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‘What was it? 200 Tests? Sachin was still learning. So would never term Shubman Gill a complete player': NZ great
A New Zealand great's comments about Sachin Tendulkar came when he asked about India's rising star Shubman Gill and whether he can be described as a 'complete player'. He agreed that Gill is a talented batter but he has to follow the path of Tendulkar if he wants to achieve greater heights.
Apart from the tons of accolades that came his way and the numerous records and milestone he created in his astonishingly long international career spanning 24 years, one of the most striking features of Sachin Tendulkar remained his discipline. Right from growing up in the maidans of Mumbai to the day he last bid international cricket goodbye at the Wankhede Stadium, Tendulkar remained disciplined and from that discipline came the desire to learn. Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris, who competed a lot against Tendulkar in his playing days, said Sachin wanted to learn till the last match of his career and that is exactly what set him apart from the rest of the cricketers across the globe.
"You are always learning, even towards the end, Tendulkar was still learning about his craft and he played, what was it? 200 Test matches," Styris said on Sports 18's show 'Sports Over The Top.'
Styris' comments came when he asked about India's rising star Shubman Gill and whether he can be described as a 'complete player'. Styris agreed that Gill is a talented batter and has gotten off to a good start but he has to keep learning and follow the path of Tendulkar if he wants to achieve greater heights.
"...So, you know, I think, you would never label someone so young, like Shubman Gill as a complete player. I still think there are holes in his game. I think there are holes in his technique that the opposition will look to exploit, but he's got all the skills and the other component. What makes a World class player is their mental thought process and their maturity and leadership. And I think he has that as well," he added.
Gill, who had spent a lot of time with Tendulkar in the early part of his career, returned as the highest run-scorer of the three-match ODI series against West Indies. Opening the batting with captain Shikhar Dhawan, Gill hit two sparkling fifties and ended up scoring 205 runs in three matches.
