I wonder why Tendulkar is so keen to play ODIs as opener only. By doing so, he is effectively disturbing an established oepning pair of Sehwag and Gambhir, forcing Gambhir into a role of middle-order batsman, and putting pressure on Dhoni to play the mainstay's role in the middle rather than his usual role of a dasher.

Today, with Yuvraj not available, we have the perfect setting for Tendulkar to opt for '2-down' role so as to provide stability to the middle order, thereby lessening the burden on Dhoni. The onus is totally on Tendulkar, and it is he who has to offer his services in the middle order to Dhoni since Dhoni is too junior a player to force that role on to Sachin. Lets see what he does.

Having played with distinction for 2 decades, Sachin should realise that recovering from fatigue and niggles is becoming a bigger challenge for him every passing day. Bluntly put, he is one major injury away from retirement. At such juncture and with world cup coming in a year-and-a-half, he should choose to do the role that Arvinda de Silva did so effectively for Sri lanka in 1996, or for that matter the role Imran Khan did for Pakistan in 1992, i.e. bat in the middle order, be the calming influence, and let flashy contributors prosper at the other end. What do you say?