The Surfer

His debut year, 1989, marked the end of Congress dominance and the rise of many "third" forces and democratic mutinies, Mandir, Mandal, then the mortgaging of gold, and finally, the economic reform. If you had any doubts that cricket is a reflection of the mood and health of our society and economy, look at how our record changed 1989 onwards. You can then ascribe it to the arrival of Sachin, or economic reform, or both. Because Sachin, by himself, was a phenomenon. But there had been others before him: Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev. But they were more or less lone warriors in a team that did not particularly believe it could win consistently, like the country whose flag it played under. Reinvention of Indian cricket kept pace with the resurgence of Indian economy and society.

In the few free hours that he gets, he listens to western music. Why western music, when his father is a poet? Most of his friends are from Bombay Scottish, as he lives in Shivaji Park, and they all love western songs. He thrives on Michael Jackson's songs. Sachin is also a good singer.

''It's got to the point guys are a bit scared to enjoy themselves around the team which is not the way I knew it,'' Ponting says. ''There weren't too many guys who were scared about having a few beers. I think some of the young blokes in particular good a bit afraid to be themselves and be the people they were around certain people around our team.''

"He mirrored public sentiment. It made people feel Indians can take on anyone. His impact on society goes beyond the number of runs he scored, because he taught self-belief," says Anirban Das Blah, managing director of Kwan Entertainment and Marketing Solutions. Tendulkar's was the story of the underdog, as Shailendra Singh, joint managing director of Percept Ltd, says, of a boy from a middle-class family who broke through to the top, and that contributed to his acceptance among the masses.

"His [Tendulkar's] farewell game will be a big marketing affair," said adman Prahlad Kakkar. Media planners refused to speak on record about the money at stake for the home series with the West Indies. But they said that a 10-second ad slot on ESPN-Star Sports that usually costs between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000 (for a Test match), would now command a 50% premium for Sachin's last Test.

The only batsman against whom Sachin can truly be benchmarked is Sir Don Bradman. But Bradman never played with the pressure of carrying the hopes of a billion-plus people on his shoulders

Now, leg spin is a most difficult art to pick up even early in life, and even more daunting when you are in your 30s. It requires not just a different skill-set, but also a completely different mindset. This unlearning and relearning can be terribly disorienting, except to the most persevering. It redounds to Tambe's credit that he became so proficient that he was in the Mumbai squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy early this year, though he never got a chance in the playing eleven

But the risks come with immense potential for growth for those who have the cash to stay put. To begin with, despite the criticism and fears, cricket constitutes over 10 per cent of the annual TV advertising pie (currently estimated at around Rs 14,000 crore), or Rs 1,400 crore, and in 2011, when IPL and the World Cup were held, it raked in over Rs 2,000 crore in revenues. Also unlike general entertainment channels (which draw 60 per cent of their revenues from advertising), subscription constitutes for over 60 per cent of a sports channel's revenue. So, more viewers mean more revenue through subscription.

Fowler's experiences call to mind the similar cases of England cricketers Marcus Trescothick and Michael Yardy. And from there it is an easy jump to the tragic tales of Robert Enke, Justin Fashanu and Gary Speed, three footballers whose problems ended in suicide. A good example of this line of reasoning is the theory that cricketers are twice as likely to commit suicide as the average British male. This claim was made by David Frith, the founding editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, in his 2001 book "Silence of the Heart",

[Sheldon] Cottrell impressed all those who saw him in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with his exuberance, boundless energy and his eye-catching military salutes. However, international cricket is about more than flashes of brilliance and players, especially one who lacks the ability to bring the ball back into the right-hander, should not be picked on the razzmatazz of a festive 20-over competition

Whether Yousuf would still be the player at 39 that he was a few years ago is unknown, but with more than 7,000 runs in 90 Tests, at an average of over 50, it defies logic that a player of his talent and ability was left out to dry at a time when the well of new talent was drying up. The lazy maestro took on Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh in their backyard, smacked the rampaging Freddie Flintoff and Steve Harmison after the duo's monumental success in the 2005 Ashes and took on the mighty Warne. It would have made for a fascinating contest to watch the Yousuf of 2006 against a Dale Steyn who has now become king.

Even in the dark days of the match-fixing allegations in 1999 and 2000, the BCCI was not beholden to any other institution. The CBI may have prepared its own report on match-fixing, but the report was not binding on the BCCI. The board did ban Mohammad Azharuddin and a handful of other players, but no charges were ever brought and the bans were overturned while the BCCI went on with business as usual.