Kolkata: Former India Captain under whom Sachin Tendulkar played 42 Tests, said that Sachin kept getting extensions because of his reputation and that he should have retired a year earlier.
Saurav was speaking at a function here Sunday. He said If he had been in his place he would have retired a year earlierand that an under-firing Tendulkar, with a batting average of 36 in his last three years (from 27 Tests), was persisted with because of his reputation.
Former skipper said that for me, it is the right decision to retire at home against West Indies. Had it been South Africa, he would have got half the adulation. It's the right send-off for the champion. He deserves that respect.
“Sachin is such a great player but his frequency of run scoring hasn't been that great in the last couple of years. Only because he is Sachin Tendulkar, he could get a run for three years. Nobody else would have got that much of time. I am happy that he is going. He has been a champion,” said Ganguly.
Asked if Tendulkar could join Greg Chappell (182 vs Pakistan at SCG), Vijay Manjrekar (102 no vs New Zealand at Chepauk) and Vijay Merchant (154 vs England at Delhi) in the list of batsmen who bowed out with a ton, Ganguly said, “It doesn't matter whether he gets a century in his final Test or not. He will always be a champion. I'm sure Sachin will be nervous (during his 200th Test). Having seen him from close I know he is not very relaxed. It's such a big milestone.”
