SACHIN TENDULKAR REMEMBERS JAGMOHAN DALMIYA AS THE PLAYERS' ADMINISTRATOR

Jagmohan Dalmiya was and will always be remembered as the man who cared for the game and its biggest stakeholders - the players and the fans.

It was during Dalmiya's heydays in the BCCI that arguably India's greatest cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, burst onto the scene; and with what Sachin had to say after Dalmiya's sad demise clearly suggest how closely connected he was to the players.

"Mr. Dalmiya was truly special to me. All along, he was very helpful, not just to me but for all the cricketers. Whenever there was an issue with the players, he would take special interest to ensure the players' point of view was factored in in the discussions. He cared about cricket and cricketers. Deep within, he was a players' administrator," Tendulkar told Mumbai Mirror.

"He was also aware that the players looked up to him to protect their interest and he would never let them down. It was a kind of give-and-take relationship between him and the players. He earned the respect of the players during those discussion. You respect the person who cares for you," the batting legend added.

The cricket icon went on to remember the last he had a word with Dalmiya.

"Our last discussion was in Kolkata when the Cricket Advisory Committee meeting was held [in June]. It was evident from the discussions that he wanted to find out the latest about the game and implement it. He wanted to make sure that the board did not miss out on anything," said the former India captain.

Tendulkar also fondly remembered how Dalmiya went all out to make his last Test in Kolkata a special occasion.

"My fondest memories with Mr Dalmiya were, again, from Kolkata. It was during my penultimate Test and he went out of the way to make it a special occasion. He called me before I flew in there and from the time I landed in Kolkata, things were happening non-stop.