promotional tour of a scholarship programme in New Zealand, Wright spoke exclusively to espnstar.com on various issues. Excerpts.

Rajarshi Gupta: How are you and Mark Greatbatch planning for the ICC World T20 in the West Indies? Do you think IPL players will have an advantage after IPL?

John Wright: New Zealand is planning on all the tournaments we can win and the ICC World T20 is one of them. The big thing is if people are playing in the IPL- you don't want them to be carrying injuries and you don't want to see too many tired players. However, that is something that has to be managed by the support crew- the physios, fitness trainers etc. and how we structure our practice.

People probably understand T20 better now- not only the players but also the ones watching it. There will be a lot of analysis going on to try and get an edge to what really are the key areas you need to know if you have to win a tournament. So the experience will be very important going into the ICC World T20.

RG: Players like Tendulkar, Dravid and Murli Vijay have broken a myth that only slam-bang cricketers can play T20. Do you think India will miss them at West Indies?

JW: You need consistency and you need people who have the mental ability to provide that consistency. Tendulkar has had a great IPL as has Vijay. You want to have players who can play 40 or 50 balls and can turn in match-winning performances by scoring at 130 plus. The main players should face a good number of balls upfront.

India will be looking up to Rohit Sharma, Sehwag, Gambhir and Raina to deliver. They are all good players but Tendulkar's absence, given the kind of form he is in, will be a glaring gap in the team. However, since he has already retired from T20 cricket so there is not much you can do about it.

RG: Most teams have large back-up staff. Explain a coach's role in T20 cricket.

JW: I think a coach's job is to manage the players and he needs to have enough people to help him to do that. I don't like a situation where I as a coach have to manage the support staff. Well, every coach is different in that respect. Personally, I like a very, good tight team, where everyone knows exactly what they have to do and there is no clutter.

RG: How difficult it is to coach Team India? Don't you think demigod status to many cricketers can prove counterproductive?

JW: I never saw any of the Indian players as so called stars. They were just cricketers to me. There were simple rules and these applied to everyone from the senior most to the newest member in the side. That was it. It did not matter how many billboards each player had or how big their cheques were - these were the ground rules and everyone had to stick to them.

There were times when you had to manage the growth of a player - from being unknown to becoming superstars. Naturally, people can start to see things differently when they are successful but then that is what man management is about. As a coach you had to make them see things the way it is. Success can be an enemy in India because it sometimes gets out of perspective. But the important thing is I realised what they were worth to the people.

RG: Did you ever feel a personality clash with the skipper when you were the coach?

JW: There were times when I disagreed with the skipper- that happens when you at times just see things differently. Sourav was in charge on the field and I was in charge off it. We respected each other's roles and we had a lot of trust and I am still in touch with him regularly.

Sourav was interesting because his legacy was such. I think history will be very kind to him because he gave the team something that was not appreciated at the time- that robustness, that passion. He did not mind taking his shirt off at Lord's. Sourav started the process of Indian cricket taking the forward step.

RG: Stephen Fleming and Steve Rixon are involved with the Chennai team. Don't you want to be part of IPL action?

JW: You look at the lot of the coaches working here in the IPL and sometimes I think I wouldn't mind being part of it but let's see. Being a part of it is not completely in my hands.

RG: Pink balls, strategy time outs, ball changes, free hits, super over...where do you think cricket is moving? Are you scared for Test cricket?

JW: I hope there is some common sense but that is sometimes pretty uncommon. I think cricket is in a great position and there are now three variations in the game and not many games have those many options. It is all about how you present the game to the market. T20 is a phenomenon and it will be interesting to see where it all settles down.

In perspective of things, Test cricket is the best examination mentally. If you are good in Test cricket, you will be good in other formats but if a player has a specific role in T20 cricket, he may not be able to survive in Test cricket. If a player wants to be a great bowler or batsman- you have to crack the code in Test cricket.

I hope cricket can market its product in a sensible way so that it can appeal to everyone but it is too early to say which way cricket will head.

It will be great to have so many T20 leagues but you still will have the country way of cricket where at the end of the day Indians like cheering for Indians and New Zealanders for New Zealanders. That is where Test cricket will do well.

RG: You have seen Indian cricket from very close. What make Sachin Tendulkar special? What is it that separates him from say a Sehwag?

JW: They are all different but I think Sachin truly loves the game. He has got a real interest for the game and that is in every respect- he understands the game's history and how important that is. He has probably looked at cricket from many more angles that people understand.

Sachin has carried the hopes and love of a nation and that is a big sort of a weight to have on your shoulders. No one understands that feeling- only he can understand that and we can only talk about it. I mean look at him, he still goes out there and scores a double hundred after so many years in international cricket. That is just amazing.

RG: Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and now Dhoni. Has Dhoni been a worthy successor?

JW: Dhoni definitely is a worthy successor. People listen to what he has got to say and he looks like the kind of guy who is prepared to back his hunches.

Dhoni's challenge is to win a World Cup and we all know what that means. You know Kumble and Dravid didn't have a lot of time while Sourav had a long stint but Dhoni is the first captain in India to be responsible for an IPL team besides the ODI and Test teams and that is a lot of work to handle.