It is not a popular question to ask, but somebody’s gotta do it: Should Sachin Tendulkar retire after this World Cup? Should, not will. Left to himself, the Bandra Bomber will go on and on, and truth to tell, even a half-fit Tendulkar is sometimes twice as likely to create magic with the bat or ball than younger, fitter colleagues and compatriots.

Still, anybody who has watched his reentry into the game after a layoff due to injury will not but be struck by how careful he has become, how circumspect, how tenuous. The talk of the street is that the old magic is gone. Cruel critics say he is now batting for records, blocking better batsmen, that he is becoming a Sunil Gavaskar, etcetera.

Regardless of how India fares at the World Cup, should Sachin bat (and battle) on? Or, should he leave on a high, on his terms, leaving his detractors wondering why instead of why not? Tell.