Carrying on with the ‘defeat by praise’ and ‘undermine with stealth’ campaign, Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori has declared himself a fan of the Indian team as well as Tendulkar, who is in his opinion the best batsman, as was reported recently in the cricket news. Vettori spoke about how the Kiwis would be trying their level best to win the series, “But there is a lot of respect within our camp for the Indian side, and that's only grown since they beat Australia during the spring series.”

Kiwi captain has great awe and respect for Tendulkar and has the belief that Sachin is one of the best batsmen to have ever played the game of international cricket. According to Vettori, Tendulkar brings with him a wealth of experience. Among the present Indian squad he alone has the distinction of having toured New Zealand on a maximum number of occasions, which is why, according to Vettori, he understands the conditions.

According to Vettori, Tendulkar is arguably one of the best batsmen ever to have played the game. “As soon as you put him in the side, it definitely makes a difference,” according to Vettori. When asked “Who according to him was the best from among Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar”; Vettori said “I think Tendulkar is. Ponting runs him pretty hard but I think Tendulkar, for the manner in which he's handled the pressure; for the no-nonsense, lack of drama, even-keeled approach, has to rank as the best in my lifetime - at least so far.”

Vettori spoke about how, for a lot of the younger guys, he could almost be their favourite player when they were growing up and how Tim Southee was two when Sachin toured New Zealand for the first time. “Guys always have various stories of sitting around and watching Sachin play. But like when you go to Australia, you have to quickly go past their boyhood heroes and realise that it is an international game,” said Vettori.

Vettori also spoke about the way that the team prepared to face Tendulkar and how the players were required to be ‘inch perfect’. “You can (plan in advance). But it has got to be inch perfect. You see how guys have succeeded against him in the past, but it has taken a lot of hard work and being consistent a lot of the time,” said Vettori.

Vettori’s words are a tribute to the nature of Sachin’s appeal that bridges the gap of oceans and earns respect of cricket players the world over.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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