Paying rich tribute to Sachin Tendulkar, former skipper Anil Kumble today said the retiring great was a "natural spinner" and he sometimes threatened his place as a bowler in the team.

The 40-year-old cricketer from Mumbai is set to play his 200th and final Test match at Wankhede Stadium from tomorrow when India takes on West Indies in the second Test. "I have played 132 Tests with Sachin.

I never threatened Sachin's place in the team as a batsman but he sometimes threatened mine as a bowler. He was a natural spinner of the ball," said Kumble while delivering the second Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Memorial lecture here.

Sachin Tendulkar has spanned three generations of cricketers and fired the dreams of a billion Indians, said Anil Kumble, a proud owner of 619 Test wickets.