Five things Sachin Tendulkar could do once he hangs up his boots

Sachin Tendulkar eats, breathes, dreams cricket. The God of Cricket has donned the national colours for a record 24 years and we have seen him play the game with an almost almighty devotion so far. After making his international debut at the young age of 16, he rise was so mercurial that he was expected to carry the burden of a million hopes on his shoulders without breaking down, and that is what he has done unflinchingly for the past 24 years.

So for a star of his stature who has spent nearly all his life involved with the game in some form or the other, undoubtedly the most difficult question for his millions of fans around the globe is, “What next?”

Once the gloom over his retirement settles down, the whole country will be wondering about the answer to the question. While nobody except the man knows the answer, one can make a fair guess based on his off-field interests and activities.

Here I venture to list a few post-retirement options that Master Blaster would have at his disposal once he hangs up his boots for good on 18th November, 2013.

1. Cricket School: Those who are close to him are well aware of the great man’s wish to have a sports dedicated school. So there is a fair chance that he will open a cricket school, where the admission will be based first on cricket skills and then on academics. Unlike normal schools where admission is based on academics first and then on sporting talent, Sachin’s school will be the other way round. Education through the medium of sports will be the idea behind the school which is sure to have world class infrastructure, with the aim of dishing out top quality cricketers for the country.

2. Politics: It is well known that Sachin is a Congress MP in the Upper House and as he himself admits, he has not been able to find time for his duties because of his cricketing commitments. Recently, he prepared a blueprint for the revamp of the way sports is handled in the country and the bill is yet to be approved by the government.  So he would surely be looking to spend more time working on improving the nuances of the bill and revamping the sports mechanism in the country to make it a lucrative career option for the youth of the country.

3. Manage his restaurant chain – The Tendulkars: Being associated with the sport for such a long period, it is likely that he would like to take some time off the game completely and associate himself with his other interests. His restaurant chain has been going great guns and he would like to build on it by making it a franchise or promoting it to other regions of the country as well. This way he could add to his business acumen and also spend time with his family, something which he has often said would be his priority after retirement.

4. Take up a mentoring position for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL: Just like Anil Kumble for RCB and then MI, Shane Warne for RR and now Rahul Dravid for RR, he might look to take up a mentoring position with his franchise Mumbai Indians. It is no secret that he is extremely close to his IPL team; he has been a fatherly figure for the team players and has also been very active with the running and management of the team. So he could join Anil Kumble in the support staff of the team, which would not only boost the morale of the team but also give him free time to pursue his other interests keeping in mind that IPL takes place for only two months in a calendar year.

5. Be a full time cricket analyst/commentator: This is the least possible option of the lot but you never know. He could join the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Navjot Singh Siddhu and Sourav Ganguly and become a full time cricket analyst or commentator. Having been a student of the game for such a long time, his knowledge about the game, his eye for detail and his analytical powers are top notch and as anybody would agree, he would make an exceptional analyst or commentator.