NEW DELHI: Ian Chappell, who received considerable flak in India when he suggested recently that Sachin Tendulkar should retire, has said that the Indian master batsman was now playing the game for "wrong reasons".

Players should be in the game to win but Tendulkar is now playing for wrong reasons, the former Australian captain said on Sony Max TV during the coverage of the second semi-final of the World Cup between Australia and South Africa.

Answering questions about when great players should retire, the blunt Australian said cricketers should call it a day when fans ask, "why" and not "when". He pointed out that another great batsman of this era Brian Lara had announced his retirement.

So had two of Australia's greatest bowlers Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, both of whom had still a great deal of cricket left in them. In Chappell's view, great batsmen should not be seen struggling to make runs or great bowlers struggling to take wickets in the autumn of their career.

In a newspaper column last month, Chappell had written that during the last three or four years, Tendulkar had been a shadow of his former self. It was for Tendulkar to take the call and decide his future plans, Chappell said standing by his earlier statement that if the Indian player looked into the mirror and asked if he should retire, the answer would be in the affirmative.

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