Sachin Tendulkar is to retire soon from one-day cricket, according to indications he has given to close friends here.

It is reliably learnt that while speaking to his closest friends a month ago, Tendlkar had talked about retiring from the one-day format. However, he has known to have stressed that the departure should be befitting his stature and keeping with the tremendous standards he has set for himself over the years. Among those expected to attend the Lord’s game are Sachin’s childhood friends.

The final decision could possibly come after the final one-dayer of the seven-match series against England on Saturday at Lord’s, the mecca of cricket. Or, it could be announced when he returns to India, after the one-day series against Australia and Pakistan.

Prior to arriving at the decision, the 34-year-old master batsman has set himself a target of “some good knocks” during the ongoing one-day series in England. And, Sachin’s batting (99, 71 & 94) has been pivotal in all three games that India have won.

During his conversation with friends, Tendulkar had admitted that though his mind was as enthusiastic as ever, his body wasn’t coping well with the frenetic nature of one-day cricket. In fact, Tendulkar had expressed similar concerns to The Times in London recently, hinting at a possible retirement. Stopped in his tracks by persistent injuries to the back, shoulder and elbow, Sachin’s 16-year-old career has been plagued by fitness setbacks ever since a serious back injury in 1998.

However, his hunger for runs in Test cricket is intact — quitting one-day cricket could be his way of stretching his career in the longer version. In fact, former internationals have often said that to prolong his Test career, Tendulkar needs to put a full-stop on the one-day format. Before this game, Tendulkar had scored 15,301 runs in 394 one-dayers, including 41 centuries, 82 half-centuries, 116 catches, 152 dismissals. (Loksatta)