'Denial did not come from Tendulkar' - team manager

In a new twist to the Sachin Tendulkar retirement story it has emerged that he is yet to make an official statement on the issue. A news agency quoted Tendulkar on Thursday as saying he had not thought about retirement but the Indian team's administrative manager, Rajeev Shukla, confirmed on Friday that the quotes were not from the player.

"That was my statement on Tendulkar's behalf," Shukla, also a vice-president of the Indian board, said while referring to the denial. "Tendulkar hasn't spoken officially to anyone. It was wrongly reported as Tendulkar's quotes."

Tendulkar's statement sought to end speculation over his retiring from one-day cricket after India's home engagements against Australia and Pakistan later this season. It followed a story reported by Cricinfo on Wednesday, quoting sources close to Tendulkar, that he was inclined to announce his retirement on this tour of England but had been persuaded by friends to do so at home.

The confusion also stemmed from the post-match press conference at The Oval. Rahul Dravid was asked to comment on reports that Tendulkar had planned to retire and had been talked out of it by his team-mates. His answer was brief: "False reports."