There has been an outrage and outcry for Tendulkar to retire from Cricket. Some ex-cricketers say it is time for him to quit, and some say he has a couple of years left and Sunil Gavaskar has already told him to continue until the 2011 world cup. We don't know what Sachin Tendulkar has in his mind?

Why should we even care about his retirement in the first place? If the intention of BCCI/selectors is good and in the interest of our nation, they are going to play a winning team packed with performers.

As announced by the BCCI chief, if only performers are going to be considered from now on, Tendulkar automatically gets eliminated from the team.

Who cares whether Tendulkar retires or continues his cricketing career, once earning a place in the Indian team is strictly based on performance and the most current performance and not any more on the whims and fancies of our selectors?

There is also uproar on who will replace Sachin Tendulkar.

We are not asking anyone to replace Tendulkar. We are talking about standing a team that can perform. We are talking about a team full of talent that can face all unknowns with courage. We are talking about a team with lot of imagination that can pull us out of any kind of trouble with the right determination.

If Sachin can perform and show us the kind of resolve, he is automatically in. If he cannot perform and if he cannot show the right willpower, he is out. It is as simple as that.

Where is the question of replacing him? He earns his place by his performance. His current performance doesn't merit any place in the Indian team.

In a way this early exit from the world cup is helping us to revamp BCCI, re-engineer the selection process, and open up the team to daring performers, and unexplored young talents. If we do not take this as an opportunity and cleanup our system, Cricket will be handed out the fate of Hockey sooner than later.

Change is the law of life. Will BCCI make those sweeping changes as promised? Will our selectors think beyond these non performers and paper heroes to give opportunity to deserving youngsters?

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