New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is one of the most gifted batsmen in world cricket and he is counted among the top four greatest batsmen of the modern era along with Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Joe Root.
Recently, the 28-year-old star batsman turned up for a 25-question interview with ESPNcricinfo in which he revealed a number of facts related to cricket and his personal life.
While replying to those questions, Williamson named his favourite batsman; the bowler from the past years which he would have loved to play now; the batsman he would have loved to bat with; the rugby player he likes the most etc.
When the interviewer asked Williamson to name his favorite cricketer, he said, “Sachin Tendulkar”.
Sachin was part of the game in which Williamson had made his Test debut in 2010. The New Zealander had hit a hundred in his first Test though it was Harbhajan Singh’s century which had stolen the limelight in that drawn game.
Williamson was then asked about the batsman he would have loved to bat with and he said it was Ricky Ponting besides Tendulkar. The Blackcaps skipper was also asked to name his favorite player in rugby – another sport which is followed very closely in the island nation and he said, “Richie McCaw”.
Richie has been one of New Zealand’s most famous ruby players; he captained the national side for a number of games and is the most capped test player in rugby.
However, Australia’s Glenn McGrath is the only bowler from the past decade, Williamson would have loved to face on the field.
When the right-hander was asked about one stroke play that he would like to take from Kohli, Smith and Root, Williamson said: “Those three are all world-class players and all very different players. One of the most attractive things is that they are all different players, but very very effective. For Joe Root, I like how he reverse slaps bowlers. From Kohli, most of his shots would be nice to have. And Steve Smith, I like the way he hits the ball through the mid-wicket from any position.”
