Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 21 (ANI): Former India batsman VVS Laxman lavished praise on Sachin Tendulkar and said only a player like Master Blaster could have played under different skippers after quitting captaincy in 2000.
Tendulkar was named the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T) batsman in Tests of the 21st century leaving behind the likes of Jacques Kallis, Steve Smith, and Ricky Ponting by an exquisite 50-member jury put together by Star Sports.
"I've played alongside him for so long. Sachin played under different captains. I think in 2000 he decided that he is not going to captain anymore. And such a senior player, such a legend of the game. But to adjust and contribute to the progress of Indian cricket under different captains, and to help them flourish as captains, is something only a role model and inspiration like Sachin can do — which he did really good," said Laxman on Star Sports' show Cricket Live.
"The legacy that he left-back, is not only scoring hundreds, double hundreds, 100 hundreds, but also the way he inspired the younger generation of Indian cricketers and the world cricketers. I still remember, Kane Williamson in his debut Test match in Ahmedabad; chatting with Sachin, understanding the game.
"As recently as the IPL, which just finished, we had a long chat with Sachin; talking about his tennis elbow injury. So, not only the Indian cricketers got inspiration from Sachin, but all the cricketers from all over the world got inspiration from him and that's why he is the greatest," he added.
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain termed Tendulkar a "great ambassador for cricket from India".
"There are some great candidates and any of these (GOAT nominees) would be worthy winners. I mean, it's not just the stats between those hundreds you get. I think it's sometimes too driven by stats," he said.
"This occasion has shown it — here today in the final — it's about how you handle pressure; how you cope with pressure. Also, an ambassador for the game, Sachin, was a great ambassador for cricket from India. When he speaks, people listen," he added.
Tendulkar, who called time on his illustrious Test career in 2013, notched up 15,921 runs at a phenomenal average of 53.78. (ANI)