Tendulkar lavished praise on opener Gautam Gambhir and said the left-hander has proved himself as a key member of the side.

"Gambhir has batted very well throughout the year. He has shown the kind of form that gives nightmares to the opposition. He has shown great consistency, he attacked when attack was required, defended when defence was required. He has displayed solid technique and capacity for making big runs. His teammates knew his capability, now the whole world knows about it," Tendulkar said.

The 27-year-old Gambhir had a stupendous year that saw him breaking into the top 10 in the ICC Test Rankings for batsman.

The diminutive Delhi batsman scored more than 1000 runs this calendar year, including three hundreds in his last five Tests.

Asked about cancellation of India's Pakistan tour following the Mumbai terror attacks, Tendulkar said on such occasions, cricket should take a backseat.

"It is a decision by the government and we respect that decision. The attack on Mumbai was very unfortunate, so many people lost their lives in it. This tragedy is far bigger than any cricket tour or sports. Those who have lost their loved ones can never be compensated," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar also asked his critics to stop speculating about his retirement till they hear from him on the subject. "It will only be right for me to speak about retirement, if and when I feel the time is right. It's not for others to speak or speculate on the subject," he said.

... contd.