Tendulkar is all praise for his ‘Fab’ teammates

NEW DELHI - Sachin Tendulkar says Anil Kumble is the greatest bowler he has played with, finds Rahul Dravid’s technique and concentration excellent and V.V.S.Laxman the most wristy, while Sourav Ganguly is one who figured out his game well.

Tendulkar, who has closely seen all the four who formed the Fab Five of the Indian team not long ago, elaborated on the the style and substance of the four players.

“From the manner in which Rahul and Sourav had batted in their debut test match, it was quite evident that they were there to stay.” Tendulkar said in a book titled ‘SACH,’ by Gautam Bhattacharya

“Rahuls forte was excellent technique and he loved to occupy the crease for long hours. Rahul concentrated extremely well — I mean, still concentrates very well. Sourav was somebody who figured out his game well enough. He knew which bowler to hit and which one to defend. Sourav liked scoring runs in boundaries. He was a boundary hitter.

“Laxman depended on hand-eye coordination. He was the most wristy player. And Kumble, of course, is the greatest bowler that I have ever played with. Apart from being a champion matchwinning bowler, his greatness lay in the fact that he would bowl the last delivery of the day with the same amount of fire irrespective of his performance during the day.

Tendulkar, who has been witness to the various contraptions that came into the game, feels, the computer has been the most important as it gives the opportunity to study the opposition. He, however, insists the electronic gadget cannot substitute the “skills” of a player.

“Your performance is the biggest indicator that skill can march well ahead of the laptop! The computer does play an important role in today’s cricket. You forget so many things. With the computer you can store them. For me the biggest advantage is you can study the opposition. The computer helps and provides you with that vital two to three per cent difference. As far as I am concerned it is not overrated.”