Retired Sachin lauded as cricketing genius

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the Indian cricketer who retired on Saturday after playing for 24 years and breaking virtually every batting record in the game, has received a bouquet of praises from Indians in Jeddah.
Many said he deserved to get the Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India) award, his country’s highest honor.
“One can well ask whether we’ll ever see such a player again. Cricket will never be the same,” Shakeel Zaidy, who is in private business, told Arab News. “He created a tsunami of emotions. As I recall his career in my mind’s eye, I see the glorious shots he played. The milestones that he reached will be hard to match by others. He deserves the Bharat Ratna award. He was a clean sportsman without any controversy,” he said.
“He timed his shots well, and he timed his retirement at an appropriate time in his career. There have been instances where sportsmen have hung on beyond their prime, and lost peoples’ admiration,” said Mohammed Tahqique, an engineer.
Gazanafar Ali, managing director of Universal Coils and Heat Exchanger Industry, said that Tendulkar was a “cool” player on and off the field.
Nasir Jamal Khawaja, who is in private service, said Tendulkar was a man of records. “His retirement from the game of cricket is a loss and an inspiration. His services and experience should be properly utilized by the cricket authorities,” he said.
Ghouse Mohiuddin, a cricket coach at the Indian International School, Jeddah (IISJ), said Tendulkar was uncontroversial, which was very good for a sportsman.

Mohamed Abdullah Atif, IISJ cricket team captain, who played for Saudi Arabia’s under-19 side and represented the Kingdom at the Allied Cup organized by the Asian Cricket Council, said that playing for 24 years and setting so many records was a masterful achievement.