Sachin not the best: Barry Richards
South African batting legend Barry Richards feels Sachin Tendulkar is not the best batsman in contemporary cricket and there's too much "politics in selection procedures" in India.
He also feels that important players like Javagal Srinath
should be paid "handsomely" even while sitting out nursing
injuries, the Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday.
Richards, who was in Dubai for a meeting of the Cricket Hall
of Fame, told reporters that while Tendulkar has a terrific
record at home, he still needs to prove himself on fast and
bouncy tracks.
"Sachin Tendulkar is a good batsman but only at home. He
has to perform more consistently on bouncy wickets in South
Africa and Australia to lay claim to be the best batsman of
the world along with Brian Lara," Richards said.
"In my book, Graham Pollock (left-handed) and Viv Richards
(right-handed) were the best batsmen ever," he said.
Richards said there is a "lot of politics" in selection
procedures in India which is responsible for the inability to produce a genuine fast bowler after Kapil Dev. He also blamed lack of serious effort and competitive wickets for
the problem.
"There is a lot of politics in their (India's) selection.
Talent alone is not enough. The guy is from Punjab or Mumbai
or down south; all these things also count," he said.
Mail Cricket Editor