Mumbai: Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi today paid rich tributes to Sachin Tendulkar and termed the retiring batting great as "a messenger of God".
"Tendulkar is a messenger of God, who was sent to show how to play the game," Bedi said at India Today Group's 'Salaam Sachin' conclave at a city hotel here.
Stating that Tendulkar's retirement would leave a big void in the dressing room, the spin legend said players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have learnt a lot from the champion batsman.
"They have utilised Sachin's presence. His work ethic won't change. It will be a big vacuum. I hope he keeps in touch with Indian cricket. He has many roles to play. He can guide the younger lot," Bedi said.
Bedi said that Tendulkar didn't have good run as captain because of his shy nature.
"He was shy and withdrawn. He wouldn't have enjoyed captaincy. His middle class upbringing was a great sign for batting but to a certain extent restricted his leadership qualities," he said.
Another former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar opined that Virat Kohli could fill in Tendulkar's shoes in the limited overs format.
"Virat is outstanding. He can break the 51 ODI centuries record. He is extremely fit. But Test match is different," he said.
Former India wicket-keeper batsman Kiran More said that Tendulkar expected other players to be like him, which did not work in his favour as a captain.
"He always wanted them to play upto his standard. Why can't they do it. If I can do it why not the others. And it is also important to give the captain the support," More said.
