It's apt Sachin retires at home: Richardson

Richie Richardson is a character who had one of the most dramatic and tragic farewells from international cricket - being stranded at the non-striker's end as Courtney Walsh was dismissed in the 1996 World Cup semi-final in Mohali.

Richie Richardson is a character who had one of the most dramatic and tragic farewells from international cricket - being stranded at the non-striker's end as Courtney Walsh was dismissed in the 1996 World Cup semi-final in Mohali. His last Test too was away from home, at the Oval in London in 1995.

That way, the former West Indies captain feels it's only proper Sachin Tendulkar gets to retire at home. "It's always nice, especially for the fans, to finish your career at home. It means a lot to the individual," said Richardson.

"I would have loved to retire at home but things like that don't work out all the time. I think it's appropriate that Sachin is retiring at his home town," said Richardson.

Richardson first saw Tendulkar from close in the 1992 World Cup. And it was Tendulkar's calm nature that impressed him the most. "From the first day I saw him I always admired him. He was never afraid," he said.

Rather than picking his best innings, Richardson was more enthusiastic talking about the way Tendulkar used to wrest control of the game. "My memory of him is just the way he used to walk to the wicket, whether it was England or in the Caribbean, and how he always seemed to be able to adjust and adapt to conditions," said Richardson.

Brief scores: West Indies 466 & 199/5 in 37 ovs (Gayle 58, Samuels 58) v Uttar Pradesh 372/9 decl in 96.3 ovs (Parvinder 112, Amir 47, Cotterrell 3/65, Permaul 3/124). Match drawn.