Because of course he did.
Digging deep into the recesses of his right arm, Sachin Tendulkar spun a nice little ball to trap West Indies' Shane Shillingford leg before wicket today in the 63rd over. All together, Tendulkar bowled two overs, also claiming a maiden and conceding only five runs.
It wouldn't have been a true farewell tour if Sachin hadn't pulled a rabbit out of his hat such as this. The wicket was his first in Test cricket in nearly three years, his last coming against South Africa in January 2011.
The last Sachin Tendulkar wicket against West Indies came in October 2002 in St. John's, Antigua, on the fourth day of that Test when Ashish Nehra caught out Carl Hooper from a Tendulkar ball. It was his second of that innings, as he bowled out Wavell Hinds to take West Indies' second wicket on the third day, as well.
Osman Samiuddin wrote a piece on Tendulkar's retirement tour for us today, noting, "When he steps on to Eden Gardens on Wednesday, many will know that it has been 1039 days, or two years, 10 months and four days, since he scored his last Test hundred."
Amazingly, it had been exactly the same number of days since his last wicket, with Sachin batting for 146 after taking the second wicket on January 2, 2011.
Of his final first-class match last week in Haryana for the Ranji Trophy, Osman also wrote, "It was here, in this village, basically, that the same competitive fire, the one that has seen him through so many years, burnt luminescent for one of the very last times. He was clearly loving that challenge, even now, at this age, like he was 16 again and hitting Abdul Qadir for those famous sixes in Pakistan. This, I reckon, was a far more intimate, a far more personal and a far truer goodbye."
One could conclude that stepping up to bowl a couple overs and nabbing a Test wicket is a more fitting good bye from Sachin than any meticulously planned, extravagant celebration could be, as well.
It may or may not happen, but it almost seems like he's destined for one last century now too, doesn't it?
