Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said the Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has been an inspiration for the youth, and added that he has made every Indian proud.
"We wish Sachin Tendulkar all the very best for his retirement. He has been an inspiration for the youth. The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs look forward to working with him to inspire youngsters for sports. He has brought laurels to the country, and he has inspired many youngsters. He has made every Indian proud," he said.
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor said: " I remember Sunil Gavaskar telling me about a 14-year-old boy who will be the future of Indian cricket. He scored a century on his Ranji debut. He has converged himself as a one-day opener. His extraordinary performance will never be seen by anyone after his retirement."
Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said that this is a very sad moment, and added that it would never be the same without Sachin Tendulkar.
"It is definitely a very sad moment, but he must have thought a lot about it. I am gonna miss him, and I don't think it will be the same without Sachin. It's gonna be very emotional moment for all of us and all the Indians. He has been there for a long time and he is the reason for many of us to play cricket," he said.
"He is not just a great cricketer, but also a great human being. I don't know whether he is going to come back and do the coaching; it's upto him what he needs to do. I m keeping fingers crossed to be the part of his 200th game," he added.
Earlier in the day, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he would be retiring from international cricket after playing his 200th Test against the West Indies.
In a statement that was released by BCCI President N.Srinivasan, Tendulkar said: "All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India. I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years."
"It is hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because its all I have ever done since I was eleven years old. It's been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world. I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day," Tendulakr said further.
