Dear Sachin,
The question most of us have in our minds is not "Will India win the World Cup?" It is "Will Sachin win the World Cup?" And you know it. The stage cant get bigger than this. And I think I wont be wrong in saying that this would be biggest match of your life. Most of us also know that this would 99.9% be your last World Cup match, but I wish it is your last ODI match. Why do I say so?
You do realise that you are the greatest cricketer ever, possibly with the exception of the Don. And the greatest needs the biggest farewell. and what bigger stage than this? World Cup Final, with or without the 100th, with or without the Cup. No great sportsperson has had a fairytale farewell at peak of his powers. Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordon, Lance Armstrong kind of people had great farewells, true, but they spoiled it by their comeback when they were not able to regain their powers. Pele, Muhammed Ali, Donald Bradman also had great farewells, but after they were very much expected to leave, after fitness concerns and injuries. Pete Sampras had possibly the best farewell in Tennis history but that was tribute to his career rather than his prowess in his last two years. Maradona had the worst possible exit. Steve Waugh and Shane Warne had ignominous exits in the ODIs though they had very good farewell series against their best opponents in Tests, India and England. Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Roger Federer dont look like getting the best possible farewell.
Muralitharan possibly will have a fairytale last match. He played his last Test in his homeground against his most difficult opponent, India and reached a Bradmanesque milestone of 800 wickets. and he will play his last ODI again against Inda in the biggest possible stage, World Cup final.
We know that you would like to play till you enjoy your cricket, we know that we(a generation that grew up watching you) would stop watching cricket once you retire but still lets think of what you deserve. In Tests, your last tour abroad should be against a great opponent, preferably Australia. That chance comes in Dec 2011 tour of Australia and follwed by that is the Test series against Pakistan at home. That would be the perfect stage to say bubbye to Tests. But ODIs. The stage cant get bigger than today. World Cup, at home, chance of an 100th. It just cant get bigger than this.
Please Sachin, Let this be your last ODI match, not because we want to see your end - that will mean our end too, but because you deserve nothing less than this.
