Sachin Tendulkar had lost his boyish charm and an infectious smile long, long ago: When he was made captain for the first time and his team, after a good show at home, started losing on the foreign soils of South Africa and the West Indies. His batting lost its carefree touch and the cares of the team started taking its toll.All of a sudden, the man appeared older than his 23 years. Yet, he did not want to be voted out of office and did not take kindly to Mohammad Azharuddin being reinstated to lead the team.It was obvious, that despite the expected setbacks away from home and the demands made on his time and energy, Tendulkar was keen to be the boss of the side he played for. He never agreed with those who felt that captaincy had made him defensive as a batsman, citing the number of runs he made during that period in his defence.The second time around, Tendulkar was a reluctant bridesmaid. He was forced into the job, which he was not ``mentally prepared to accept.'' And now that he is at the helm and is trying his best within the limitations imposed on him by his strategic world-view of the game, it will be unfair to the man if the debate on his captaincy is restarted.The massive battering that the Indians are taking at the moment is, it seems, leading to this question again. While he was making runs in the Tests in Australia, no one dared talk of this, but the moment he started having a dry run in the one-dayers, tongues have started wagging again. Someone on TV even suggested that Azharuddin should be brought back as captain. Given the mood of the people at the moment and the state of amnesia we suffer from, anything is possible in our country.We hanker for stability in politics (long reign for crooks) but want to keep our `innocent' sportsmen always in a state of uncertainty. It would be futile here to talk of administrators and their responsibility towards the game and the players, since they don't care. Otherwise they would not have handled the Azharuddin-Tendulkar affair with such insensitivity. Was there any need to play musical chairs with the two in the first place ? Look how soured the relationship between the two is at the moment.And where was the need to drop Azharuddin from the team, if in the selectors' mind there was a possibility of his return ? Players of Azharuddin's calibre, especially when they are in the twilight of their career, should not be treated like commodities and be placed on the whims and fancies of those in power. It should have been a graceful goodbye at the appropriate time so that the possibility of a future `bloodbath' did not arise.The whole world knows that Tendulkar and Kapil Dev do not want Azharuddin back in the team. Azharuddin would have been in Australia playing the one-dayers but for these two. After the chairman of the selectors, Chandu Borde, made this `secret' public, whatever remote possibility of a rapprochement between the present and the former skipper must now be deemed impossible.Under these circumstances what happens if Azhaurddin finds himself back in the team to play the South Africans? A strong possibility, especially after the abject failure of the newcomers and Azharuddin showing tremendous mental resolve in going through the grinds of domestic cricket with a smile on his face and a plethora of runs in his bag.It may suit Azharuddin to behave like a `good boy' as he is the one who needs the team more than the team needs him. But will Tendulkar let bygones be bygones and start with a clean-slate and make a truce with his former captain?The future of Indian cricket, in the absence of any guiding hand, is fraught with many dangerous possibilities. Tendulkar, already under tremendous pressure, will have to show great strength, mental toughness and also a magnanimous streak, if he wants to graduate from a great batsman to a `visionary' captain. For that to happen he has to understand the nuances of `realpolitik.' And also learn to smile again.
