New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday found some support from Sir Vivian Richards who said the maestro still has a lot to contribute and it was unfair to suggest that he should retire.

Reacting to former Australia captain Ian Chappell’s suggestion that Tendulkar should call it a day, the iconic Richards said, “in my opinion, as a batsman there is quite a lot for him to achieve and fulfil”.

“There is so much pressure on Sachin. Not just on the field but off it as well. He is human, people must remember that. He can crack and break like everyone else. He bleeds like everyone else. Some of the criticism, I believe, is very, very unfair. I feel that Sachin would have done so much for Indian cricket,” Richards said.

The batting legend said Tendulkar was facing criticism because he was carrying out the job in a manner not familiar to others.

“I just feel that he is not settled in his mind to do the job as you would like him to.”

On reports of division in the Indian team, Richards said senior players should leave their differences behind but did not believe Tendulkar was part of the drama.

“I can only speak for Sachin because he is the one I have been close to and he is the one I have a lot of respect for.

“I don’t think Sachin is of that nature at all. I don’t think he is an individual who is disruptive. That’s the last thing that comes to my mind about Sachin Tendulkar,” he said.

“In teams, we say ‘we’. And that, to me, gives you a better understanding of collective responsibility. When you do well, it is ‘we’. But sometime when you do badly, it is the ‘I’s. Let us keep it ‘we’s. It is important for team camaraderie, it is important for the nature of the team, and how they move forward,” he added. (PTI)