Sachin Tendulkar has returned home with a sore big toe with four matches remaining in the ODI series against England. What does this mean for India? It's either a massive blow or an insignificance. While Tendulkar certainly had a golden 2010 he seems to be falling short of the mark thus far in mid 2011.
It would appear 'The Little Master' is completely content with what he has done in the game and with his 100th hundred you would expect him to call it a day. Tendulkar looks to have lost that drive to win and succeed. So without that killer instinct that lead him to conquer the world of cricket, is his position in the side justified? Furthermore, is he now only playing for himself?
I've always been a believer that there is no substitute for pure talent, especially when it comes hand in hand with experience. Having said that, India are on the brink of losing the likes of Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid and others whom carry with them that wealth of experience. Is it time for India to get Raina, Kohli and Manoj Tiwary into the test side? While all this discussion seems somewhat detract I can answer my own question by saying no.
The management of the Indian side need to reinvigorate Tendulkar once again and get him to perform in a similar manner to last year, just as Dravid has done this English summer. India have a wealth of players lying in wait. The two things India need to do are 1. Play less T20 and; 2. Play more first class cricket. If these talented young players find a way to put aside their IPL commitments and play county cricket they will be far better off. This is where they can further their own development and experiences. They can be playing a high standard of tough first class cricket against world class players outside of the Indian team.
Team India are lucky enough to have some fantastic batsman among their ranks and should continue to persist in picking their absolutely best eleven. If India can develop another good fast bowler, have Harbhajan Singh back in form and get a fit Zaheer Khan back in the side they will once again reign supreme. Their few weaknesses can be easily fixed and a second coming of sorts is well within the question. They've got the players, all they need now is to rekindle their form and fire on all cylinders moving forward.
there must be something fundamentally wrong with a nation that has a billion people in who are all cricket mad yet are unable to produce a viable replacement for a mid 30s dravid and tendulkar. i agree that they play too much cricket that concentrates on generating money, however, they have made significant amounts of money over the years so where is it going i wonder. p.s harbhajan is a moron.
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