New Zealand and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson has revealed he was distracted on his debut Test as he was busy watching India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
The 27-year-old made his debut against India in Ahmedabad in 2010. He was the top scorer for the Black Caps as he scored 131 runs against the hosts, whose bowling attack boasted the likes of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, S Sreesanth and others.
Williamson has revealed he idolized Tendulkar during his childhood and explained how he felt meeting the 2011 World Cup winner.
"Some of my favorite cricketers have been Indians. Sachin Tendulkar, I met him during my debut for New Zealand. We were playing against each other, and I was looking at what he was doing. That was a bit of distraction," Williamson was quoted as saying by News 18.
"The first time I met him was in my debut game for New Zealand. I was watching him on the field, wondering what he was doing. It was a really nice experience. He is a legend of the game," he added.
Williamson's knock did catch Tendulkar's attention, but unfortunately for him, the century could not help New Zealand to seal a victory over India. The Test ended in a draw. Apart from the former batsman, the Kiwis batsman was also delighted to share the field with the likes of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and also "pick their brains".
"There were so many great players in the team. Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman...they are such fantastic people...open to talk to about the game of cricket," the right-handed New Zealand batsman stressed.
"I was 19-20 and it was great opportunity to get alongside the legends of the game and pick their brains."
Williamson led Sunrisers Hyderabad to win their first three matches of the 11th edition of the IPL, the domestic T20 tournament in India.
