Mumbai, Apr 09: Former South African Cricket Captain and Managing Director of United Cricket Board of South Africa Ali Bacher today said he has great respect for Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Sourav Ganguly. Bacher, who is here to launch his new book `Ali -- the life of Ali Bacher' told a news agency here that he admired Sachin's batting. "According to me he is the second best batsman of all time while Ganguly is a very tough captain though my favourite all time captain is Steve Waugh of Australia." "I met Sachin in 1991 and the last i met him was during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. He (sachin) has not changed one bit. He is respectful and very humble as he was 13 years ago as a young member of the Indian team," Bacher added. "Sourav Ganguly has helped build the present Indian team. He is mentally tough and has installed that toughness among his team members. Indian cricket is bound to get stronger and stronger in the near future," Bacher said.
Praising the Indian and Pakistani governments and cricket boards for the on-going series in Pakistan, Bacher said both the teams were playing great cricket. "I think both the governments and the boards have to be commended for not only starting the series but also making it a big success."
Bureau Report