Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar feels the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should have made Sachin Tendulkar skipper for his final Test match in his hometown in Mumbai.
The ongoing Test against the West Indies is Tendulkar's 200th match for the country.
"The BCCI has done a lot to make Tendulkar's retirement memorable but the icing on the cake and ultimate tribute would have been to make him captain in his farewell Test," Dar said.
A highly regarded umpire in world cricket, Dar said a player of Tendulkar's stature deserves something memorable for his final match.
"It is a personal opinion but one I think that could have been done," three-time winner of the 'ICC Best Umpire of the Year' award said.
Dar said there was no doubt about Tendulkar being the greatest cricketer in the world, and his humility was amazing.
"My personal experience has been that while there is no doubt about his cricketing greatness he is also a very humble and good human being. That is what has impressive me the most about him," Dar said.
Dar added that Tendulkar had chosen the right time to retire and his records were unsurpassable.
"In life every great cricketer has to go sometime and I think Tendulkar has done the right thing this was the right time for him to retire. He goes at a time when India has discovered exciting young players," he noted.
"I don't think anyone will be able to break his records. There will never be another Tendulkar in the game."
Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
