Australian leg spin legend and Rajasthan Royal skipper Shane Warne on Saturday rated Yusuf Pathan's blistering hundred against Mumbai Indians in their IPL opener as the best he has ever seen.
In his international career, Warne has been at the receiving end from India's Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies' Brian Lara many times but the Australian said Pathan's 37-ball 100 against MI here was the best.
"I have played first class cricket for 21 years and Sachin Tendulkar has been the best batsman I have bowled to. I have seen him thrashing pace and spin alike as well as Brian Lara but today's innings by Yusuf is the best I have seen," gushed Warne after his team nearly won against Tendulkar's MI after chasing an imposing total of 212 for 6.
Yusuf's innings, which included eight sixes and nine fours, is the second-fastest ever in T20 cricket worldwide.
Heaping praise on Pathan, Warne said to score such an innings when team was in dire straits was most impressive.
"To come in at 40 for three when we looked totally out and to have got a hundred in just 37 balls was a great effort," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"To come in at 40 for three when we looked totally out and to have got a hundred in just 37 balls was a great effort," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Pathan, himself, rued that his small mistake of backing up too far and getting run out resulted in his team's loss by four runs.
"It was a small mistake. We also gave too many extras towards the end (of MI innings). Otherwise we surely would have won," said Pathan.