Sachin Tendulkar quashed talk on his retirement, saying it would be “selfish” to make an exit when “on top”. He hit out at some former cricketers who suggested he follow Rahul Dravid and retire, saying they had no business taking decisions for him.
“I feel when I retire is something I would decide because when I started was not decided by someone else. Those advising me about retirement didn’t bring me into the team,” Tendulkar said Sunday at an event celebrating his 100 international hundreds, in a dig at the likes of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan who felt he should have retired from ODIs when India won World Cup 2011. “I feel those who say you should retire at the top are selfish... when you are at the top you should serve the country.”
Tendulkar said he couldn’t predict if he would play in the 2015 World Cup, which would be his seventh appearance. “When this question was asked in 2007 (about 2011), it was tough for me to answer. It’s the same... I don’t know what to say about 2015. I will keep trying, the rest is in God’s hands. I just want to enjoy the game.”
Tendulkar, who turns 39 next month, registered his 100th international hundred last week against Bangladesh in Dhaka in the Asia Cup. He admitted being under pressure to reach the milestone, having taken over a year to go from the 99th to the 100th century. “When I got to my 100th hundred, I looked at the bat and looked upwards towards God and said, ‘It’s been a tough time for me... why? Why has it taken so long?’”
He refused to comment on the purported dispute between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Sehwag, saying team discussions were not meant for public consumption.