Sachin Tendulkar’s exit and a circus composed of cheap acts

You have learnt to not expect much from the BCCI. For instance, few were surprised when, on Sunday, it renewed its allegiance to NS Srinivasan, who was re-elected president without any fuss or bother. The normal standards of honest practices and transparency don’t really apply when pitted against power and commercial success. But the internal machinations of the Indian cricket board have ceased to astound—yes, we are becoming detached. Sachin Tendulkar, however, still matters. And the manner in which his eventual exit from cricket is being managed by the Indian board—it is difficult to be impervious to that. [caption id=“attachment_1141925” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Sachin Tendulkar. Getty[/caption] Today’s Mumbai Mirror had yet another story on how he has now become superfluous, according to ‘sources’, and will be asked to quit after a landmark the BCCI has no compunction in exploiting. The 200th Test will be peddled to advertisers and sponsors as the big-ticket event of the year, money will be made and then, the ‘sources’ have it, Tendulkar will be asked to pack his bags. The last few months have been littered with such reports. It is clear that the 40-year-old’s time is up, as far as the BCCI is concerned, and that his exit plans will now be hastened by a firm hand, if necessary. This isn’t the problem. It is the board’s job to ensure that cricketers don’t outlive their utility. Consider Cricket Australia, which has a well-oiled practice of managing legends: They give enough of a heads-up about the board’s thought-process so that the cricketers can make the announcements—or be prepared for them. Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath: Just a few of the big names that ended their careers, either facilitated by the board or decided by self, but with dignity and befitting emotion. The Australian method has often appeared clinical, a little cold-blooded, but that approach has gained acceptance on the sheer clarity it affords. India is, inevitably, making a hash of it. Sourav Ganguly’s in-and-out last leg is well-documented; Rahul Dravid’s sudden retirement, though still mysterious, was at least spared the ignominy of speculation. Kapil Dev was allowed to play on till he touched a record, to both his and the team’s detriment. Tendulkar’s, however, is becoming a circus composed of cheap acts. The BCCI has the right, and the responsibility, to pull the plug if a cricketer is no longer useful; but it also has the duty of handling it with the sensitivity the cricketer deserves. These constant leaks to the media about its intent are unbecoming; they are also in keeping with the administration’s deteriorating reputation. The impression they are creating is this: They want to push Tendulkar into a corner and force an announcement. Or, they want to prepare the ground for the ‘talk’. Either way, this is, well, tacky. Tendulkar has already started the exit process by stepping out of the instant formats, and probably has a final post in mind. Either that hasn’t been shared with the BCCI, or they haven’t asked him, but, clearly, there is an effort to build the momentum towards the endgame, sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, this dance between a cricketer pacing towards his last innings and an impatient board has added enough grist in the mill to keep the headlines flowing for a while. And that makes for shoddy news. The author writes on popular culture, cricket and whatever else takes her fancy. She tweets @abbykhaitan