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We may have to wait for many-many years to have another player like him

Legendry Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has wished master batsman Sachin Tendulkar many, many playing years on the occasion of his 35th birthday, which falls on Thursday.

Warne said cricket fans will have to wait for long to have another player of Tendulkar’s calibre, so instead of critics suggesting that he should retire in the wake of injuries and occasional form-slumps, he should be allowed to continue his career.

“He is a great player. We may have to wait for many-many years to have another player like him. He should be allowed to continue till he wants to,” said Warne in Jaipur, while in the city for a recent Indian Premier League match.

Warne, who is captaining and coaching the Rajasthan Royals’ team in the Indian Premier League, said Tendulkar is “the best” batsman in recent times.

“I feel West Indian Brian Lara and Sachin are the best batsmen in recent times, but I rate Sachin the best, not only because of his amazing cricketing ability but also because of the exemplary manner in which he conducts himself on and off the field.

“He is a wonderful guy. Naturally and exceptionally talented, affectionate and always smiling. There may be other good batsmen in the world, but I feel that the word great has been used most often for him. He is disciplined, co-operative, naturally talented and dedicated player,” he said.

Warne, who faced Tendulkar many a time on the field, said the Mumbai batsman is his cricketing rival but a family friend.

The burly tweaker, who recently boasted that he has a smart brain and outthinks batsmen, said he has still not forgotten the smashing he got at the hands of Tendulkar.

“Perhaps there are only a few occasions when I had him read me wrongly. Once in Melbourne, I had him padding my flipper as he couldn’t read me correctly. But I still remember another occasion when he smashed my first bowl to the fence, and on the next I had him caught in the slips with a big spinning ball. Such rare occasions gave me great satisfaction.

“I am happy for him that he is back in his best form and happy for myself that now I don’t have to bowl to him.”

On Tendulkar’s best innings, Warne said he remembered only a few of them.

“I think his 180-plus knock at Mumbai and his 100 in Perth in the 1992 series were outstanding apart from many others. The most-loved thing about him was to his back in the field,” said Warne.

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