We never thought of Tendulkar getting India cap at 16: Ajit

Sachin Tendulkar's family members had never thought of him representing India so early at the age of 16 and go on breaking so many cricket records, his brother Ajit said today.
In a rare television interview, Ajit said Tendulkar's decision to quit Test cricket came at a right time as he is bowing out on a high.
"We never thought of Sachin getting the India cap at such a young age of 16. We were thinking of going step by step, from school level to zonal level and then the all India level, from Under 15, Under 19 and to senior level and so on," Ajit said.

"Never ever thought of Tendulkar jumping all these levels and represent India at the age of 16 and go on creating so many records," he told 'Headlines Today'.
"We were proud and happy when he was selected for the first time for India in the Pakistan tour of 1989 and the family was absolutely delighted at that time," he added.
Ajit said that Tendulkar's decision to quit from Test cricket did not surprise his family members as he was assessing retirement for some time from series to series.

"At some point of time, he will have to retire. You can't go on playing forever. For some time, he was assessing every tour. It was not a shock as such to us. All the family members were around and a lot of discussion went into it. Finally it was his own decision," he said.

"The family had a mixed feeling as he has given so much joy to us in the last 24 years. But at the same time, we were happy that he has done the country and the team proud. He has achieved almost every record in world cricket. I think, he has got the timing right as he is bowing out on a high."
Talking about Tendulkar's character and his passion for the game, Ajit spoke about the time in 1999 when their father passed away.