Sandeep Patil admits to being part of Sachin Tendulkar's retirement decision

Patil said that the decision to retire was entirely up to Tendulkar, who he termed as 'the God of cricket'.

Mumbai: Former chief selector Sandeep Patil revealed that he was involved in Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to retire from the sport, four years back.

Speaking to ABP News and Marathi channel ABP Majha, Patil said that he had arranged for the meet, where Sachin’s partial retirement from the sport (from ODI cricket) was decided.

Patil, who was replaced by MSK Prasad as the chief selector on Wednesday, said that he had approached Tendulkar about the issue in Nagpur, during the India-England Test, in 2012.

“As long as I remember, it was 12th December 2012, Nagpur. Sachin got out and the selectors decided to meet him and ask him about his wish. I was the one who staged the meet, being the chairman of selectors and it was purely to understand what was running in his mind,” said Patil.

“It was a good thing to do. It did not happen in one day or one month,” he continued. “Sachin retired in (November) 2013. The meeting in Nagpur was just to ask his plans.”

While Tendulkar was a regular in the Indian Test squad, that was not the case for the ODIs. However, when asked about his plans for the future, Tendulkar said that he wanted to concentrate more on playing Test cricket, according to Patil.

“Sachin wanted to concentrate more on Test cricket.. He called me and Sanjay Jagdale (then BCCI secretary). Then it was collectively decided that he will retire from ODI’s,” said Patil.

However, Patil went on to say that the decision to retire was entirely up to Tendulkar, who he termed as “the God of cricket-".

“Sandeep Patil is a man of low stature compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Do you really think I can ask someone who is called the ‘god of cricket’ to leave the game It was not my decision, Sachin himself decided to bid good-bye,” said Patil. “No doubt I was a part of that decision. It was a right decision taken at a right time. I was disappointed like a million others but you shouldn’t get disturbed when you are at the chief selector’s position.”