Mumbai: It was a perfect farewell even if it was not a fairytale one with a century for the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar that would have been the icing on the cake to fulfil every cricket fan's dream.
Barely 24 hours after hanging up his boots, former Test and international cricketer was being quizzed about everything, including cricket in the Olympics.
“Give me at least 24 days,“ he quipped as he deftly handled the media on Sunday with the same aplomb with which he had made that stirring speech at the awards function on Saturday .
What next after cricket is already a question that is haunting the country that may have bid farewell to him as a cricketer but still expects great things of him. While he is yet to even begin putting on the thinking cap about his future, sources close to him say that he has many plans but not one of them is to with the bruising everyday politics of the country . He will carry out his functions as a Member of the Rajya Sabha more vigorously, but he has little interest in active politics is what his friends are saying.
The Little Master has apparently already hinted to the ruling party which nominated him to the upper house of Parliament that he is not keen to campaign for the grand old party and its allies before the Lok Sabha polls to be held next summer. The word may have been carried back by the bigwig politician who is also into cricket administration. The gentleman was also keen to put Sachin in a house right next to party vice president and youthful leader and it is understood that the cricketer declined then to take his MP accommodation for being thought of as close to any power centre.
It is clear that Sachin has an image and the way he connects with the public has nothing to do with politics. The offers to him will be aplenty from any combination that wins the next polls and comes to power but it is unlikely that he will join government as a minister soon.
Sachin hinted that he would much rather do things quietly even when it comes to interacting with teams and cricketers in the matter of passing on his knowledge of the game to them. He does envisage a mentoring role for young players but at his pace and leisure rather than in any formal BCCI role.
He will be devoting a great deal of his time to his family as was apparent when he talked of the cup of tea he made for himself Sunday morning and then shared a leisurely and wonderful breakfast with his wife Anjali because he did not have to hurry off to a game of cricket.
Prior to the Test too he had told me at a photo opportunity for media journalists that his first priority would be to spend more time with his family . It is hard to see the family man being convinced into stepping into active politics.
