Gavaskar's lesson for players: Retire at peak, not when in decline

"Retire when people ask why, not when they ask, why not?" — Sunil Gavaskar

- Sumit Paul

Playing for the Rest of the World against MCC to mark the MCC Bicentenary on August 21, 1987, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar called a press conference at the end of the day and stunned the cricketing world by announcing that it was his last Test (First-Class cricket appearance) and that he would not play any more Tests. He was batting on 80, and the following day, the maestro added 108 runs to his overnight score, finally getting out with a personal score of 188, facing an attack that comprised Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee, and Clive Rice.

There couldn't have been a better way to call it off than by hitting a masterly 188 after playing 16 years of competitive cricket. This is what we call a sense of timing, not just in batting but also in retiring. To retire at the zenith of one's career is not just a timely decision—it's an art very few are good at. Humans have this rather undesirable proclivity to go on and on, wanting to remain in the limelight forever.