Tendulkar on Thursday categorically dismissed speculation about his retirement from one-day cricket, saying he was “batting brilliantly” at the moment and even the thought of quitting had not crossed his mind.
The 34-year-old Tendulkar said that he was enjoying the game very much and hoped to continue playing as long as he could.
“I am batting brilliantly at the moment. Even the thought of retirement has not crossed my mind,” Tendulkar said. “I am still enjoying the game very much and want to play for as long as I can. Cricket means a lot to me.”
Tendulkar has hit a purple patch with scores of 99, 93, 99, 94 on the ongoing tour of United Kingdom to silence some of his critics who had not only questioned his form but also advised him to retire.
Tendulkar’s clarification finally put an end to the speculation about his possible retirement from the sho-rter version of the game, which possibly stemmed from his recent interview to a leading British newspaper.
In the interview to The Times, the champion batsman had admitted for the first time that his long recovery time after one-day matches was creating an “obstacle” for him.
“It does take its toll on the body. When you are 22 or 23, you recover a lot more quickly. But at 34, it’s not so easy,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.
Shetty denies rumours
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday denied reports regarding the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar from limited-over games, adds DHNS from London.
“I spoke to Tendulkar at length after last night’s game. He told me it is not true and was surprised to hear the stories on his retirement. He said he wants to play on and there is no immediate retirement plans,” BCCI chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, said from Mumbai. “There is no substance in the story, it is pure media speculation.”
The team management has also dismissed the story as mere speculation, saying the entire episode is fictitious. Indian skipper Rahul Dravid had already refuted the reports as ‘totally false’.
