Selectors should speak to Sachin about his future plans: Gavaskar

Fresh questions are bring raised on Sachin Tendulkar's retirement, with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar saying the selectors should have a word with him about his future plans.

"Tendulkar has been playing for so long and he has been so consistent. This little period of lack of runs or lack of half centuries will give the critics chance to ask questions," Gavaskar said.

"At the end of the day, it is the selectors who will take the call. I think the selectors will probably have a word with Tendulkar about what his future plans are and then take a call," he said.

"Ideally, whatever decision is taken about Tendulkar's retirement, I believe he will make his own decision," Gavaskar told NDTV.

Tendulkar has scored just 29 runs in three innings in the ongoing Test series against England, and Gavaskar said the senior batsman has been having a "long bad patch" though he is trying hard to come out of this.

"Yes, he is struggling and he is having a long bad patch, if one can call that way. With so may runs and so many centuries at his hands, the moment he is through a lean patch, everybody will start talking about that, but I feel he will overcome this."

"He is trying hard. In the first innings (of the ongoing second Test in Mumbai), the ball (from Monty Panesar) turned just a little bit. Today, (in the England second innings) you could see he changed his guard. He was standing ahead of the crease between the middle and off to negotiate the turn better. But, unfortunately, he was out to a straighter ball," Gavaskar said.

"But we saw he was applying his mind. He is not taking that he will just go out in the middle and play. He is trying hard to overcome this and that is the best part," said the former captain.