Ahmedabad, November 15: Ace off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan today said he was sure that there will never be another batsman of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar.
Speaking to mediapersons on the eve of the first Test beginning here tomorrow, the world’s highest wicket taker said,”I read in the newspapers somewhere recently that a boy in Mumbai scored 400-odd runs.
The papers said he’s going to be the next Sachin. How can anyone say that?” ”There will never be another Sachin,” he added, paying tribute to the champion batsman, who has completed 20 years in international cricket today, and against whom he has played a many of times during their long international careers.
He further stated that you get to see only one Tendulkar in a lifetime. ”In the next hundred years you will not witness another Tendulkar. He is once in a century player.
”He can make runs even when he is 44 years old because his technique is so good. It is this combination of technique and temperament that has made Tendulkar such a great cricketer,” said Muralitharan, who has a record of 783 scalps in Tests and 512 in ODIs.
The Sri Lankan vice-captain described Tendulkar and former West Indies skipper Brain Lara as legends of the game but considered the little master as the special one. ”Sachin is more special than anybody else,” he said.
”I just don’t understand it when you all (pointing fingers at the media) describe just about anybody as the next Sachin.
”There’ll never be another!” he added.
Asked about his favourite Tendulkar innings, the off-spinner struggled to pin-point one and said it is always a pleasure to watch the master batsman in action.
”That double century in Melbourne? The one in Chennai? His century in Perth? It’s tough,” he said.
”Why pick favourites? There’s hardly a better sight than watching him in full flow,” he added.
–Agencies