Sachin Tendulkar praised 'this player' as 'special'

In what could be termed as the biggest compliment to Marnus Labuschagne, former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said that the Australian player reminds him of the master blaster's prime days.

The Australian cricketer witnessed an outstanding year in 2019 after rising to the number three spot in the ICC Test batsmen rankings.

Labuschagne achieved the feat after scoring 896 runs during the home Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand. The cricketer burst on to the scene after coming in as a concussion substitute in place of Steve Smith during the last year's second Ashes Test at Lord's Cricket Ground.

"I happened to be watching the second Test match at Lord's between England and Australia. When Steve Smith got injured, I saw Labuschagne's second innings. I was sitting with my father-in-law. I saw Marnus get hit off the second ball from Jofra Archer and, post that, the 15 minutes he batted, I said, this player looks special," cricket.com.au quoted Tendulkar as saying.

"There is something about him. His footwork was precise. Footwork is not physical, it's mental. If you're not thinking positively in your mind, then your feet don't move. That clearly indicated to me that this guy is mentally strong because if you're not, your feet will not move. His footwork was incredible," he added.

Tendulkar is currently in Australia as he is the coach of the Ponting XI for the upcoming Bushfire relief fundraiser match.

The match between Ponting XI and Gilchrist XI will be played on Sunday, February 9 at the Junction Oval.