Sunday, August 21st, 2005
The sound of silence
His Blackberry phone is on silent mode and so is Sachin Tendulkar.
Ever since he went under the surgeon’s knife for his tennis elbow in May, the daggers have been out for him. There are suggestions, some from past players, that it’s time for Sachin to retire. That he’s not quite the force he used to be. The back is breaking, the heel is aching, the bat is too heavy, the runs are drying up and hey, so are the endorsements.
Criticism, unlike surgery, does not even happen under anaesthesia.
Sachin refuses to take the bait. “I have always preferred not to react. It’s not my nature. My father taught me very early in my career that I must not react and just stay focused on doing my job. He told me that as I go higher, some people will try to pull me down. They may do it to meet their own ends but I should not waste my energy in reacting. There are times when the provocation has been immense but I have held back.â€