Former Pakistan great Waqar Younis hailed Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar’s humility and insisted that it was a quality that set him apart from the greats of the game.
Younis, who shared an intense rivalry with Tendulkar on the pitch, felt it was incredible how the Indian batsman handled his career despite the stardom he gained.
“Tendulkar is not only a great player, but a great human being also. I mean, keeping aside his Test records and one-day records, as a human being and because of his qualities, people of all ages like him,” Younis said during a chat show for Q20, GloFans.
“He is a very humble man and everyone has seen his achievements and has seen him performing on the field. Overall, full marks to him for the way he has handled his career,” Younis added.
Tendulkar scored 100 international centuries and amassed over 30,000 runs in international cricket. Younis made his debut in the same match as Tendulkar and also dismissed him in the match triggering their epic rivalry.
Pause, rewind, play: Ajay Jadeja, Waqar Younis and those two overs from the 1996 World Cup
In 2003, during a World Cup match against Pakistan, Tendulkar smashed the Pakistan attack of Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Younis to help India chase a stiff target of 275.
Younis who was at the receiving end of Tendulkar’s class said it was one of his greatest knocks.
“Tendulkar’s innings against Pakistan in 2003 is hard to be described in words because he played so well and especially because India was under pressure on that day and we were good at bowling. So that innings! Probably even if you would ask Tendulkar about this he might also say the same thing, that it was probably one of his best. The way he faced Shoaib, Wasim and me under pressure and the way he attacked and got early runs, I think it was amazing and one of the best innings I’ve seen,” Younis said.