Should Sachin Tendulkar call it a day?

New Delhi: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar poor form continued and this time it was in front his home fans in Mumbai. Sachin who has been going through a slump in form since quite some time now after failing in the first Test and the first innings of the second Test match against England lot was expected from him. He scored just eight further plummeting India to a spot of bother. For millions of Tendulkar fans, that day arrived at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, when the master batsman looked all at sea against the left-arm spin of Monty Panesar. The way Tendulkar pushed and prodded, and generally struggled to put bat to ball before he was put out of his misery, the realisation would have dawned on cricket lovers - it is high time that the curtain came down on the illustrious 23-year career. A few months ago, there was a raging debate about Tendulkar's technique and reflexes when he was repeatedly getting bowled off the seamers. It was argued that age was finally catching up with the cricketing god. His last Test century came against South Africa in Cape Town in January 2011 and after that he scored 80 against Australia in Sydney. And since then his scores read: 15, 8, 25, 13, 19, 17, 27, 13, 8 and 8. His performance somewhere down the lane is bound to create about his ability to be the same potent force that he used to be. It is ironical that one of Tendulkar's most illustrious contemporaries, Ricky Ponting, is also going through a similar phase, and is probably just one bad Test away from getting the axe. But while the Aussie selectors are known to be ruthless in getting rid of the dead wood, their Indian counterparts don't display such spine. The 38-year-old batsman has played with dignity and his aura as a cricketer can hardly be matched by anyone. He is one of the few players who are respected by fans of the opposing team. For a man who had played cricket for so long with his head held high, he should not give anyone a chance to point fingers at him and hold him responsible should India meet same fate as last season in England and Australia. He has changed the face of Indian cricket and players like him come once in a lifetime. But then his slump in form does indicate that the time has come to draw curtains on his illustrious career with his pride. Tendulkar has admitted that he has been thinking about retirement lately. If he goes through his last few innings, he may not find it too difficult to arrive at a decision in this regard.