Navjot Singh Sidhu has said several times on air that only two Indian Cricketers have retired gracefully from international cricket, Sunil Gavaskar and Javagal Srinath. They retired and people asked "Why?".
Those two were quite surely unlike many other cricketers who announce retirement for the record.
I said retirement announcement for the record since overlooking them from team selection usually precedes such retirement announcement. And despite that "overlooking" these cricketers still nurse hopes of a comeback failing miserably in self-assessment. These guys test the patience of the talented youngsters waiting in the wings. And probably frustrate some of the youngsters to announce retirement.
I think these aging cricketers, past their prime, continue to crave for records and that is the reason why they announce their retirement for "record". They go not by making people ask "why?" but when a chorus (which might include voices of their own die-hard fans) erupts asking "When?".
The very same cricketers who in their prime make people travel miles to watch their talent at display travel miles and miles and miles to score those extra few runs or take those extra few wickets. They look a pale shadow of their past but still drudge on. At the very least it looks ugly.
And to think that they come from this country of philosphers and Gurus who preach to the world the benefits of containing desires, is surprising.
Mr. Sachin, Mr. Rahul & Mr. Saurav - "When?"
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