New Delhi: Just like any other young cricketer, Australian speedster Nathan Coulter-Nile is in awe of Sachin Tendulkar and does not want the senior India batsman to retire from the game.
Plying his trade for the Mumbai Indians franchise, for Coulter-Nile, Tendulkar is one player who is more than willing to give an insight about the game to the younger lot. "Sachin is someone who believes in backing one's own ability. He has got all the talent in the world and whenever I speak to him he always gives insights as to where I should bowl and what the batsmen would be trying to look at while bowling to them," said Coulter-Nile.
"He gives an insight into what the batsmen would be thinking about when I am running up to bowl at them, which is something I really appreciate. I would want to see him play forever, but unfortunately all good things have to come to an end and hopefully we can get the Champions League trophy for him and give him a perfect send-off," he told the CLT20.com.
Coulter-Nile, who picked up three wickets in his side's six-wicket win over Perth Scorchers in the Champions League match here last night, which helped them cruise into the semi-finals of the tournament, said he was scared of bowling to Tendulkar in the nets.
"I am scared to bowl to Sachin in the nets because he absolutely whacks them. It is not something that I would have imagined doing in my life. It has been fantastic and I never really felt I would be here," he said.
The 25-year-old said it's the best learning curve for him ahead of the ODI series against India. "Absolutely. It is good to get used to the conditions here and bowl to the few guys who are in the Indian side who will be playing the ODI series. I am looking to use this experience and bowl well," he said.
He said it was an unbelievable win for them against Scorchers and was feeling relieved after qualifying for the semis. "It is a good feeling to have a win and qualify for the semi-finals. To be honest with you, I was not too sure about that run-chase. It was a tough run-chase and the boys did it quite easily. When you lose a man like Tendulkar early in the innings, you do get a bit tense. But then such is the power of our batting that if one guy is out, you always have someone who can keep it going."
Coulter-Nile singled out skipper Rohit Sharma for playing an outstanding innings under pressure. "Rohit is probably one of the best players in the world. I am not looking forward to bowling to him in the next one-day international series, but if he keeps his form up for the next two matches, I would be happy."
He said it was an unbelievable win for them against Scorchers and was feeling relieved after qualifying for the semis.
"It is a good feeling to have a win and qualify for the semi-finals. To be honest with you, I was not too sure about that run-chase. It was a tough run-chase and the boys did it quite easily. When you lose a man like Tendulkar early in the innings, you do get a bit tense. But then such is the power of our batting that if one guy is out, you always have someone who can keep it going."
Coulter-Nile singled out skipper Rohit Sharma for playing an outstanding innings under pressure. "Rohit is probably one of the best players in the world. I am not looking forward to bowling to him in the next one-day international series, but if he keeps his form up for the next two matches, I would be happy."