Kane Williamson, the former captain of New Zealand, has made a surprising choice by naming Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest cricketer of this century, skipping over the talented Virat Kohli. Williamson, who holds the record for the most runs scored in international cricket for New Zealand, shared his thoughts during an ESPNcricinfo show.
Tendulkar had an incredible 24-year career with Team India, playing 200 Tests, 463 ODIs, and 1 T20I, racking up over 34,000 runs and taking 201 wickets. He remains the most capped player in cricket history and the all-time leading run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs. In the Indian Premier League, he played for the Mumbai Indians for six seasons, amassing 2,334 runs in 78 matches.
When asked about his favorite cricket moment, Williamson pointed to New Zealand’s victory in the 2021 World Test Championship final against India. “My most memorable moment would be the inaugural (World) Test Championship final that we (New Zealand) were involved in,” he said. New Zealand won that final by 8 wickets at Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton.
Williamson has also participated in four ODI World Cups since his debut against India in 2010. He still considers the ODI World Cup the biggest event in cricket. He captained New Zealand to the final of the 2019 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up, although he was recognized as the Player of the Tournament for his impressive performances. In the recent 2023 ODI World Cup, he played four matches, scoring 256 runs with the help of three fifties.