Tendulkar likens Labuschagne to himself

SYDNEY: Sachin Tendulkar paid Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne the ultimate compliment on Friday, singling him out as the player most like himself. Labuschagne emerged from nowhere to become Test cricket’s leading scorer last year with 1,104 runs, including 896 since November—beating Neil Harvey (834) for the most scored by an Australian in a five-test summer. Tendulkar was at Lord’s when Labuschagne came on as Test cricket’s first-ever concussion substitute and was immediately impressed. “His footwork was incredible, so he would be the one I would say,” Tendulkar said in Sydney when asked if any modern-day player reminds him of himself. “I saw Marnus getting hit (on the helmet) off the second ball from Jofra Archer and post that, the 15 minutes he batted, I said ‘this player looks special, there is something about him’.”