The greatness of Tendulkar

As Sachin Tendulkar embarks on what could be his last tour of Australia, Peter Roebuck pays tribute to the Indian genius in the Sydney Morning Herald. He writes that of the great players who have emerged in the game since the early nineties, Tendulkar is the greatest.

Where Lara excited and Warne enthralled, he [Tendulkar] has provided a wider satisfaction. There has been a purity about his batting, a simplicity of construction, a correctness of execution, a sense of everything being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. At the crease, he has offered the glory of the completed cathedral. His straight drive and square cut are definitive versions of the game's two finest strokes.

Meanwhile, in the Australian, Mike Coward praises the captaincy skills of India's foremost matchwinner, Anil Kumble.