Sachin Tendulkar (Getty Images) Arguably the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, Sachin Tendulkar has spent more than two decades dominating world cricket. But even for a legend of his stature, 2012 proved to be one of the most challenging phases of his remarkable career. Just months after fulfilling his lifelong dream of winning the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar suddenly found himself struggling with poor form and growing questions about his future. India endured a disastrous overseas tour in England and Australia and suffered a 0-4 series defeat. Tendulkar managed 560 runs in eight Tests over two tours, scoring four half-centuries, but failed to reach the landmark hundred the cricketing world was eagerly waiting for. The pressure to reach his 100th international century grew stronger with each innings.
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Things did not improve when England visited India later that year. The hosts lost the series at home and Tendulkar’s struggles continued. He scored just 112 runs at an average of 18.6 in four Tests, raising fresh concerns about his future. Around the same time, several of his longtime teammates had already said goodbye to the game. Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired, leaving Tendulkar as the last remaining pillar of India’s iconic generation of batsmen. Many believed that the next decision could involve the man popularly called the “God of Cricket”. It was during this uncertain period that the then BCCI selection committee chairman Sandeep Patil decided to have an open discussion with the 39-year-old. “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 got the manager’s permission and invited Tendulkar. I asked him as chairman, ‘What are your plans?'” The selection committee decided that his contributions to the team they don’t help. The whole country turned against me, but we never dropped him. He announced his retirement from ODIs first and then from Tests,” Patil said on the Vicky Lalwani podcast. The interview surprised Tendulkar. “He was surprised and rightly so. Did he say 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’m announcing my retirement.’ I’m sorry we had to make such a tough decision. But look at the player who came – Ajinkya Rahane.” Patil also revealed that Tendulkar initially had no intention of stepping aside. According to him, the batting icon made it clear after their meeting that he wanted to continue playing. However, during the week, Tendulkar announced his retirement from One Day Internationals just days before India were to face Pakistan in a three-match series. The Mumbai legend continued in Test cricket for another year, although the magical consistency that defined his career was no longer there. During the 2013 Border–Gavaskar Trophy, which India won 4–0 against Australia, Tendulkar scored 192 runs at an average of 32, with 81 being his highest score. He retired from the Indian Premier League a few months later before finally announcing his retirement from international cricket after the farewell Test series against the West Indies cricket team at home. When the curtain finally came down on his extraordinary journey, Tendulkar left the game with more than 34,000 international runs and the historic accolade of becoming the first cricketer to play 200 Test matches, ending one of the greatest careers the sport has ever seen.
