Sachin should retire: DC poll

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An overwhelming 82 per cent of viewers of Deccan Chronicle online feel that is it is time for Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar to hang up his boots.

In an online poll conducted by www.deccanchronicle.com [2] on whether it was time for Sachin Tendulkar to retire from cricket, only 18 per cent said he should continue to play.

With an average of just 15.3 runs in 10 innings, Sachin was dismissed for 8 on Sunday against England at the Wankhede. In the first innings too he was dismissed for 8, raising a serious question on Sachin’s famed reflexes.

Now at 39, Sachin has been displaying poor reflexes and most bowlers seem to be exploiting this weakness of India’s iconic batsman.

But Sachin still has a huge fan following and many believe that he will be back to his original form. Said a viewer on www.deccanchronicle.com: [3] Sachin has done so much for the country. No one should doubt his passion for the game. Even now at this age he enjoys the game and we should actually feel lucky enough he's still there.

Said another viewer: I agree he is in some lean patch but yes he has been through many such periods in his career. But he has always come back strong like in 2010 where he won the ICC player of the year award. Sachin Tendulkar is not any other cricketer. He is the best cricket player ever and he certainly will be back.

But his current form has raised fresh questions on Sachin’s retirement. Legendary Sunil Gavaskar felt that the selectors should have a word with him about his future plans.

"Tendulkar has been playing for so long and he has been so consistent. This little period of lack of runs or lack of half centuries will give the critics chance to ask questions," Gavaskar said.

"At the end of the day, it is the selectors who will take the call. I think the selectors will probably have a word with Tendulkar about what his future plans are and then take a call," he said.

"Ideally, whatever decision is taken about Tendulkar's retirement, I believe he will make his own decision," Gavaskar said.

Tendulkar has scored just 29 runs in three innings in the ongoing Test series against England and Gavaskar said the senior batsman has been having a "long bad patch" though he was trying hard to come out of this.

"Yes, he is struggling and he is having a long bad patch if one can call that way. With so may runs and so many centuries at his hands, the moment he is through a lean patch, everybody will start talking about that but I feel he will overcome this.

"He is trying hard. In the first innings (of the ongoing second Test in Mumbai), the ball (from Monty Panesar) turned just a little bit. Today, (in the England second innings) you could see he changed his guard. He was standing ahead of the crease between the middle and off to negotiate the turn better. But unfortunately he was out to a straighter ball," Gavaskar said.

"But, we saw he was applying his mind. He is not taking that he will just go out in the middle and play. He is trying hard to overcome this and that is the best part," said the former captain.