Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes all top performers have been accorded respectful farewells.

"I don't agree (that senior players are disrespected). People like Sunil Gavaskar have gone with respect. Look at the respect Anil Kumble got on his retirement.

"For me, it has to be the stature of the player. The stature of the cricketer has to match Sachin Tendulkar's to evoke that respect," Ganguly, who retires at the end of the ongoing Test series against Australia, told CNN-IBN.

But the left-hander finds oft-repeated queries on the impending retirements of the remainder of the fab four -- Tendulkar, VVS laxman and Rahul Dravid -- quite irritating. He reiterated that media reports of a retirement scheme for senior players were mere speculation.

"I don't think the time has come for all the fab four to go. Instead of all going together, it's better to go in batches. All these schemes that are being reported are speculation. It's not true, there is no such scheme.

"They are such big performers that they don't need to be told when to go. They have more responsibility towards Indian cricket and they know when they have to go," he said.

That apart, Ganguly finds nothing wrong in media criticism of the players and considers it a part of being a sporting icon in India. "The criticism is a part of the package. It is such a high-profile sport here and people will say things. But once you step over the ropes, its your performance that matters. All you need to do is score runs and that's it," he said.

Speaking about his stormy relationship with former coach Greg Chappell, Ganguly said the phase was a difficult one and left him shocked.

"It was a difficult phase because all that happened was a shock. I couldn't fathom why it happened. It did not need to happen. Obviously, I felt bad when the captaincy was taken from me. But losing my place in the side was worse. I just wanted to play. I had certain goals in life ... Wanted to play 100 Tests, wanted to be part of the World Cup team.

"I was merely 32 but was still dropped from the World Cup team. So obviously, it was tough," he recalled.

Another Aussie with whom he had a cold relationship was Steve Waugh but Ganguly insisted that he never tried to disrespect his opposite number at that time.

"I have immense respect for Steve Waugh. I have been a fan of his determination. Whatever happened was just to win the matches, nothing personal," he said when asked about his equation with Waugh, whom he famously kept waiting for toss on several occasions.

Asked how his teammates reacted when he broke the news of his retirement, Ganguly said, "I think they knew that it had to come at some stage. They were not surprised because it will come for them as well."