Are Tendulkar and Ponting done? Is it time to call it a day?

[silentstriker]

I think you meant for having built up his kind of job security.

Meh. There shouldn't be such a thing in sport. There is clearly, especially with Tendulkar, but sentiment should not play a role. The moment you feel someone else can help you win a Test match more than him, he should be dropped immediately. The only goal the selectors should have is to win the next test match.

 

[Satyanash89]

Meh. There shouldn't be such a thing in sport. There is clearly, especially with Tendulkar, but sentiment should not play a role. The moment you feel someone else can help you win a Test match more than him, he should be dropped immediately. The only goal the selectors should have is to win the next test match.

If the BCCI axes Tendulkar unceremoniously, the whole nation will erupt at the "injustice", especially Maharshtra, his home state, where i live... and seeing as how Srikkanth is the chief of selectors, I would not be surprised at all if some groups try to 'target' South Indians... so i for one hope he doesnt get the axe

Seriously though, its easy for us to sit here and say he should be dropped for the betterment of the team, but no one has the balls to do so....

 

[grecian]

I think SS realises this is an Utopian point, he's mentioned it before Tendulkar won't be dropped.

Dravid retired, and it's worked well. Yet with Yuvrav still in the side, sachin shouldn't consider it, unless he feels fatigued.

I really feel he has to retire at the end of his career though, him being dropped will cause madness. Replacements will be hated, selectors will be despised.

 

[harsh.ag]

I think SS realises this is an Utopian point, he's mentioned it before Tendulkar won't be dropped.

Dravid retired, and it's worked well. Yet with Yuvrav still in the side, sachin shouldn't consider it, unless he feels fatigued.

I really feel he has to retire at the end of his career though, him being dropped will cause madness. Replacements will be hated, selectors will be despised.

Dead on. Imagine somebody like Rahane replacing Tendulkar. He would probably be booed every delivery in his first innings. When thinking about a long-term replacement, the only one who I think will make me happy would be a more mature Unmukth Chand, hopefully in a year. Lad can be special, like Pujara and Kohli. The rest of the cast: Rahane, Raina, Badri, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj, Tiwary do not really seem the part, but we may have to do. Though I should probably reserve judgement on Badri.

Another way to go would be to play Sehwag at #4, as he has wanted to play at that position for so long now, and get somebody else to open. Sehwag replacing Sachin may cushion the blow.

 

[grecian]

Dead on. Imagine somebody like Rahane replacing Tendulkar. He would probably be booed every delivery in his first innings. When thinking about a long-term replacement, the only one who I think will make me happy would be a more mature Unmukth Chand, hopefully in a year. Lad can be special, like Pujara and Kohli. The rest of the cast: Rahane, Raina, Badri, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj, Tiwary do not really seem the part, but we may have to do. Though I should probably reserve judgement on Badri.

Another way to go would be to play Sehwag at #4, as he has wanted to play at that position for so long now, and get somebody else to open. Sehwag replacing Sachin may cushion the blow.

Chand looks good. It's a problem with yuvrav isn't it? I've had close relations who have survived and not from cancer. It's incredible he's worked his fitness to be back in the side, have tons of admiration for the guy, but he isn't a Test player, and he's probably just muddying the waters.

 

[Cevno]

There is if they're keeping out good young players, but actually in sides with Quiney and Yuvrav in the teams anyway, I'm not sure that's the case ATM.

Who in India can step up right now? They'll probably pick Raina again.

Same was said with respect to Dravid and Laxman. Raina and Yuvraj were alternating for the 6th spot even then undeservingly....

And now that both Dravid and Laxman have been replaced by reasonably good upcoming batsmen, Raina and Yuvraj are still in the team when the likes of Rahane, Badri and even Mukund/Rohit Sharma should be ahead of them like before Pujara/Kohli should have been.


I am not sure Sachin should retire yet, but don't buy this argument tbh.

 

[Cevno]

If the BCCI axes Tendulkar unceremoniously, the whole nation will erupt at the "injustice", especially Maharshtra, his home state, where i live... and seeing as how Srikkanth is the chief of selectors, I would not be surprised at all if some groups try to 'target' South Indians... so i for one hope he doesnt get the axe

Seriously though, its easy for us to sit here and say he should be dropped for the betterment of the team, but no one has the balls to do so....

Dead on. Imagine somebody like Rahane replacing Tendulkar. He would probably be booed every delivery in his first innings. When thinking about a long-term replacement, the only one who I think will make me happy would be a more mature Unmukth Chand, hopefully in a year. Lad can be special, like Pujara and Kohli. The rest of the cast: Rahane, Raina, Badri, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj, Tiwary do not really seem the part, but we may have to do. Though I should probably reserve judgement on Badri.

Another way to go would be to play Sehwag at #4, as he has wanted to play at that position for so long now, and get somebody else to open. Sehwag replacing Sachin may cushion the blow.

Let's calm down and not go into hyperbole.

Don't think selectors will have the guts to drop him, like they didn't with Dravid/Laxman but even if they do there will be some outrage, but not this nonsense.

And btw, Sandeep Patil, a maharashtrian is Chief of selectors now.

 

[robelinda]

Plenty of young indian domestic guns to get a game when Sachin goes, but i get the feeling that Dravid and Laxman felt the pressure a *little* of the Sachin retiring thing, someone had to go, they realised it was never going to be Sachin, so the knives would be out for them. Australia doesnt have the luxury of gun batting talent in the wings, our next best was apparently Quiney, no need to say any more. I guess we are waiting for Hughes to come again, Watson is no Ponting, if we really did drop Ponting my feeling is it would weaken us and no replacement is going to do much better, whether its Bailey or Ferguson or Quiney or whoever. I'd imagine Rahane for India or Badrinath would do a better job than Sachin is doing currently.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Ponting will play until he's dropped. He's fairly experienced in the pride-swallowing game as the first Australian captain to play on after being dumped in decades; anyone willing to wear that emasculation wouldn't be inclined to give a **** about retiring gracefully.

If allowed to play on his terms (and grecian's Quiney point nails it) he won't retire till the end of the next Australian summer. My theory is he has a haunting chip on his shoulder re: that little urn.

 

[Jono]

Meh. There shouldn't be such a thing in sport. There is clearly, especially with Tendulkar, but sentiment should not play a role. The moment you feel someone else can help you win a Test match more than him, he should be dropped immediately. The only goal the selectors should have is to win the next test match.

The problem is you and a whole bunch of other ****s thought he was done in 2006 and if you had your way India would never have won a series in Englan and drawn series in SA since as you would have dropped him.

We are playing Yuvraj Singh. Why is sachin our biggest concern? Because he isn't as good as he was two years ago? So what? He's still better than Yuvraj ****ing Singh

 

[BoyBrumby]

I was just reading an article on cricinfo about Marlon Samuels as a test batsman (here, for the interested) & it links to the list of top runmakers for 2012.

Even after his recent travails Punter still averages 49.00 for the calendar year. More than Ali Cook, ftr.

Sachin's average for the current year a less impressive 24.18 tho.

 

[uvelocity]

who knows how and when the boots will be hung, but it's obvious they are both past it

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Put Ponting back at first drop. With Quiney there he's effectively batting 3 anyway.

 

[aussie tragic]

It's time for Ponting to go!

I remember when Doug Walters came back for Australia in 1980/81 after last playing for Australia in 1977 (he missed the first season after WSC)

Dougie played 6 Tests and scored 397 runs @ 56.71 but at age 36 was dropped for the 1981 tour of England, with his poor record in England being stated as the reason (18T, 745 runs @ 25.68, HS 88, 6 fifties).

Well Ponting at age 38 will next have to play in India, where he record there is comparable to Walters in England (14T, 662 runs @ 26.48, HS 123, 1 century, 5 fifties).

With his current form of 166 runs @ 18.44 in his last 5 Tests, Perth has to be make or break for him.

Here are some other players dropped with their record for their last 6 tests

Dean Jones, 527 runs @ 52.70
Michael Slater, 307 runs @ 27,90
Mark Waugh, 249 runs @ 27.66
Kim Hughes. 176 runs @ 14.66

So Ponting is in Kim Hughes territory now and considering Hughes got a pair in his last Test, they are very close (Hughes had 176 runs @ 17.60 in 5 Tests preceding his last).

I say make the call now as Khawaja, Hughes & Watson are ready replacements and all are far better than Trevor Chappell who replaced Walters when he was axed

 

[silentstriker]

The problem is you and a whole bunch of other ****s thought he was done in 2006 and if you had your way India would never have won a series in Englan and drawn series in SA since as you would have dropped him.

We are playing Yuvraj Singh. Why is sachin our biggest concern? Because he isn't as good as he was two years ago? So what? He's still better than Yuvraj ****ing Singh

He should have been dropped back then. He was a liability in the side. I care about winning. And if he wanted to come back, he should have played FC cricket, scored runs, and he'd be picked again. Ganguly left and came back. Unlike a lot of other people in cricket, I don't really hold people's age against them.

And just because Yuvraj also isn't Test class doesn't mean Sachin shouldn't be dropped.

 

[Red]

If Ponting fails again at the WACA, then surely it's time to have one last hit at Bellerive against SL before retiring after the game. And it should be announced before the Bellerive test.

Just cannot carry top order batsmen who continually fail.

 

[Ruckus]

Ponting will play until he's dropped. He's fairly experienced in the pride-swallowing game as the first Australian captain to play on after being dumped in decades; anyone willing to wear that emasculation wouldn't be inclined to give a **** about retiring gracefully.

If allowed to play on his terms (and grecian's Quiney point nails it) he won't retire till the end of the next Australian summer. My theory is he has a haunting chip on his shoulder re: that little urn.

If that's true, that's garbage from him. He deserves to fail if his motivation to continue is a dream of getting back the Ashes for personal glory. He's got to understand it's not about him anymore, and it hasn't been for some time. He's no longer the captain, or the best batsman in the side. It's Clarke's team now and his role in the side has to be as a team man alone. But tbf to Ponting, I'm not sure if that is the main reason he wants to continue on. I genuinely think he would want to win as many matches for the team as possible and see it rise back to the top of the rankings.

On Ponting, does anyone know if there has been a worse form slump at the back-end of a career for an ATG batsman than him? It's been quite an astoundingly protracted slump - averaged 38.77 in 2009, 36.95 in 2010 and 31.92 in 2001, and 2012 (aside from the India series) looks like it's only heading downwards as well.

 

[Contra]

Dravid did it right, went out on a massive high really as his brilliant tour to England was fresh in everyones mind when he went.

Nah Dravid's final memory unfortunate will be this: Rahul Dravid bowled 6 (or 7) times in 8 innings - AUS vs INDIA 2011/2012 (Cricket) - YouTube

People aren't gonna remember his 3 centuries in England, only the fact that he was part of the team who lost 8-0 to England and Australia. That's not to say he didn't retire at the right time, but I don't think he went out on a massive high as you suggest, in fact, Dravid was a passenger in the Indian team for several years prior to that England tour.

 

[howardj]

Plenty of young indian domestic guns to get a game when Sachin goes, but i get the feeling that Dravid and Laxman felt the pressure a *little* of the Sachin retiring thing, someone had to go, they realised it was never going to be Sachin, so the knives would be out for them. Australia doesnt have the luxury of gun batting talent in the wings, our next best was apparently Quiney, no need to say any more. I guess we are waiting for Hughes to come again, Watson is no Ponting, if we really did drop Ponting my feeling is it would weaken us and no replacement is going to do much better, whether its Bailey or Ferguson or Quiney or whoever. I'd imagine Rahane for India or Badrinath would do a better job than Sachin is doing currently.

Ponting, in the last seven series, has averaged over 33 just once

Hard to see that anybody could do any worse

Moreover, it's oversimplifying things to ask whether anybody could do any better. It's about bringing in another young guy (Usman or Hughes) and letting them develop, improve and grow into the role. Ponting has no more development or improvement left in him. So yeah it's not all about could anybody else do any better. But just on that question, really they couldn't do much worse.

 

[howardj]

Having said that, I certainly don't think Ponting should retire

It's up to the selectors.