http://cricketnext.in.com/news/sachi.../39008-16.html
There are still twenty-four months to the next World Cup. Whether it will be held as schedule in South Asia, or elsewhere for security reasons, suggests there is still a long road to travel before those running the International Cricket Council make that decision.
Ideally, for millions living in a dream world, India will win the next World Cup with the Mercurial Mumbai wizard Sachin Tendulkar hitting the winning runs. Thus, the fabled final frontier that so many have written about over the years will be achieved.
However, as questions over World Cup security become a priority, there are also concerns for India of a more deeply personal nature that affects the fate of one player: how long can Tendulkar keep playing? It will be denied of course, yet there is the impression that his current state of fitness in New Zealand has been played down.
Reading the carefully phrased comments he used to describe the abdomen injury, it was enough to suggest that the blow received from an Iain O'Brien delivery that hit his abdomen grew more difficult to handle. Trying to concentrate and score runs at such a frenetic pace – 163 off 133 balls – has the unerring habit of disturbing even the strongest of minds.
Tendulkar will be a few days short of thirty-eight by the time the next World Cup begins, although the dates and venues after the opening ceremony in Dhaka are still a matter of decisions being made by the organising committee handling the event.
There are those who will point how Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, still an uncompromising and flamboyant strokemaker, turns forty on June 30. The only thing that might prevent him from playing his last World Cup aged forty-one, is a lack of form, or injury or both.
This of course depends on who is selecting the Sri Lankan side at the time. Big names in high places have in the past it is alleged, told the Sri Lankan selectors that he is not to be dropped.
In Tendulkar's case, it will be different. The selectors will no doubt hope that he will want to travel the road for a sixth and final World Cup and do a farewell tour, as it were, of South Asia, and make a final salute to his fans.
Tendulkar, however, also has a history of injuries that have down the years required surgery and kept him out of the side for lengthy periods. There has been the tennis elbow as well as shoulder problem. In such cases, India have had to make do without their iconic batsman.
He injured an elbow when diving to make a catch in the third Test at Saravanamuttu (Colombo Oval) and that kept him out of the ODI series. It may not suggest he will miss the Test series in New Zealand, but injuries on successive tours is not the sort of news fans enjoy to read.
One of the remarkable qualities about his batting is its simplicity and yet impressive style. They talk of his batting in the Christchurch innings as though he would have become the first to score an ODI double century. Another final frontier achieved for the writers who unthinkingly love hanging this ubiquitous label around his shoulders because it looks smart.
Well it is not. He is deserving of more transparent and honest tributes than clichés that all too often litter their expressions when describing such an innings as that at the small Christchurch venue. There was one particular cut executed with timing and precision that was typically a Tendulkar master class; also a drive on the up that left the covers flat-footed.
Adjustment of pitches is another factor, whether in New Zealand, India, England, the West Indies or Australia. It is not only the pace of the surface but also the bounce and in some cases, whether to take guard outside the popping crease or not to get a feel of the bounce.
Last year in Sri Lanka, he disappointed in the Tests. For some reason there was the pre-tour hype and expectation of him surpassing the Brian Lara Test record and going on to pass 12,000 runs at this level. There was the matter as well of scoring that fortieth Test century. All seemed so elusive on that tour.
He expressed disappointment with his form and you can guarantee he will endeavour to make amends for the way he batted in that series. Understand, this is not an ego thing, as he is devoid of such false imagery. It is a question of showing Sri Lankans that he can put big, match-winning totals together.
The rest of the world knows it, but all too often, there are those imbued by the tall poppy syndrome they refer to Down Under, which have an awful habit of trying to depreciate quality and poking fun at the sort of excellence Tendulkar offers when batting.
It is too early to suggest that he can continue the form shown in Christchurch over the next two years. What you can be certain of, however, is that he will do what he can to find the match-winning form to round off his career so that it is remembered for the entertainment and quality he gave throughout a career that has thrilled millions for twenty years.
