The opening match of this World Cup is still only 25 overs old as I write this. After a flurry of handsome shots, Sachin Tendulkar is unfortunately run out after a misunderstanding with Viru Sehwag, and there is all round dismay in the newsroom of the television network where I am likely to be parked over the next six weeks.
“He looked good for a century,” said the rookie at the sports desk, not yet initiated into the vagaries of cricket. “He will make at least three in this tournament,” said the sweet young thing flush with the hope of a diehard fan. One way or the other, much of the attention will be focused on Sachin Tendulkar in this tournament.
The extraordinary degree of emotionalism which accompanies India’s master batsman is understandable in the context of the deep impact Tendulkar has made on the Indian psyche over the past two decades compounded by the possibility that this may be his last chance to win the coveted trophy.
Tendulkar himself has been dismissive (as yet) of any retirement plans and Kapil Dev has been at pains to emphasise that this is not meant to be a solo script, but Team India’s. But try telling that to a billion people scattered across the global Indian diaspora. As the cliché goes, we are like that only!
But there are a couple of other ‘oldies’ who deserve to be viewed in the same frame as Tendulkar according to me: Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis among batsmen and Muttiah Muralitharan from the bowlers. Defined by sustained excellence similar to Tendulkar’s, they too stand on the thresholds of major achievements.
Of these three, Ponting’s career could be said to be at the crossroads. He is only a year younger than Tendulkar, but several setbacks over the past few seasons appear to have aged him by a decade. Loss of form and a wrist injury compounded the defeat suffered in the Ashes series and have raised searching questions about his future.
A victory in the World Cup would not only smoothen out the dent in Ponting’s reputation, but give his career a second wind as it were. Australia have won the World Cup thrice on the trot, twice under Ponting and are still the top-ranked team in the world. But bookmakers tend to be wiser in such situations than statisticians and have not made them favourites this time.
Ponting’s own form is crucial to his team’s success. The loss of both warm-up matches may not have been the best start to the defence of the title, but Ponting’s two half centuries will have alleviated some of the distress. Can he sustain this form on pitches where he has not traditionally done well is the moot question.
Kallis, of course, has no compunctions batting in the sub-continent where he’s made loads of runs. Indeed, he’s hit a purple patch since his last visit to India in 2009-10, and is compelling attention to be regarded as the best batsman in the world currently with a spate of high scores in Tests and ODIs.
In his early career, Kallis may have been guilty of a safety-first mindset, but that has changed quite dramatically approaching his mid-30s. He is now the pivot of a strong South African line-up with the ability and astuteness to switch his aggression on and off when most needed. The fact that South Africa have never won a World Cup earlier is bigger incentive for Kallis this time.
Muralitharan, like Ponting, has been part of a World Cup winning team (1996). Unlike Tendulkar, there are no ifs and buts about his retirement plans; he quits after this tournament, and would dearly love an encore. Approaching 40, he is still the most feared spinner, especially on sub-continent pitches.
Prospects of Sri Lanka winning this World Cup have been grossly understated according to me. They have a power-packed batting line-up, they have the maverick fast bowler Malinga — and then they have Murali who is looking for a perfect sign-off to a magnificent career.