Tributes to Tendulkar: 'He is the player who came the closest to Bradman'

Sachin Tendulkar has announced he will retire after his 200th Test next month. Here are some of the reactions to his announcement: “I saw him at 19 when he came to Yorkshire. I saw his talent and told him he would put his name in the record books, and I have been proved right. He has excited cricket fans around the world. He is the player who came the closest to Bradman. Former Test umpire Dickie Bird told CNN-IBN [caption id=“attachment_1164727” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sachin Tendulkar will soon be looking back at his cricket career. Reuters[/caption] “The first time I met him was, I think, in Indore, when we both were 14-year-olds at a national camp with Mr Vasu Paranjpe as coach. I wasn’t surprised by what he achieved later. He had all the shots in the book then, and what was very, very striking was that he had a hunger for the game. At the age of 14, all he knew was batting and he would bat all day; the coach would actually have to pull him out of the nets. I think that’s the reason he has been successful. It’s not just the talent he was born with but what he did with it.” Former India captain Sourav Ganguly told NDTV “My mind goes back to New Year’s Eve, 31 December, 1987, when I first heard Sunil Gavaskar tell me there’s a 14-year-old in Mumbai who’s going to be the future of Indian batting. I kept watching out for that boy. I followed his Ranji debut. The greatest Indian to ever wield the cricket bat.” Union Minister Shashi Tharoor told NDTV “That man has done magic on field and is the most humble cricketer I’ve known. He is nearly 40 and now his agility and body movement along with reflexes might be a concern. Also he might be wanting to spend time with the family and his kids” Former India captain and chief of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth told CNN-IBN “I have been an ardent follower and admirer of Sachin Tendulkar from the days he came to play Buchi Babu in Chennai. No one has served Indian cricket as Sachin has. We respect his decision to retire although many of us can’t imagine an Indian team without Sachin.” BCCI president N Srinivasan told Times Now Tendulkar has the been the most successful Indian cricketer and his performance even today is top class. He has always been an asset for the team and played like a dependable rock. The team will miss his contribution.” Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde told CNN-IBN. “Sachin has been doing well for so many years now, he will always be remembered. He started of at the age of 16 and he is retiring after 200 tests and at this juncture I would like to give him my best wishes.” BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad told CNN-IBN “Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to retire from Test cricket marks the end of a golden era for not only Indian cricket but of cricket world over. He strode the arena of cricket like a colossus and in his long innings, established many a milestones for himself and the game. “His achievements are an inspiration to all cricketers who are in the game and he will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come. As a sportsman, the qualities and the character which he displayed both on and off the field are exemplary.” Agriculture Minister and former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar