why saching skipping to indices tour?

provided by ur"s GowThaM
Mumbai,
May
31:
Every
cricket
fan
in
India
and
the
West
Indies
was
amused
when
Sachin
Tendulkar, opted out of the Test
series in the Carribean Islands.
The reason for the withdrawal
was amusing and annoying at
the same time as the batting
legend is fit and had a good
chance to notch up his 100th
international ton against the
West Indian bowling line-up.
Some even advovated that the
little Master opted out of the
series to ensure that he has a
chance to bring up his 100th
international ton at the Lord's,
considered as the 'Mecca of
Cricket, that will host the 100th
India vs England Test (July 21-25)
and the 2000th game in the
history of Test cricket.
In an interview the MiD-DAY on
May 30, Sachin, considered by
many as the greatest batsman
ever to have played the game,
retorted back asking, "How can
you plan such things?"
He then went on to explain the
reason for his withdrawal and
stated, "I just want to spend
some time with my family. I have
not had time with my children. If
I don't spend time with them
now (during their school
holidays), I would have to wait
for one more year to do so. The
kids (daughter Sara and son
Arjun) are very thrilled because
we hadn't discussed this with
them, so they didn't know
anything. It was a surprise for
them."
But then who can make the fans,
who are ready to do anything to
watch the little master play,
understand? Leave aside fans,
even celebrated cricket writers
are ruing the fact that Sachin
won't be playing in the West
Indies.
Fazeer Mohammed, one of the
best Cricket Writers in the West
Indies, related the master's
withdrawal from the series with
his country's dismal state of
affairs in cricket administration.
In his column in the Trinidad
Express, he wrote, "But there
was obviously something
missing that made India's
batting maestro determine that a
month in the Caribbean and the
prospect of a couple really big
innings was worth passing up.
Maybe it was the challenge.
Maybe it was the sense of
occasion. Maybe it was both."
And added, "To put it bluntly:
milking our bowlers on the way
to a 100th senior international
hundred in a near-empty
stadium would have been the
equivalent of Barcelona defeating
ManchesterUnited on a Sunday
morning at the Aranjuez
Savannah with ten men and two
dogs in attendance and two
vagrants sleeping at the back of
the pavilion."
Whatever others may say, now
that the master has cleared the
air over his decision to skip the
Test series in West Indies, the
fans will certainly have some
relief before again joining the
craze about his 100th
international century. Till then,
wish the master a very peaceful
and happy holidays as he
certainly deserves that after a
glorious and eventful season of
cricket