What next for Sachin: A Test average of 60?

By John Emburey Can he better this? A 100 international tons is a dream that few have dared to dream. But now that it’s been achieved, one can’t help but ask that one obvious question: what next for the little master? When you are young and just about starting to take your first steps as a cricketer, you have your heroes and a list of things that you want to achieve. Ken Barrington was my hero – he was a batsman and I, a spinner, but I was inspired by his spirit; by his will to stand against the odd like an immovable rock. But at the end of the day, every young cricketer wants to do one thing the most: he wants to be the best cricketer he can. That’s what we want to be but even in that whole lot, there are very few who actually manage to do. I am one of them. I don’t think I ever played as well as I should or could have. [caption id=“attachment_247493” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Can he better the 100th ton? What is his next challenge? AP/PTI”]  [/caption] At the other end of the spectrum is Tendulkar. He has achieved everything he could have thought about when he started his career. In that sense, he is unmatched by anyone in the modern generation. And there are very few like him. Don Bradman was the same but so much of the Don is now part fact and part myth that it’s hard to tell the truth apart from fiction. But with Tendulkar we’ve seen every ball he’s played and been privileged to do that. When you’ve played 22 years, you have to be driven by something special. He is financially more than secure, so it’s not just the money. It’s not fame either because for the rest of his life, even if he doesn’t do anything else, there is a special place for him in everyone’s heart. So you have to wonder what drives him? One of the things that seemed to keep him going was the 100th ton. It’s the kind of mark that all others will dream of when they start their career; it’ll inspire them to yearn for the impossible and that’s something. I’ve seen people get to the landmark in first class cricket but to do it in international cricket is just amazing. I am a little lost for words. Clearly, though, to keep going he will need to reassess and set himself a new goal… now what might that be? For a man who holds all the records finding a new goal isn’t easy but I have one for him: Get your Test average to 60. There are so many other cricketers in this era who have averages of over 50. Virender Sehwag is a very good cricketer and his Test average is above 50 too. Jacques Kallis averages over 50 too as do many others. So what better way to show that you are the greatest than to push your average into rarefied territory? (With the exception of Donald Bradman who averaged 99.94, only three batsmen averaged over 60 at the end of their careers. Graeme Pollock averaged 60.97, George Headley had an average of 60.83 and Herbet Sutcliffe ended up with 60.73) I remember Graham Gooch used to set himself such goal. In 1989, he was averaging around 37-38 and he was clearly not happy about it. So he set himself little goals. And by the time he finished his career, he ended up with an average of 42.58. Surely, there isn’t any comparison between the two but it just shows that even at a late stage of your career, you can make changes if you are motivated. Gooch started playing for England in 1975 and finished in 1995 – that’s a long career too. Perhaps Sachin could try something like that too. Throughout his career, Tendulkar has pushed the boundaries and this is one more challenge that’s almost begging to be picked up. Will he? Can he better the 100th ton? What is his next challenge? All questions that only he can answer but for now he’ll be glad to have got the monkey off his back. He can smile again while most of us can only gape open-mouthed at the magnitude of his achievements. Take a bow, Sachin. As told to Ashish Magotra