'Sachin will be judged on performance'

NEW DELHI: If Indian cricket board (BCCI) sources are to be believed, the board would like master batsman Sachin Tendulkar to hang his bat after the two-Test home series against West Indies. One of the ostensible reasons that this series has been organized in a hurry by BCCI is to give Tendulkar a grand platform to say goodbye.

The second Test of the series is likely to be played at Mumbai's Wankhede, Tendulkar's home ground, thus giving him the best stage for a final hurrah. The BCCI would like him to play ball as per the plan.

A senior BCCI official told TOI on Tuesday that if Tendulkar continues to play after the West Indies series, he will be treated at par with other players and his selection in the national team will depend solely on his performance. This means Sachin's awesome record and reputation won't have any bearing on his selection anymore.

Tendulkar reiterated on Tuesday that he has not taken a call on his retirement when asked if his 200th Test would be his final goodbye. "I like to take one step at a time. I have been playing for the last 23 years and I have never thought of all this. I don't like taking things for granted," he told a TV channel.

"Tendulkar will be judged on the basis of his performance in the series against West Indies and the selectors will take a call. The board will have nothing to do with it," a top BCCI official told TOI on Tuesday. The official, in a way, has indicated that Tendulkar's continuance in the side despite his failing form in the last two years or so had more to do with his reputation than cricketing reasons.

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Shweta Pandey

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