"That speaks about Tendulkar's greatness -- the gap between him and the rest. He is way ahead. I really doubt that anybody would ever break this record," Former Australian wicketkeeper and explosive opener Adam Gilchirst said, in an interview from Mohali.
"If you look at the records, Ponting is the world's best batsmen next to Tendulkar. But his combined tally (of Test and one-day centuries) is 71 (41-30)," he said.
"Tendulkar's record is truly unique, remarkable. He is playing with the same intensity for last 22 years... That shows how big a player Tendulkar is," he said.
"Rahul Dravid has just retired... Now only VVS Laxman and Tendulkar are playing. It would be a huge boots to fill when Tendulkar goes away. We faced a similar phase. But the fans need to patient," he said.
"Undoubtedly, there is no dearth of talent in India. In fact, it's just the opposite. The fans just need to be patient with the youngsters like Virat Kohli," he said.
With his recent exploits, Kohli proved that he was ready to step up and, the Australian said,"To me, he is one of the best players in the world cricket at the moment."
Asked if Kohli could fill in the No 3 slot left void by Dravid, Gilchrist said: "He is an upcoming player. I don't know his preference. And, I also don't want to form an opinion about him. He has showed that he is very confident against the new ball. He is surely a great player in the making."
"Twenty20 is a very exciting concept, that requires skill at a high level. It needs a lot of thought and you have to maintain the intensity and pace coupled with the pressure. I'm sure the Test cricket is ultimate," he said on affecting the performance of India by T20 in Test matches.
"The challenge here is for the adminstrators not to overdo.... If it's well administered, there is room for all the three formats," he said, giving example of the poor scheduling of the one-off T20 against South Africa in Johannesburg on Friday.
