can we ever get to see the old sachin again?

He was a teenage prodigy who made a dazzling debut in late 80s who went on to become the darling of indian cricket fans. He is one of the youngest players ever in the history of test cricket to score a century. Speaking of centuries, he now is the batsman with the most number of centuries, a staggering 35 of them. Take that for a record. He was scored hundreds against all test playing nations, one of the few players to do so. He has carried indian batting hopes on his shoulders for years. The whole team batting revolved around him. There used to be a time that when he got out, the indian team batting simply collapsed. He has even evoked comparisons with the great Don Bradman. The man I am talking about is none other than the GREAT Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

With all these records behind him, Sachin is in a spot of bother right now. His career is not exactly the same as it used to be. There was a time when he could accelerate at will against the best of attacks. There was a time when there used to be a buzz around the stadium when he came into bat. But for quite a while now, we havent seen a brilliant innings from him. He has struggled with nagging injuries to his back, a tennis elbow and arms. His form has not been the best in recent times, in fact, statistics show he is going through the worst form slump of his career. He has slipped to #16 in world test batting ranks. Now that is unusual. Batsmen of lesser ability than him are at the top of the ranks. The ranks might not matter to him, the runs might not matter to him. What matters most is the paying public's perception of his batting. There are people who believe that Sachin's playing days are over, and their numbers are increasing. His feet are not moving as confidently as it used to. He has curbed his attacking shots and chosen to bat in a much more conventional manner. Once upon a time Sachin was a slam bang batsman, now he is only a shadow of his former self. There are younger players around like Sehwag, Dhoni who garner more public appreciation.

But there is still hope. All is not lost. His one-day form is not bad right now. He still opens the batting. One feels he is only 1 innings away from hitting form. One attacking innings from him, 1 quickfire 70-80 from him, and his confidence should be back.

The game needs quality players like him to sustain interest. Here's wishing him all the best. Sachin - Get well soon. Come back and play & win matches for india again.