The right time to retire

Indian cricket’s first-on-guard Virender Sehwag’s decision to retire has us trying to find out the answer to one of life’s most complex question — how do you know it’s time to leave

Retirement. It’s when you finally catch Krishi Darsh-an on the tele and wonder aloud why you’ve never heard of India’s newest triumphs in phal parikshan before. It’s also the start of that phase of your natural life when the only person happy to have you around at home is the tail-wagging lab. And as you reach for the remote, you ask the very same question cricketing smash-hit Virender Sehwag now has for himself — Did I time my exit right

Everybody has the right to call it a day, to hang up the proverbial (and the very worn) boots. Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Ratan Tata, Sachin Tendulkar, Narayan Murthy, Batman and yes, apna Viru too.

But 2007 would’ve been a good time to call it a day. Sehwag has only struggled since being benched and was far from an active participant on the international level. Which brings us to two other important questions... Shouldn’t I be going out with a bang And when is it a good time

A decision that hurts “When you retire from a sport, you have the rest of your life ahead of you. Sporting careers mildly stretch till the late 40s unlike the usual jobs that end in the mid 60s. So, sportspersons are often faced with that crucial query — ‘do I have enough gas in the tank left ’,” says longtime observer of cricket, Ayaz Memon.

He continues: “Because it’s not something you can just do. You’re going to wake up one day, and not have a match to play... living with that thought is tough... it’s not something you can turn off. Imagine, you have been training since you were young, the pressure, the dizzying heights of glory, the wins, the press conferences, the life is addictive. And leaving all that behind is never easy.”

Just ask V.V.S., he’s been through the pain. “It was a tough decision but you have to follow your inner voice. I’ve always read and listened to a lot of sportspersons saying that at the end of your career there will be a certain thought, a feeling within you which will tell you that the day has come when you have to leave the sport and move on,” Laxman had said.

For some, it remains a decision fraught with doubt — you can never be sure it was the right thing to do at the time.

“You can never be 100 per cent sure when to call it a day,” says Gautam Gambhir. “In our game, people write you off, selectors drop you, the press question your ability but one should know how much fuel is in the tank. Leaving on a high is a different feeling altogether. As a sportsperson, you want to be playing on merits rather than reputation. Therefore, I think it is important to leave on a high.

“But I think it is a very subjective thing. I may want to retire in a certain way but someone else may want to do in a different manner. So, there can never be a good time to retire as you always want to keep excelling at your profession,” he adds.

The ‘when’ & the ‘why’ A secret ingredient in most of life’s highs is, timing. Sportspersons have benefitted immensely with rightly-timed retirements — Sachin Tendulkar decided to go off into the sunset in uniform, amidst a stadium full of people and thunderous applause. A quite fitting farewell.

Others... well, chose a different approach. At 33, South African Graeme Smith surprised his team when he decided to call it a day during a Test series against Australia. He informed colleagues and chiefs of his decision only at the end of the third day’s play. From the Aussies, an injured Ryan Harris quit just five days before opening ball at the Ashes this year.

There are a few who maintain the best time to go is when you still got game. The late Vijay Merchant, one of the greatest, followed the principle of former England cricketer Patsy Hendren, when the India opener chose to retire from Tests on a high. “Why now, people should ask, and not why not now,” was Hendren’s view.

Former India cricketer W.V. Raman explains. “Retirement in most cases is not planned. You just feel enough is enough. You are mentally inclined to play on, but there isn’t a way back for you in the team. First thing is how much you enjoy playing the game. When that goes away, then it’s not going to work because you are going to be a nuisance to the ten others. I just woke up one fine day and decided I had had enough of cricket.”

Memon agrees retirement can be hard. “It’s one of the most complex decisions you’ll ever make — in all sport. The noise in your head can get very loud and some dread the fading away, when they make headlines for all the wrong reasons and when you yourself start questioning your levels of fitness. Some have quit in their 40s because their bodies could no longer take the punishment. And it just gets worse after they quit — what’s there to do Most top-grade sportsmen have spent entire childhoods training for the game — having no time for an education and ending up without substantial qualifications. Some keep going because of the money and some because there’s nothing else to do — there’s nothing outside of a stadium for them! It’s only now that there are so many opportunities in the media for retired cricketers but years ago, there were desperate hunts for jobs.”

Off the field Retirement is both inevitable and important. In fact, it keeps the cogs of world economy running. A growing number of adventurous pensioners are spending more money than ever before, providing a much-needed influx of ‘lumpsums’. They’re spending years of savings on yachts, luxury cars, holidays, hotels and property. While the young are being dragged through the muck of an ongoing fiscal flux, the elderly continue to enjoy their lives. It’s estimated pensioners would have pumped in close to 100 billion pounds into Europe’s economy by 2030.

Back home, former Infy boss Narayana Murthy and Tata Sons’ Ratan Tata continue assisting ailing Generation Now with investments in dozens of upcoming start-ups. Both retired from their companies (Murthy retiring twice following a brief 2013 return) after ground-breaking work in the highest positions. And both these captains of industry have hopes of a quiet life ahead. “I want to spend time with my granddaughters, my family... I would also be in a position to read a few books,” Murthy had famously said during a press conference last year.

Tata meanwhile, has found enough time to even tweet. “There has been more time to be at home, play with my dogs, and catch up on smaller things which I never found the time to do earlier,” the now Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons wrote in a Twitter post some time ago.

However, they were both lucky. The retirements were planned and executed with precision and the transitions, swift and painless. Because as the great British journalist and author Malcolm Muggeridge rightly said, “Few men of action have been able to make a graceful exit at the appropriate time.”

Which brings us to India’s Big B — the man who has said he’ll “never retire”. Amitabh Bachchan faces that question almost on a seasonal basis and it was last year when he decided retirement was not really for him. “I have always been confronted with the question about why I am working at the age of 71 (in 2014). I feel that if I stop working, I will fall sick. For each one of us work is important as it keeps our mind and body busy,” the actor said. Bachchan even stopped fellow veteran Rajini from retiring.

The Tamil cinema legend admitted he was considering retirement due to boredom — after Endhiran or Robot — but his colleague from Bollywood had asked him not to saying he must “continue working”.

They’ve both re-invented themselves. Amitabh stays away from the Major Saab roles and Rajini, well... the beard in Kabali is looking real fine. It’s about finding the right thing to do, at the right time. For Sehwag then, there’s consolation in the memories he has made — from a career filled with match-winning moments and the bonhomie he shared with one of the most vibrant teams in world cricket.There may not have been a retirement speech or a stadium filled with shouts and applause but hey, the man did make his bat talk. And as the dust settles, perhaps that’s what matters the most.

With inputs from Harpreet Kaur Lamba, C. Santhosh Kumar and S. Bagawati Prasad