The Men in Blue received a glorious homecoming in Delhi on Thursday 6th March, 2008. The man who had a major hand in India’s victory down under — Sachin Tendulkar — took the opportunity to remind everyone of the contribution of the seniors to the team.
Sachin said, “It has been a good journey for the youngsters, but at the same time I would like to remind everyone that you cannot forget what the other senior players, who were not there on the top, have done for India. Their contribution should not be forgotten.”
Sachin Tendulkar who has served Indian cricket tirelessly for 18 long years appealed that the nation should not forget the wealth of experience the senior players have and the contributions they have made in the past to make team India victorious.
This is also a message from Sachin Tendulkar to the ODI captain MS Dhoni, for whom the CB series triumph was a stepping stone for his young team. The appeal came in keeping in mind the seniors performances down under in the Test series. Sachin said that they were the ones who instilled confidence in the youngsters with their stellar performances.
Rightly so, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid may not have been a part of the ODI team in the victory down under, however, their records speak volumes. Ganguly has 11,363 runs in 311 One-dayers with an average of 41 with 22 centuries under his belt. With a strike rate of around 74 and high levels of performances in the international circuit it is yet believed that he is unsuitable for this format of the game.
Rahul Dravid who scored over 10 thousand runs from 333 one-dayers averages at 40 with 12 centuries under his belt. These records are no mean achievement and his stability and technique inspires confidence amongst one and all.
It will be audacious to call time on the ODI careers of these two extra-ordinary gentlemen but Sachin’s words is a timely reminder to treat these senior players with due respect and applaud them for the contributions they have made towards Indian cricket.
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