West Indian pace great, who witnessed Tendulkar’s first Test hundred, talks on his former foe’s 50th Test ton.
West Indian pace great, who witnessed Tendulkar’s first Test hundred, talks on his former foe’s 50th Test ton.
When I first saw Sachin Tendulkar, he was in England and the year was 1990, I was playing county cricket at the time for Northamptonshire.
I saw him score his first hundred against England in a Test match and told myself then that he is a special player and he is going to break a lot of records in Test cricket. I have been proved right.
Because at that age he should have been in school and he was playing Test cricket. I am not surprised that he has become one of the greatest ever.
To play against him was always special. I first played against him at the 1992 World Cup. He was still a young man. It was always a pleasure to bowl to him because he is such a great player; very, very composed; not the one who is easily ruffled. Along with Brian Lara, he is one of the greatest player of the era.
He is a wonderful all-round player. My favourite Tendulkar shot is that gentle push that he hits back past the bowler…patting the ball just past the bowler...just out of the bowler’s and the mid-off fielder’s reach. It’s very, very effortless. That is a trademark
Tendulkar shot and he has played that against me a few times and I know that.
As a fast bowler you want to do well against the great players. If I am not at my best then he will shred me into pieces, so he always brought the best out of me. Competing against him, made me feel how good I am as a fast bowler.
Tendulkar is not only a great player but also a humble man and that is what I like about him the most. He started at 16 and at the age of 37, he is still producing the runs. It shows the class player that he is.
He is still an asset for the Indian team. The team for which he plays is a team to watch. Not too many cricketers who have played for 20 years have been able to produce the way he is producing.
He is someone who I have always admired over the years. At the end of his career, when he retires, he will have all the batting records, most centuries, most runs and it is going to be extremely difficult to break his record of 50 centuries.
At any time when we talk about cricket, not only in India, we will talk about Tendulkar. His name will always be spoken amongst the greatest.
Fifty centuries is a special milestone. No one has ever reached it before. It shows he is a class act. He is still going strong. He can score 100 international centuries because he has got a couple of good years left in him.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}