"The team is performing well and individually also the boys have done well. I feel proud that the team is doing well especially, as it is not two three players who are doing well, they are performing as a unit. I hope it continues the same way," Pathan told reporters here at the gaming centre 'Smaaash'.
The Baroda player also praised Shikhar Dhawan, who has amassed 332 runs so far, for his performance in the tournament.
On the opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Dhawan, he said, "They are playing really well. The way Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag or Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir shared a good opening partnership, the same way. I hope they too play well and play for a long time."
Asked about the team's fielding in the Champions Trophy, Pathan said, "We are playing a lot of cricket. In IPL, you have coaches coming from different countries, so obviously we have learnt a lot from them. Cricket has benefited from these things."
"Obviously the presence of someone like Sachin Tendulkar, as a player and a person, is nice in the dressing room. We youngsters learn a lot from him. He is our idol. Sharing the dressing room with him was an achievement for us," he said.
The all-rounder added that the title 'Master Blaster' cannot be bestowed on anyone else except Tendulkar as it is hard to replicate his feats.
"After him no blaster can be born. What he has done for cricket I don't think anyone else can do it. You can't call anyone else a blaster. The dedication he has given to cricket, nobody else can show it," Pathan said adding that both he and his brother Irfan Pathan wanted to play like Tendulkar.
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