Team will miss Srinath in Australia

One of India's fastest bowlers ever, Javagal Srinath carried the tag of underachiever throughout his career. His career statistics are fantastic, yet one always felt he could have done better if he had pushed himself just a little bit more.

But on Tuesday, when the veteran announced that he was bowing out of the game, his team-mates had only words of praise for him.

Rahul Dravid (Karnataka and India team-mate): Of course, I will miss his presence a lot. He was not only a fellow cricketer, but a very good friend. We have a lot of memories, on and off the field, and I will treasure all of them.

Also Read I will miss the game: Srinath

I think he has been a fabulous cricketer and a great find for India. For so many years he toiled away as India's lone fast bowling spearhead. But I don't think he ever got the credit that was really due. I hope the public and the media now realise what a fine cricketer he really was.

He has contemplated hard and long before announcing his decision and even to admit that he will not be fit enough to continue requires guts.

As a bowler, obviously he will be missed for the Australia tour. His experience in the conditions would have been vital, but some things are meant to happen. Maybe this is the sign for one of the younger bowlers to put his hand up and take the responsibility.

Sachin Tendulkar (India team-mate and former captain): I will miss him. A bowler of his calibre will always be missed. His not being available has to be put down to his fitness. His injuries obviously have been very bad, or he would have been there for sure. He is the best judge of that.

I know one thing for certain: he always gave his best for India, no matter what the match situation.

He was a great man in the dressing room. His humour was great and he always made his team-mates feel alive, even after a tough day.

We share a lot of memories, but I will always remember him for his humour and his heart. At some stage, you have to decide whether you are through playing cricket. It is a decision he has taken after a lot of thought and I wish him good luck.

We will miss his experience in Australia, but such things happen in cricket and the game goes on. Obviously he felt that his injuries would not allow him to continue and age is not on his side now.

Anil Kumble (Karnataka and India team-mate): It is a very difficult time for me, personally. But his injuries were really bad, I guess. He is the best judge of his physical condition and I guess he thought it is time for him to make a decision.

Sri and I go back a long way. We have played junior cricket together and he is a great guy and a very good friend. It is going to be difficult for me to adjust to his absence. I wish him well in all his future endeavours.

When he first started off, it was great to see an Indian fast bowler who could really hit the deck, and the batsman at times too. Which is why I was glad that he was always on my side. Whether it was playing international cricket or domestic cricket, it was always a relief to be on his team.

I was very fortunate because in the early part of his career he was always very quick. He was a very forgetful chap and that led to a lot of funny moments in the dressing room and no one knows that better than me, I was his room-mate for most of our tours.

He started off as a very quick bowler, then lost some of his pace, but more than made up with his guile and accuracy. He will be missed for Australia, but I think Zaheer [Khan], Ashish [Nehra] and Ajit [Agarkar] are experienced enough to cope. They have played a few Test series without him and now it is time for them to show what they have learnt.

I will always remember the sight of Javagal Srinath running up fast from his bowling mark and scaring batsmen. He changed Indian cricket in his own way.

Kiran More (former India stumper, now selector): He was a very experienced cricketer and we will definitely miss him. He was a great fast bowling talent, but this is a personal decision. A good bowler who knew his limitations and made the best of what he had. We go to Australia, once again, short of experience.

If there is one thing I feel he will grudge, then it is the fact that he got his break much later than he would have liked to. Had he got his break earlier, who knows, he might even have taken 450 wickets!

Sourav Ganguly (India team-mate and captain): It is his personal decision. Obviously he has thought a lot about it. He has served Indian cricket with distinction for a long time. And we thank him for all that he has given us.

It was pleasure to have him come in and bowl for us. His motivation to play for the country was always very high, but age tends to catch up with fast bowlers. Last time round, I managed to persuade him to come out of retirement, but I won't be doing that this time.