Bowling to Sachin was best to know how good you are: Srinath

Bangalore: Former India speedster Javagal Srinath on Wednesday said he preferred bowling to Sachin Tendulkar in the nets to know how good he was as a bowler.

"You should bowl to Sachin in the nets to know how good you are. If you beat him and also Rahul Dravid, you feel you have got your line and length perfect," he told reporters when he was asked to comment on Tendulkar`s retirement after 200th Test next month. Srinath said Sachin must have been convinced that it was time to go otherwise he could not have taken the `hard` decision of retirement. "You need a strong sense of mind. If you have that, you can make a decision of quitting the game," he added. Srinath, the second Indian pace bowler after Kapil Dev to take 200 Test wickets, said he has shared a great relation with Sachin. "What I cherish is I can pick up the phone and speak to him. He also calls me once in a while. My philosophy in life is to maintain communication even if we are far apart," he added. Srinath also said that he cherished Tendulkar`s wicket and remembered sending him back twice in his career.