Pakistan's former Test captain Javed Miandad feels veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar will fade from public memory once he retires after the second Test against West Indies as he is leaving the stage at a time when the Indian cricket team has found some exciting talent to fill the void
"The nature of the cricket fans in this region is such that if a player tries to prolong his international career they tend to forget him soon after he retires," Miandad told PTI.
Tendulkar has announced he will retire after the second Test which begins tomorrow.
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Miandad said he himself had made the mistake of trying to prolong his career and it didn't end well for him. "I must admit, unlike others, I feel that Tendulkar should have retired earlier...and he is now going at a time when India has found some very talented batsmen who are now the reigning heroes and idols of the people," Miandad said.
Javed Miandad. Pic/ AFP
Miandad said Tendulkar was deservedly getting a lot of adulation and tributes in the run up to his final match. "It is good to see this because Tendulkar deserves all this respect and tributes he has contributed a lot to Indian cricket over the years and his place among the master batsmen of the modern era is guaranteed," Miandad added.
"I would recommend him as a role model for all young cricketers in all the cricket playing nations." The former Pakistani batting supremo saw Tendulkar make his Test debut in Karachi in 1989 and said the teenager had impressed everyone and also fulfilled the vast potential and talent he had.
"There is no use talking about his greatness as a player but I think in the subcontinent, players like us must know when it is the right time to go," Miandad said.
Miandad said that in the subcontinent the adulation top players got made it difficult for them to decide when was the right time for them to retire and this had happened with many greats in the past.
"India is lucky they have unearthed a new generation of top batsmen and this is why I don't think Tendulkar will be missed that much," he said.
Miandad admitted he had also tried to prolong his career when he should have left. "So when I did eventually go people didn't miss me that much...in Tendulkar's case also there have been calls for his retirement since last year. "I thought after India won the 2011 World Cup at home he should have announced his retirement it would have been the perfect farewell for Indian cricket fans and for him."
Miandad said he would like to see legendary players in the subcontinent being honoured the same way Tendulkar is being honoured before his final test. u00a0
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