New Delhi: One of the front-runners to win the Orange Cap this IPL season, Kings XI Punjab’s opener Paul Valthaty said getting a compliment from his idol Sachin Tendulkar was the biggest achievement for him.

One of the revelations of the IPL-IV, Valthaty has so far scored 458 runs in 13 matches. Only his teammate, Australia’s Shaun Marsh (491) is ahead of him in the leading run-scorers’ chart, while Mumbai Indians skipper Tendulkar sits on the sixth position with 408 runs from 12 matches.

“I think either (Chris) Gayle or (Lasith) Malinga will get the Player of the Tournament award, but I am happy with my own performance. To get a compliment from none other than Sachin Tendulkar, whom I idolise, is the biggest award for me,” Valthaty said.

“Sachin and Matthew Hayden have been my idols. Sachin briefly spoke to me after a match in Mumbai. He congratulated me for my batting. I can’t forget the moment. It has been the high point of my career, my biggest award,” he said.

A top-order batsman who occasionally bowls medium-pace, Valthaty shot into the limelight with a blistering century (120 off 63 balls) against Chennai Super Kings.

Valthaty, who has dominated all the opposition bowlers in this season, rates West Indies great Sir Viv Richards and dashing India opener Virender Sehwag as the most explosive batsmen in world cricket.

“I have watched their batting, but I don’t try to copy them. It is difficult to do so. They have their own style and I have my own,” he said.