Is This World Cup Sachin Tendulkar’s Last Chance?

For a man who has achieved pretty much everything in cricket, a World Cup victory remains elusive for Sachin Tendulkar. At age 37, the man worshipped by millions is coming to the end of his glittering career, and it would be fitting if he were to find himself on the winner’s podium after the April 2 final in his home town Mumbai.

The dream script is ready; the question is can Tendulkar and his team mates follow it? To do that they’ll have to break the curse of the World Cup host nation—no team has ever won the tournament on home turf. Sri Lanka won in 1996 as co-hosts, but the final that year was played in Lahore.

The failure of host teams is something of a mystery, given that they should be the most familiar with the pitches and conditions that play such a key role in cricket matches. Admittedly, it might be more to do with the fact that England has hosted the most World Cups (four), and England never wins anything. Boo hoo.

But this Indian team is definitely capable of winning at home this year, provided it’s not overwhelmed by the expectation and pressure. The players are experienced enough to deal with the spotlight, none more so than Tendulkar who has more than 20 years of international cricket and five World Cups under his belt.

The Little Master has achieved more than anyone else in the game. He has scored the most runs and centuries in both test and one-day cricket, he was the top scorer in the 2003 World Cup and last year in Gwalior, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, he became the first man to score a double century in an international one-day match.

Tendulkar is still going strong, but at 37, this is his best and probably last chance to squeeze a World Cup winner’s medal into his brimming trophy cabinet. Even for a man blessed with his skill and longevity, the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would surely be a step too far for the Little Master, who would be in his forties then.

That only adds to the pressure this year, not just on Tendulkar but the whole team. At a recent promotional event, India’s captain M.S. Dhoni sang Tendulkar’s praises and said the World Cup trophy would be the biggest gift the team could give to the great player. 

He’s not wrong, but it would also be yet another gift Tendulkar gives to his team mates and the nation that he has represented so well over the years.

We love sport for its unpredictability, but it would be nice for India if the 2011 cricket World Cup faithfully follows a fairytale script. If anyone deserves the glory, it’s the one and only Sachin Tendulkar.

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