The Legend of 'Legends'

Every game has Legends - cricket is no different. Superstars of the past who graced the game with their brilliance will always be revered for their contributions. To name a few, Sir Don Baradman, Sir Gary Sobers, Vivian Richards, Sir Ian Botham, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, and many more.

It is intersting to analyze how the audience treats a Legend. Solid consistent performances tend to graduate a player from the ranks of ordinary to 'extra' ordinary. Technique, mental strength, patience, endurance, intellect are trademark qualities which separates a good player from a Legend.

A player never self-acclaims to be a Legend, it's the people and media who elevate the player to higher strata. With greatness comes great expectations, the challenges grow too, bigger the player bigger is the stage required to perform. It all works fine till the hunger stays alive within the player. The more he wants, for whatever reasons, the more is determination, more is the effort, more is the success. After a long, successful career a problem that a great player face is finding reasons to motivate themselves. This is an critical phase of every great players' career. How much is enough? Have you achieved what you could? Is there a challenge out there which you want to take on before calling it a day?

To name a few players going through this patch in recent International cricket are : The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, the elegant southpaw Ganguly, a great leader Stephen Flemming, the lazy touch of Inzamam, the spectacular Hayden, a dark Horse Sanath Jayasuriya, a spinning wizard Murali, a gutsy captain Ricky Ponting, a lone warrior Chanderpaul.

These players though not all in the same category are still tremendous contributors to the game of cricket. They are all nearing their end of careers (some are accused of being past it).

Question that these players ask themselves every day/game is when is the day I will make way for a young warrior? For some lucky ones the timing works just fine, Brian Lara, Glen McGrath, Shane Warne, Arivinda DeSilva, Steve Waugh, Damien Martyn, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, all announcing retirement after World Cup or a major series.

Also it is worth debating whether or not is it fair to great players to face critics at the fag end of their illustrous careers? After contributing so much to the game what do they get in return? Same people who made them Legends are now wanting them to be dropped from national teams. Sachin Tendulkar, deservs and often recieves a standing welcome to any cricketing field, was booed off the ground by his home crowd at Mumbai, India. Is that fair?

Maybe not. Having said that it is important and often tricky for great players to realize when is a good time to walk off with heads held high. Being an ardent follower of the game I do hope some of the names mentioned above do make these decisions right as and when they come.