Tendulkar also remembered the occasion when he got the chance to hold Bradman's bat while playing at Sydney in 2007. "In 2007, I was playing a match at Sydney, and I actually got to hold Sir Don's real bat. We had be careful and I had to wear gloves.
But it was an exciting moment for someone who 30 years ago was checking out Sir Don's autograph to progress to hold Sir Don's real bat that he used in '30s and '40s," said the compiler of 100 international hundreds.
Tendulkar further said his first tour to Australia in 1991-92 changed him as a player. "I have toured Australia on a number of occasions. My first one was in 91-92 when I was only 18 years old and got to play against the (then) world champions. I felt that those four months that I was in Australia transformed me as a person and, more so, as a cricketer," he said.
The function was held to felicitate some young cricketers by former Australian players Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee in the presence of the Australian PM and Tendulkar took the occasion to advise the children to play in the right spirit and said sports has taught him a lot.
"You compete fair in the right spirit on the field and respect your opponent. I believe sports teaches you a lot in life. It improves your health and concentration level. You are able to focus longer and harder.
"Some things that sports teaches you cannot be learnt in classrooms or boardrooms. Sports has also taught me, whenever I have faced defeat, to get up on my feet again and compete in the right spirit," he said.
Former Australian wicketkeeper and Gilchrist said that statistically Tendulkar is the greatest batsman to play the game.
"One of the great discussions around the cricketing world is ..... who is the best--Tendulkar or Bradman. I think it is a fair comparison and fair discussion to have. I am not sure that it will work out who is. Certainly, statistically Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer to play the game.
He is a true gentleman," Gilchrist said.
Australian PM Abbott said in lighter vein that India and Australia shared a common passion - that is to beat England in cricket.
A research MoU between Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab and Australia's La Trobe University (LTU), based in Victoria - for working on mutually agreed topics like fan engagement, marketing and promotional practices - was also formally inked in the presence of the Australian PM.
