Sachin Tendulkar may not boast a Bradmanesque average but his ability to adjust to all formats of the game makes him the greatest batsman ever, legendary New Zealand allrounder Richard Hadlee said here today.

Hadlee, who was inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame yesterday, was in absolute awe of the Indian run-machine and said he had no doubt that he was the greatest batsman ever to grace the game. "I played against Sachin on his tour here in 1990 when he got that 80 or 90-odd at the McLean Park in Napier. You could see then as a youngster he was a player of immense ability and talent".

"We didn't see at that time and you cannot visualise 20 years down the track what the player is likely to do in the context of the history of the game. He clearly he has been phenomenal," said the 57-year-old, arguably one of the finest all-rounders of all time.

Justifying his high regard for the Indian, Hadlee said, "When you score as many runs as he has in Test and one-day cricket and score as many centuries and half centuries as he has done, it makes him arguably the greatest player ever in the history of the game. Statistics speak volumes of his contribution lu Indian and world cricket. He is a phenomenal player."