"Sachin has done enough to deserve the right to choose his own time of departure"
He has played far too long, and for the most part with unmatched brilliance, to wait for some kindly soul to tell him that he is past his shelf-life. The Hindu : Columns / Nirmal Shekar : Sachin will know when the time comes
Of course, a lot of sportsmen, great and average, will want to go out with the proverbial bang. But more often than not, the bang has very little to do with what a player does or does not do in his last appearance.
Time almost always has the last say, in sport as in life. If the ageing process accelerates in sport, then some sportsmen are intelligent enough to become conscious of their eroding skills, of the slight diminishment of reflexes, footwork and eyesight.
Merely because we want to remember our great sporting heroes as immortal icons who said goodbye in style, it is ridiculous to expect them to quit at or near the peak of their powers.
Of course, a lot of sportsmen, great and average, will want to go out with the proverbial bang. But more often than not, the bang has very little to do with what a player does or does not do in his last appearance.
Time almost always has the last say, in sport as in life. If the ageing process accelerates in sport, then some sportsmen are intelligent enough to become conscious of their eroding skills, of the slight diminishment of reflexes, footwork and eyesight.
Merely because we want to remember our great sporting heroes as immortal icons who said goodbye in style, it is ridiculous to expect them to quit at or near the peak of their powers.
