My only worry is what Sachin Tendulkar will do next, says Javagal Srinath

Former India pacer Javagal Srinath on Tuesday said that Sachin Tendulkar will feel a certain kind of emptiness once he quits the game after playing his landmark 200th Test here against the West Indies.

"My only worry is what will he do next. He is going to feel the void in his life after 24 years (of playing top level cricket). I was in Chittagong (Bangladesh as ICC match referee) when he called me up and said he's retiring and I told him it's a good decision you have taken," said the former India fast bowler.

Tendulkar's brother Ajit, also part of the panelists during the day-long 'India Today' function "Salam Sachin" put together to honour the batting great ahead of his farewell Test starting in two days' time at the Wankhede Stadium, agreed with Srinath.

"It's going to be difficult (for his brother to digest retirement from the game). He's about to give up something which occupied every moment of his life," said Ajit.

Srinath also gave a hint about why Tendulkar's first stint as captain was not very successful.

"When he became captain for the first time in 1996 he was very demanding. We could not emulate him. He used to prepare for three hours for a game. He wanted to win every game and went into a shell when the team lost," said Srinath.

The Karnataka stalwart added that when Tendulkar returned as captain after a couple of years, the approach was different and he was more patient with his team members.

This stint too ended when the batting great left the job on his own to be followed by Sourav Ganguly at the helm.

Another notable thing about Tendulkar was the "subdued" way he reacted after scoring a century or getting out, Srinath said.

"After scoring a 50 or a 100 his reaction has always been subdued. I have never seen him throw his bat in the dressing room after being dismissed. Those are the values he has propagated. We all appreciated the temperament he displayed and tried to imbibe," said Srinath.