Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar feels the South African Gary Kirstenu00a0played a key role in India's success in New Zealand

IT would have come as no surprise if Sachin Tendulkar got roped in as brand ambassador for a product known for its longevity on his recent tour of New Zealand.

A lot of credit has to go to coach Gary Kirsten who has allowed the natural instincts of players to flourish. A lot has got to do with what's going on in a player's mind and Gary has played a huge role there - Sachin Tendulkar

The people who he played against on his first tour of New Zealand in 1989-90 have ended up as living legends. Examples: Sir Richard Hadlee, who said only recently that the little Indian is the greatest batsman ever and John Wright, a high achiever as player and coach. Some are seasoned commentators. Examples: Martin Crowe and Ian Smith.

Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Simon Doull and Mark Richardson form another set of former players turned commentators who started and ended their careers during Tendulkar's best years. The Mumbai mauler is still blasting away.

Before his first game on the NZ tour, Tendulkar admitted to his former teammate and present fielding coach Robin Singh that he couldn't believe it was 19 years since he made his first tour to the beautiful country.
Tendulkar played his part in India's first Test series win in Kiwiland since 1967-68. A 160 in the first Test at Hamilton was followed by some significant scores of 49, 64 and 62. India's historic series win could well mean that Tendulkar has got an apt gift for his 36th birthday on April 24.
Excerpts from an interview:

If there's a message the Indian team has sent out by their performance, what would it be?
It would be wrong to say earlier teams did not try hard enough and they didn't mean business. Everyone goes out there to win. I just feel this is a nicely balanced side with a lot of talent. Without these aspects it wouldn't have happened. The guys are scoring big and the bowlers are striking as often as they possibly can. A lot of credit has to go to coach Gary Kirsten who has allowed the natural instincts of players to flourish. A lot has got to do with what's going on in a player's mind and Gary has played a huge role there.
Along with Gary, the support staffu00a0Venkatesh Prasad (bowling coach), Robin Singh (fielding coach), our physio Nitin Patel and Paddy Upton (mental conditioning coach). It's the huge effort from all of them that has created this environment.