Sachin Tendulkar says he made a conscious effort to blend Sunil Gavaskar's defence with Viv Richards's ruthlessness to evolve a batting style of his own.
And since his debut against Pakistan in 1989, Tendulkar has lorded over bowlers, who continue to struggle to breach his near-impregnable defence, often finding themselves at the receiving end of his aggressive hitting.
The ace batsman revealed that he modelled his batting style on Gavaskar and Richards, players he idolised.
"Sunil Gavaskar, needless to say, and Vivian Richards are the batsmen that really inspired me," said the champion batsman with more than 29,000 international runs under his belt.
"I wanted to be as solid as Sunil Gavaskar and as destructive as Vivian Richards, because that combination was always going to be lethal. I felt truly inspired by these two individuals on the field," Tendulkar told CNN-IBN.
It's been two decades since he made his Test debut -- against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989 aged 16 -- yet his appetite for runs hasn't diminished. In fact, the Mumbai batsman says he is never short of motivation.
"I don't need anyone to come to me or motivate me or prepare me before a big game," Tendulkar said.
"I've always been motivated and I love this sport. I grew up loving this sport and, as each day goes by, I fall in love with this game more and more.
"The desire to go out there and win matches for my nation is growing, and it continues to grow. I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to play for 20 years and I'm still motivated, and I still want to go out there and do better," he added.
Despite his iconic status, Tendulkar remains a team man.
"Team work for me is practising together and also trying to get the best out of each other. That can only happen if you go out of your way to help your team-mate. You must be prepared to sacrifice for your team-mate, which will eventually end up giving a positive result for your team," he said, underlining the importance of working as a unit.
