I love the passion Sachin has for the game: Botham

Do you marvel at Sachin's longevity?

I love the passion he has for the game and the manner he continues to enjoy it all even after 20 years in the game. He is an absolute joy to watch. It will be a sad day for the game when he walks into the sunset.

Having watched both Sachin and Sunil Gavaskar from very close quarters, tell us how similar or dissimilar they are from each other?

Look, you can't compare players from different eras. All I can say is that my all-time best XI will feature both of them - Sunny at No 1 and Sachin at No 4. And guess, who will be at No 3? Viv, of course!

You have been knighted, Richards too, but what about your other buddy, Sunny?

Well, Sunny has already got every Indian award, hasn't he? And he owns most of Mumbai, anyway. I keep pulling his leg saying that between him and Sachin they 'own' the whole of Mumbai. For the record, he did take me out for dinner once but that was the time when I was on the wagon, otherwise I would have ended up paying for it. Well, Sunny has been a great ambassador of the game and he still remains actively involved.