Sachin: A Liability?

I have postponed writing this for quite a few games now; each time consoling myself that in the next game, Sachin will perform according to the performance level we all associate with him. But with every game, my hopes have gone down, and the Mumbai Indians have been managing to win only because of the new captain Rohit Sharma‘s sensational form, the grit shown by Karthik throughout the whole season, and, of course, because of the bowling brilliance of Johnson. Sadly, Sachin has not been directly associated with the team’s success this season. Just 186 runs in 11 games at an average of 16.86 hardly do justice to the abilities he has. His strike rate has also been nothing out of the ordinary. That being said, it is not just about what he has contributed or rather not contributed on the field for the Mumbai Indians; the greater problem lies in the indirect ramifications of playing Sachin.

Mumbai’s slow starts in the power-play have been well documented. Sachin takes quite a few balls to get going. His strike rate invariably tends to be low, though, he does gradually increase it as the innings progresses. But he is getting out far too quickly in most games before he can build an innings of substantial quality. The slow start has often been cited as the reason handicapping Mumbai’s potent batting line-up from posting scores around 200 consistently. It is also the prime reason why Mumbai, while chasing has been falling short of late.

Anyone who sat through Mumbai’s game against Punjab must have seen Gilchrist’s interview during the match. He clearly said Sachin was no longer the biggest threat for sides facing Mumbai; he isn’t the same while playing T-20. Interestingly, Gilchrist had decided to drop himself for the sake of the team when he was struggling for form.

It is not just the slow start, but the opening combination itself that is a big concern for Mumbai. Perhaps the root cause of it all is Mumbai buying Jayasuriya in the first IPL auction. Two ageing players were never going to last an eternity. Since then, combination after combination have been tried, and almost all of them have failed. Some succeeded for a while, but perished too quickly. One can’t help but think that the common point in almost all these failed experiments was none other than Sachin. But then again, perhaps no one was good enough to replace Sachin.

The management sensed something was not quite right and so they got in Ponting to relieve him of the burden of captaincy. That led to another unsuccessful experiment, and Sachin still struggles on. Perhaps, I’m being too hard on the Little Master, for he is a part of a very small group that has amassed 2000 IPL runs, and he is the leading run scorer for Mumbai Indians. But any well-informed cricket watcher would agree with me that the great man hasn’t been quite himself whenever he’s played for the Mumbai Indians in the shortest form of the game. The fact that the only time Mumbai Indians managed winning the IPL, Sachin was out with an in injury through the length of the tournament.

So what is next for the Mumbai Indians? Logically speaking, considering his form and the age factor, the next step should be to start getting used to life without Sachin. But the question is – Can Mumbai Indian’s management afford to do that?

Considering the brand value of Sachin, is that viable? He is not just any player, he is a crowd favourite, he is a revenue generator, and he is the local hero, a national icon, a legend, the ultimate symbol for Mumbai – A cricketing God in short. What would be the reaction of fans and that of the sponsors if Sachin is left-out?

The biggest challenge is not his form. He and the team are still doing enough to qualify for the elimination stage. The greatest concern is the future. With the three year contracts of players ending at the end of this season and the consequent players’ auction due before the next year’s IPL, Mumbai Indians’ management has some tough decisions to make. If the player retaining system is the same as last time i.e. 4 players could be retained, then Mumbai Indians will have to make a few difficult calls. Pollard and Rohit will be automatic choices. It will be interesting to see which other players Mumbai retain. Will Sachin be retained? That will mean only one among Karthik, Malinga and Johnson (the top players based on current form) will be retained. Does Sachin guarantee enough returns to investments with respect to three more seasons? Will it be a pure cricketing decision or will emotions and the brand power of Sachin have a bigger say in the decision?

In the short run, Sachin’s form is a concern, while in the long run, there are concerns over his longevity and returns on investments. Perhaps Sachin himself will make a decision to hang his T-20 boots before next year’s auction making it easy for the management.