Dravid hopes Sachin will continue to shoulder responsibility in his and Laxman’s absence

Former India captain Rahul Dravid on Tuesday hoped that Sachin Tendulkar would continue to shoulder responsibility in his and VVS Laxman's absence during the upcoming India-New Zealand series beginning on August 23 in Hyderabad, says a report in Economic Times. "Sachin has been burdened with responsibility and has been carrying it on his shoulders for the last 16 years. I hope he will continue to do it (in the India-New Zealand series)," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

On Laxman's retirement, Dravid said the stylish Hyderabad batsman has been a great cricketer for India and it was a privilege and an honour to have played with him.  Laxman meant so much for Indian cricket, not only with his performances on the field, but also just a kind of a person he has been off it, Dravid said.

"Laxman has been known for his ideas. The way he has carried himself, the way he has prepared, his practice. I think he has been a great inspiration for a lot of young kids who have been in the team with us. I am sure they have watched Laxman a lot and they have learnt a lot from Laxman. I hope some of these guys will go on to emulate Laxman," he said.

According to a report in The Times Of India, one of the reasons Sachin has continued to succeed while most others have faded away is his eagerness to keep learning. Despite having scored 100 international centuries and amassing 15,470 Test and 18,426 ODI runs, he continues to be one of the finest pupils of the game.

On Tuesday, Tendulkar chose to continue his education under the watchful eyes of coach Duncan Fletcher. Sachin took to the nets with rookie Cheteshwar Pujara after openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag had had a 30-minute hit. Sachin faced up to the likes of Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan and looked quite comfortable in the middle.

There were, however, a few misses and false strokes, which didn't evade Fletcher's hawk eye. As soon as it was Pujara's turn to bat, Sachin walked over to Fletcher and the duo were involved in an animated talk, with Fletcher seeming to point out some flaws. The 'little student' then got back to the nets when his turn came again and tried to iron out the flaws all over again.