The Surfer

If there was bounce and carry in the pitch, we would look to bowl a fourth-stump or fifth-stump line on a good length, the definition of 'good' being a length that Sachin would endeavour to get forward to if he could and potentially look to drive the ball through the offside. If there was less bounce and carry, like on some Indian pitches, our line would be straighter to hit off stump. We would also use the bouncer on occasion. Sachin always used a heavy bat so we thought early on it was a good option to hurry him up and possibly force a mistake.

You see it both ways. We need our best players available to play for England. At the same time, obviously, if some kind of agreement could be reached where some of our players could be involved more, then that would be fantastic because the experience of playing Twenty20 in the IPL would be good for them. But the priority is having our best players on show here playing for their country.

As Ian Chappell has said, Sachin Tendulkar is the reason why millions watch cricket today; every Test cricketer in the world owes him for that. Millions will probably stop watching the game (Test cricket, at least), the way they used to desert the stadium in an exodus the moment he was dismissed in a match.

If India truly cares it should strike a medal in his name, given not for hundreds scored, but to the young man of any given year who wears his excellence unpretentiously. Greatness is common; in wearing his greatness gently and his legend discreetly, for so long, Tendulkar was uncommon. Will he please agree to some tests of heart, brain, muscle so we can map his genius and unravel how he wore pressure so persuasively? And what pressure it was.

When Sachin's retirement was announced, Time commented on the difficulty of explaining to Americans that Tendulkar was to one-sixth of the planet "the greatest sportsman of all time." Barack Obama, however, knew his significance. In acknowledging Tendulkar's retirement, Obama confessed he didn't know much about cricket, or even care for Tendulkar's batting. But he did know that while Tendulkar was at the wicket US production dropped 5%.

Last year, the historian Ram Guha sat on a committee to determine the 'Greatest Indian Since Gandhi'. There were two strands of the selection process, one an expert "jury", the second an online poll. The jury put Tendulkar in the top 10 greatest Indians; the popular vote went even further, placing him even higher than Nehru. In retrospect, success takes on an air of inevitability. With all that talent, how could Tendulkar have failed to achieve greatness? With so much cultural support, surely he was bound to stay committed to his country? After the fact, India's economic successes can also look deceptively predetermined. Given all its human and natural resources, surely it had to become an economic powerhouse?

The Fulton Paradox
It seems completely counterintuitive but Peter Fulton is at his best when the ball is keeping low. It must be a long reach down, but from Eden Park to Chittagong that is when he is at his best. He may not be the sexiest watch at times, but his runs were vital.

For once, the board shouldn't drag its feet. Not only because Dravid is tailor-made for a coaching/ mentoring role, but also because others around the world know this fact. Andy Flower is to quit as England's team director this winter. Sri Lanka is looking for a coach. The Australian and South African teams are struggling with unsettled support staff after high-profile departures. So, when Dravid walked back to the dressing room for that final time last Sunday in New Delhi, the game's global head hunters would have taken notice.

Patil's actions and statements had shown he was not afraid to drop big names. Earlier this year, he left out Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir from the team. He and the selection committee also picked the find of this season - Shikhar Dhawan. And about Tendulkar he once told the Times of India, "If Sachin wants to bat like this (defensively), then he should quit. But if he wants to bat like the Sachin of old, then he should keep playing. And please put this on record."

Although Walton came through the back door, through the Combined Colleges and Campuses (CCC), instead of by the Jamaican team, although his Test record reads 13 runs and an average of 3.25 from two matches, his ODI record reads zero runs from two matches, and his first-class record reads 2,122 runs, an average of 25.87 with one century from 54 matches, his wicketkeeping is nearly as good as any - especially against fast bowlers, and his batting can be brilliantly exciting.

Initially finance is not an issue because when you retire after a long career, you've earned enough money. But eventually, the money too dries up. If you have a big house, you still need to run it and if you have a big car, you have to buy fuel. You have to send your children to school. I recently read that 78 per cent of the NFL players go bankrupt within five years of retirement. These are the people who earn insane amounts of money.