SHARJAH, MARCH 27: "Since Sachin (Tendulkar) has not been in great form of late, and is bogged down, I just told him to concentrate on staying at the wicket while I couldplay my strokes." When was the last time you heard something like this? Is this Saurav Ganguly's new-found confidence doing the talking or has Tendulkar's confidence gone so low that he actually needs protection?Both eventualities are equally important for Indian cricket. If Ganguly, confidence personified but struggling for runs here, was in the midst of a golden patch, and is enjoying being at the helm of affairs, India's chin goes up. But, it's worse than disaster if Tendulkar is showing signs of losing his magic. Let's go down memory lane and recount the events. January '99: Tendulkar played a tragi-heroic knock in the Chennai Test against the visiting Pakistanis, but that was accompanied by excess baggage in the form ofa back injury. A million prayers went out for his early recovery but they didn't work. The injury hit Tendulkar hard and his subsequent form dipped. Even today, the injury hampers his playing lofted shots, which used to be child's play for him. Just when you thought he was fit again, he was faced with mental trauma in the form of his father's demise, right in the middle of India's World Cup campaign. He pulled out of the side for a couple of games and returned with a century against Kenya.Unfortunately, that was all the he could offer.India failed as Tendulkar failed, but in a parallel plot (keep an eye on that too), Ganguly and Rahul Dravid promised to take over the mantle from him. Mohammad Azharuddin was dumped and a reluctant Tendulkar wore the crown. Expectations from the little master rose, but nothing happened. "Give him some more time," many felt, but time only brought more nightmares. The runs may not have dried up, but his leadership drew flak. His giving up the captaincy altogether after the Australian tour only showed how he himself related to the predicament facing him - could he risk losing his batting touch and peace of mind because of captaincy blues?Enter Ganguly, and Tendulkar took a backseat, or perhaps he tried to give that impression. It must have been quite upsetting for Tendulkar when he took the decision to quit as captain, even though he tried to present a brave face by saying he took "moral responsibility for India's disastrous performance in Australia.'' Ganguly's elevation seems to have worked wonders for him and he is trying his best to assert himself, even if it means asking Tendulkar and two other former skippers in the side - Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja - to field in the deep, rather than the inner ring. Leave out Tendulkar's last two innings in the one-dayers at home against the South Africans and he has very little to show on his slate. For a man, who at 27 has played non-stop international cricket for more than a decade now, these are signs of mental fatigue. He may be trying to show that he still enjoys his cricket, even if that means his bowling becomes more assertive than his batting. For too long he has carried the burden and hopes of the nation singlehandedly, and now in the aftermath of personal and professional hardship, he needs some rest. Perhaps, a five/six-month layoff will do. Fortunately for him, India are not playing much in the coming months and if he decides to skip the May Asia Cup, his mind will probably be fresh in the next season.The adage "form is fickle, class is permanent" gives hope.
