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Some of the world's greatest cricketers have heaped encomiums on Sachin Tendulkar as he reaches another milestone in his career with former Australian skipper Steve Waugh paying him the ultimate tribute by calling him the "Bradman of our times".
A day before completing 20 years of international cricket, Tendulkar's peers doffed their hats to the batting genius, recalling their association with him.
"The last time I watched Sachin was last week when he was on his way to a spectacular 175 and once again I felt that I was watching a player who comes but once in a century. It can be said that he is the Bradman of our times and I do feel privileged to have played a lot of cricket against him," Waugh said in his tribute.
Considered a ruthless and aggressive captain, Waugh said even he had a nightmarish time setting his fielders whenever Tendulkar marched in to the crease.
"Sachin always brought with him an amazing sporting presence. It was a captain's nightmare to set a field for him when he was in full flow. It was akin to getting stuck in a tornado -- the noise made it impossible to communicate with the fielders.
"The bowlers looked demoralized and you could sense that Sachin himself was delighted at the disarray he created in the opposition. Whether in India or elsewhere, there were always enough fans to create a deafening din whenever he was at his best," he said in an article.
Tendulkar greatest batsman of my generation: Ganguly
Paying tribute to Sachin Tendulkar on his reaching the milestone of 20 years in international cricket, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Saturday described the Mumbai maestro as the greatest batsman of his generation.
"Probably Sachin is the best batsman I have seen. He just amazes me. He just keeps going on and on. We hope he carries on some more years," Ganguly, who was Tendulkar's one-time opening ODI partner, said.
"It's not just about talent but it's how you use talent that makes you special. There have been a lot of players who had talents but they have not continued for a long time and that's what makes Sachin special. He uses his talent to the most," said Ganguly.
Congratulating Tendulkar, who will complete 20 years of international cricket on Sunday, Ganguly said, "First I want to congratulate him on completing 20 years in international cricket which is phenomenal. Starting at the age of 16 and going on to play for 20 years with this intensity is unbelievable."
Having featured in more than 400 matches with Tendulkar, Ganguly said he had scores of memories with the Mumbai batsman since they met in Indore during a U-15 national camp.
"I have got a lot of memories. I met him for the first time in 1987-88. I had heard a lot about him. From the day one, I knew he was special," Ganguly said.
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