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Mumbai: Without doubt the most enduring phenomenon in modern cricket and India's biggest sporting icon, Sachin Tendulkar is all set for an epic curtain call starting Thursday when he steps on the field against the West Indies for his 200th and final Test where emotions will weigh heavy.
For once, an individual would be the focus even though it is a clash of two teams and why not, given that the individual in question is a man who successfully transformed from a prodigal talent to a living legend in 24 glorious years.
Tendulkar has been synonymous with the game in India for more than two decades and held in awe and admiration all over the cricket-playing world.
As a curly-haired teen with unbelievable talent, he walked in to the cricket field and the hearts of his fans quite effortlessly ever since his debut in 1989. And Such has been his domination in both the places that the vaccum he would leave seems unfillable.
Having won the first Test by an innings and 51 runs, Team India and their senior most statesman will be focussed on inflicting another humiliating defeat on a mediocre Caribbean outfit at the Wankhede Stadium.
But the scores and statistics will certainly take backseat for the next few days as a nation gets ready to bid farewell to arguably its greatest and most revered sporting icon.
When Sir Don Bradman retired at the Oval in 1948, there were tributes but celebrations of a fantastic career were much muted.
But now as world cricket's most celebrated No 4 batsman bids adieu to the game, there is a silent prayer on everyone's mind -- let it be a farewell to remember.
Having got a raw deal from umpire Nigel Llong in his penultimate Test match in Kolkata, the highest run-scorer in Test history would expect that a Shane Shillingford or Tino Best do not 'do an Eric Hollies' on him as he walks out to bat at his beloved Wankhede for the last time.
Legend has it that Sir Don's eyes became moist and he failed to spot Hollies' googly in his last Test innings to get out for a duck. It will be interesting how the 40-year-old Tendulkar keeps his emotions under check during the last few days of his glittering career.
May be he would like to finish with a flourish like Greg Chappell, who scored a century in his final knock before calling time on his career.
A bowling attack which has one quality spinner and some really average medium pacers (injured Kemar Roach is already on his flight back home) is something that Tendulkar can still negotiate playing from memory.
A young Tendulkar would always play the paddle sweep to an off-break bowler in his bid to smother the spin at the earliest. He has done that successfully against Saqlain Mushtaq and Muttiah Muraliutharan.
Therefore, expect an intriguing battle between Tendulkar and Shillingford as the senior batsman would definitely have a strategy in mind to counter the Caribbean offie's doosra which posed a bit of problem in the first Test.
The bowling has got a fresh wind with Mohammed Shami's nine-wicket haul in his debut Test giving Dhoni a chance to look at new combinations after consistent failure from pace spearhead Ishant Sharma.
The India captain doesn't believe in tinkering too much with a winning combination and in all likelihood, would retain the same XI for Mumbai unless someone gets injured or falls sick prior to the game.
Rohit, who has been going through a dream patch, will like to consolidate his position in the Test side as India are set to play 13 matches in the next one year.
Kohli missed out during the first Test but with his insatiable appetite for runs, the Delhi lad will certainly want to score a big hundred as nothing can be a more precious parting gift than a good performance and an Indian win for a hardcore team man like Tendulkar.
As Tendulkar walks into the sunset, he would only feel reassured that the transition phase of Indian cricket looks to be complete with the Dhawans and Kohlis ready to keep the tri-colour flying.
Teams from:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt. & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt.), Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Tino Best, Sheldon Cotterrell, Narsingh Deonarine, Kirk Edwards, Veerasammy Permaul, Shannon Gabriel, Shane Shillingford and Chadwick Walton.
Match facts
November 14-18, 2013
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)
