East London: South African greats Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes are in awe of Sachin Tendulkar and said despite his wealth of experience, the Mumbai Indians skipper is a keen learner.

Pollock and Rhodes, coaches of the Mumbai Indians, got to observe Tendulkar up close and personal and the South Africans were amazed at how the champion batsman tries to assimilate new ideas.

“Sachin is open to ideas and thoughts. He has got a curious mind and is always willing to get known to new things. I think that has been one of the secrets for his success for such a long period. He always encourages healthy cricketing discussions. And at times it is a learning process for me too,” Pollock said.

Pollock smiled when asked whether he advises the Mumbai Indians captain on batting.

“Well, he is just another player. Obviously, he is the master. If you are to give information to him then you must understand the game better than most cricketing brains around. If he doesn’t adapt to the conditions then I tell him ‘If you don’t change this technique then I can get you out like this’,” said the Mumbai Indians head coach and mentor.

Fielding great Rhodes was surprised at the fact that Tendulkar was still a cricket enthusiast after two decades of international career.

“If you tell him anything about fielding drills and stuff, he listens carefully as if he is a young bloke and a legendary coach is speaking to him. This is an amazing thing about Tendulkar.

Even after so many years of international cricket, he is still a cricket enthusiast,” said the Mumbai Indians fielding coach. (PTI)