Criticise Tendulkar, don't insult him
Like Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar has earned respect, says Dileep Premachandra in Wisden India
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Like Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar has earned respect, says Dileep Premachandra in Wisden India. Few know the value of an India cap better than Tendulkar does, he says, so criticise him all you like, but show him some respect.
Whether you're Javier Bardem in front of a camera, Leonard Cohen behind a microphone or Tendulkar with bat in hand, no one is, or should be, immune to criticism. Columnists are paid for their opinions, and have every right to express them. But there's a thin line between criticism and slander, and that's been crossed often in the past week.
Anil Kumble, writing in the Week, points to Tendulkar''s contribution to cricket in the last 23 years and his hunger to keep contributing for his team, and says as no one else has been in his position, he deserves respect today.
For 23 years, he has helped people dream, he has made them feel better emotionally. More's the reason why we need to give him his emotional space now. There have been instances when he has been the sole reason for India's wins, but he has never been the sole reason for India's losses. It's best to leave it to him to deal with what is in front of him now, because no one else has been in his position. No one else has played 192 Tests, made 34,000 runs, or scored 100 centuries. Let's not jump the gun, let's give the man the respect he deserves.