Sachin 'playing better' but not up to his standards, says Steve Waugh

Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh on Sunday said that it was for Sachin Tendulkar himself to decide whether it was time for him to retire from international cricket but his personal opinion was that the Indian master is not playing upto his previous standards.

"What is your opinion," Waugh, who was here to attend a private function, shot back, when reporters sought to know from him how he rated Tendulkar's current performance.

"He is playing better... but he is not playing upto his standards. He himself has to decide (whether it is time to retire or not)," Waugh said.

Waugh said he believed that Test matches are important to maintain quality and standard of cricket though limited over events like IPL are medium for the young players to prove their talent.

"Tests are important to maintain both quality and talent. That cannot be replaced by limited over matches," he said.

Waugh said he did not subscribe to the view that coach was responsible for the recent defeat of Australia by India.

"It is only temporary. Australia will rebound. Coach cannot be blamed for the setback," he said.

Waugh, who arrived here late last night celebrated Kerala's summer festival 'Vishu' with the locals here by lighting the traditional lamp to mark the beginning of New Year according to the local calender.

He was here to mark the launch of the operations of the Australia-based OGM Technical Institute, of which he is the brand ambassador.

Waugh, 47, led Australia in 15 of their world-record 16 consecutive Test wins and to the 1999 World Cup title, playing 168 Tests and collecting 10,927 runs. He has also scored over 7500 runs in 325 One-day Internationals.