Sachin Tendulkar in action
© AFP Alexander Joe

New Delhi, Apr 22 (ANI): Former Pakistani cricket captain Imran Khan has criticized the Indian national selectors' decision to exclude Sachin Tendulkar from the one-day team for the Bangladesh tour next month.

He said that though no player is indispensable, but dropping Sachin was not the right option as there is still no replacement for the master batsman.

"You should not drop someone unless a replacement has been found. The question is - is there a replacement to Sachin? If there is, drop Sachin. No player is indispensable, but is your domestic cricket producing players that can replace Sachin? I do not think so," Khan said on the sidelines of a conclave here.

He also came down strongly against the questions being raised on whether to have a foreign coach, saying the coach is not directly responsible for wins and losses.

"First of all the job of a foreign coach has to be defined. Unless he himself takes the field, what can he do except make strategy? It's the strategy on which he should be evaluated. If you hold him responsible for wins and losses, does that mean Australia's prowess is because of its coach? The coach has a very limited role. I don't even know who the Australian coach is, or if Australia will start losing if he is replaced," he said.

Reports said Pakistan was looking at former Indian coach, New Zealander John Wright as a possible replacement for Bob Woolmer, who was killed in the West Indies during the ongoing World Cup. (ANI)