Time to say alvida and adeus

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Oye Virat, ola Cristiano, hello…kya haal hai, wassup and como vai. I don't quite know how to begin this conversation, without treading on both your collective toes, you both are proud patriotic men, so what I wish to say will get both your backs up.

I know there's all this talk of "listening to your inner voice, your bodies will speak to you," but I'd also urge you to listen to the outer conversation. It's kind of been said for a while now: "Time to exit, dudes". Look guys, I know you will fight me tooth and nail, arrogantly dismiss my POV, I mean, admittedly you're both legends, debatably GOATS… though Virat you're nowhere close up against Viv Richards, and Cristiano gotta win a FIFA bro, in my book. Messi has, Maradona has and Pele has.

But there's always talk around the two of you, when you were young, you both were very very good, but now, you're both good, well not as often. But who's going to show you the exit door?

So, I'm not going to analyse your game, your longevity, your fitness or your daily regimens or your diets, you two are poster boys, role models and larger than life. And fabulous sportsmen.

But at some point, larger than life can rapidly nosedive to smaller than life, respect will disappear, and reverence will evaporate - the "Oh no, how many chances do these guys need", will soon become the narrative.

Virat, you will argue that you're still the fittest guy in the team, you still strut around the park like you always did, but Indian cricket has seriously spoilt you.

It's given you massive amounts of time to get over lean patches, but now I'm saying, you're just taking up a place for a more deserving person. The BCCI is a bully, but they never sack the idols only the smaller fry.

My argument is different and you're allowed to disagree: you've gotta exit when your era is over, CR7, you too. Your fans will say you are immortal. But you're past your prime. Your time is over.

Sticking around beyond your expiry date has a tarnishing effect of your teammates. CR7 look around you, it took you several games to get going, Talismanic soon becomes a millstone around everyone's neck.

You don't want Greatest Of All Time to become Get Out It's Time. Don't be that life of the party who overstays his welcome.

Both you Virat and you CR7 will argue that fitness, speed, and six packs are enough - but just the thought that you're trying to go up against a team that will have far younger, far faster men - you'll both argue that Novak is still going strong.

But it's different in individual sports, your only real team is yourself. You're not holding up space for someone else, you're not having to share a dressing room or the ball with a much younger generation, who kind of look at you, wanting to call you "uncle" but are forced to call you "sir" or "paaji", they can't joke, thump you on the back, and you're trying to be cool, but it doesn't work somehow. This is Vaibhavs time, not yours Virat.

Take the most recent retirements, Ben Stokes and Kane Williamson, they both chose their moments to split - Kane in a blaze of glory, ever humble, ever hungry, but believing in the axiom, "why are you leaving?", as against "When are you leaving?"

Stokes is more complex: battle-scarred and a real braveheart, always leading his team into a contest, prepared to spill blood. He faced endless criticism for the Bazball approach, yet was still capable of winning matches on his own - massive detractors and massive derring do fans, but his retirement came from a space filled with history and a sense that he had no more to accomplish. Ronaldo, take a leaf out of Luke Modric's book, he was your teammate at Real Madrid and he has stepped down. I'm gonna sum up, not be-labour the point - you both are in the GOAT debate, but let's address the elephant in the room. It's time to leave with your heads held high.

Don't overstay your welcome and finally have to exit, tail between your legs.

Rahul daCunha is an adman, theatre director/playwright, filmmaker and traveller. Reach him at rahul.dacunha@mid-day.com