Mushtaq believes that India have been dealt a major blow

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has announced that it was an honour to play against Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar during his international career and added that he still cherishes every ball he bowled to the ‘Little Master’.

Mushtaq, who played his last ODI in 2004, noted that India had been dealt a huge blow with Tendulkar’s decision to retire from ODIs.

“The world of one day cricket has suffered a huge loss with Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement from one day internationals,” Mushtaq was quoted by PakPassion.net as saying. “There will never be another cricketer like Tendulkar. He’s been at the top of the game for twenty three years which is simply amazing and the way he has conducted himself throughout his career has been exemplary and a lesson to all young cricketers around the world.”

Reminiscing about bowling to Tendulkar, Mushtaq stated that he always enjoyed the battle against the ‘Little Master’ since nobody knew who was going to emerge as the victor.

“I feel honoured to have played cricket in an era when Tendulkar played,” Mushtaq added. “It’s been an honour to have bowled to Sachin. I’ve dismissed him, been hit for four, hit for six by Sachin, beaten him with deliveries. He’s out thought me at the crease and sometimes I’ve got the better of him and it’s always been an absolute pleasure.”

Mushtaq also recalled the time he spent with Tendulkar while playing for English county side Sussex.

“I’ve always got on very well with Sachin and when I was playing for Sussex alongside Mushtaq Ahmed, the touring Indian team was playing a three day match against the County,” Mushtaq said. “Most of the Indian squad had dinner at Mushtaq’s house every night during that match and I was present too. We had a few great evenings with the Indian squad in Sussex, all sat on the floor eating and talking about past matches that we had played in and it was an honour to be in the company of Sachin, memories that I still cherish.”

The former off-spinner further mentioned that the resumption of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan was a great sign and added that he hopes the two nations would play more series against each other in the near future.

“It’s fantastic news that India and Pakistan are on the verge of a limited overs series and I sincerely hope that this is the start of regular cricket between the two teams,” Mushtaq said. “There’s nothing quite like the Indo-Pak cricketing rivalry. The Ashes is also a huge rivalry but I think India versus Pakistan is a bigger cricketing rivalry.”