Sachin Tendulkar, rated as the greatest batsman by legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne
in his list of top 50 cricketers, has duly returned the compliment by
describing the Australian as "as good a bowler as I faced".
While Warne's rankings were being debated for the lowly rating
of former Australia captain Steve Waugh and the absence of Australians
in the top three, Tendulkar said he would always treasure this.
"That's special. That's very special. I will absolutely
treasure this," Tendulkar told 'The Times' newspaper after reading Warne's
list.
"I've been around for 18 years and Shane has played against
me all that time. It feels wonderful when someone of his stature appreciates
your performances," he said.
Tendulkar said Warne was always a challenge to play, even when
he was not taking wickets.
"Every time I played against Shane, he was always extremely
challenging and competitive. He was as good a bowler as I faced. But his greatness
was that, even when he was not taking wickets, he was still coming at you all
the time.
"If he hadn't taken a single wicket throughout the day, I still felt I
had to focus as much on the last ball as I had on the first few balls of the
day. So I always preferred to be on my toes."
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