South African batting legend Barry Richards doesn't think Sachin Tendulkar to be the best batsman in contemporary cricket and finds too much "politics in selection procedures" in India.

He also feels that important players like Javagal Srinath should be paid "handsomely" even while sitting out nursing injuries, the daily Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday.

Richards, who was in Dubai for a meeting of the Cricket Hall of Fame, told reporters that while Tendulkar had a terrific record at home, he still needed to prove himself on fast and bouncy tracks.

"Sachin Tendulkar is a good batsman but only at home. He has to perform more consistently on bouncy wickets in South Africa and Australia to lay claim to be the best batsman of the world along with Brian Lara," Richards said.

"In my book Graeme Pollock (left-handed) and Viv Richards (right-handed) were the best batsmen ever," he said.

Richards said there were "lot of politics" in selection procedures in India which had been responsible for their inability to produce a genuine fast bowler after Kapil Dev. He also blamed lack of serious effort and competitive wickets for the problem.

"There are a lot of politics in their (India's) selection. Talent alone is not enough. The guy is from Punjab or Mumbai or down south, all these things also count," he said.

Richards said Srinath was not paid adequately for the matches he missed due to injury.

"Australia paid handsome money to Glen McGrath when he was injured. So did the South Africans to Alan Donald. But it was not the case with Srinath, who was just paid expenses for his shoulder operations he had in Australia and was not compensated for Tests and one-dayers he missed during the period," the former batting great said.

© PTI