Analyzing Sachin

The talks of Sachin's retirements are gaining momentum.

What has made this icon of Indian cricket to fall from grace in public's eye.

I think mainly 3 factors:

First and foremost, his injuries over the last 5-6 years which have forced him to cut down on his shots. Sachin has since long stopped playing the pull shot. He has been forced to cut down on aggression because he is no longer able to pull off attacking breathtaking shots, mainly due to his back injury and elbow injury.

Second, I think Sachin is not mentally strong when the going is tough. He used to dominate the opposition but ever since he started "accumulating" runs by changing his style of play, his stranglehold over the bowlers has become weak. Moreover, the biggest chink in his armour is that he is susceptible to sledging. I feel that Sachin loses his concentration when the players target him with sledging.

Third, he is now in a Catch-22 situation. So many other players are catching up with him in Test cricket that he must now make every opportunity count. So he will always be in a dilemma whether to go for his shots or cut down on risks and play percentage cricket. His focus is not very clear now.

I think Sachin is still good enough to play cricket for 3-4 more years and can still compete with the likes of Lara, Hayden and Ponting. He only needs to re-orient his mental thinking and be more purposeful. I think he needs to discard percentage cricket and go for his shots with controlled aggression. He should also practise coming down the track against spinners. If only he increases his mental intensity, I think he can regain the crown of the world's best batsman.

I hope and wish Sachin bounces back strongly.