Former BCCI chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil revealed his interaction with Sachin Tendulkar before the Master Blaster announced his retirement. The year was 2012. Sachin Tendulkar was far from his best. A year earlier, he had realised his dream of winning the 2011 World Cup, but everything seemed to go downhill thereafter. He scored 560 runs from eight Tests across England and Australia with four fifties, where India were blanked 0-4 in both series, and the pressure of scoring his 100th international century was breathing down his neck. Later, when England beat India for a rare series loss at home, Tendulkar’s form dipped even further, as he finished with just 112 runs from four Tests at an average of 18.6.
Meanwhile, the teammates with whom he had shared the dressing room for years exited one by one – Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, in that order. Naturally, many felt the axe would fall next on the Master Blaster. Father Time spares no one, and through Tendulkar, the cricketing world could see that truth unfold.
That’s when Sandeep Patil, the then chairman of the BCCI selection committee, arranged a special meeting with Tendulkar. Indian cricket’s backbone for more than two decades was standing at a crossroads in his career. Already 39, Tendulkar did not have much cricket left ahead of him, and with youngsters waiting in the wings, Patil knew it was time to have a candid conversation with the man many referred to as the “God of cricket.”
“I remember the last day of the Nagpur Test when we lost to England in 2012. My fellow selector, Rajendra Singh Hans, and I went to the ACU (Anti-Corruption Unit) to seek permission to meet Sachin Tendulkar. We obtained the manager’s permission and invited Tendulkar. I asked him, as the chairman, ‘What are your plans?’ The selection committee had decided that his contributions were not helping the team. The entire country turned against me, but we never dropped him. He announced his retirement from ODIs first and then Tests,” Patil told Vickey Lalwani on his podcast.
“He was surprised and rightfully so. He said Why?’ I said the committee felt we needed to look at your replacement, and he was shocked. He called me again and asked, ‘Are you serious?’ I said, yes. Later, when he decided to retire, he even called me and said, ‘Sandy, I am announcing my retirement.’ I feel sad that we had to take such a harsh decision. But look at the player who came in – Ajinkya Rahane.” Patil revealed that right after their discussion, Tendulkar had clearly told him, “I want to carry on.” Yet less than a week later, the batting great announced his retirement from ODIs, days before the start of a three-match series against Pakistan. Tendulkar continued playing Tests for another year but could not quite replicate the success that had made him an icon. Even as India whitewashed Australia 4-0 in the 2013 Border–Gavaskar Trophy, he managed only 192 runs at an average of 32 with a best of 81.
Three months later, Tendulkar retired from the IPL before bringing the curtain down on a storied 24-year international career with a farewell Test series against the West Indies at home. He finished his India career with more than 34,000 runs, becoming the first player ever to feature in 200 Test matches.
