The perfection of imperfection

From Ramesh Kumar, India
There is a certain dignity to a great cricketer, an icon in his field, relinquishing his chances to be the highest run scorer or wicket taker in history and deciding to quit even when this is distinctly possible if he carries on for a few more years. Sir Donald Bradman could have played one more test and scored a few runs that would have carried his test average over 100. The fact that he didn't and quit with his average just under 100, in my opinion, has added to his mystique and greatness.

Warne, Lara, Steve Waugh - to name a few - all quit when they could have continued and accumulated enough runs or wickets to cross milestones that could have possibly remained unbroken for a long long time. Indeed we find that the very great sportspersons fall short of perfection. The lack of perfection often only makes them more admirable as they become more human and less robotic.

On the other hand, a sportsman who merely accumulates points or runs chasing a statistical target seems to lose some of the lustre although he may achieve his target. This is why I feel - that the 'fabulous four', Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman - should chose to retire at a time when they are still playing well, before they are forced into it by frequent failures and the emergence of new talent that is bound to expose their decline in sharper contrast.

I guess this must be in the minds of most people who love these players, but out of respect for the icons, only the most brashly outspoken media may express this thought in public, as of now. But such reticence may not last long. What is the point in achieving a target in bits and pieces when one is only a shadow of what one was in the peak days? The icons do show flashes of brilliance now and then, but these are too few and far in between these days, showing that the decline in their powers is real and representing the irreversible losses associated with age.

If Sachin retires now, people will remember him as the greatest batsman India has produced and also one of the greatest who adorned the game in its history. On the other hand, if he continues to play another 5 tests to get the hundred odd runs that he needs to become the highest run scorer in cricket, it will only be a pain to watch and the target he achieves would even lose some of the gloss it is supposed to have. In any case statistical targets have not much meaning except to the frenzied media with a penchant for the hyperbole and who seek value where there is very little.