An ardent Tendulkar fan, SA bowling coach Vincent Barnes names his dog after the Indian batting maestro

South African national cricket team's bowling coach Vincent Barnes could well be spending a lot of his time thinking up ways to help his bowlers dismiss India's Sachin Tendulkar, the most experienced player in both camps.


Vincent Barnes

But he is one of Tendulkar's most ardent fans. MiD DAY learnt that he has named his dog, a cocker spaniel, Sachin and Barnes confirmed it at the Wanderers' indoor nets yesterday when his team trained for today's second one-day international.

Asked why he named him 'Sachin', Barnes said: "It is simple. Tendulkar is my favourite batsman in the world, and has been for a very long time. I love my dog very much. "Some people feel there is disrespect. But that's not true. I love my dog like my own child. Tendulkar and Lara are two of my heroes. In fact, I had another cocker spaniel earlier who I had named Baggio," he concludedc Once the mentor of Makhaya Ntini, Barnes has held the post of South Africa's bowling coach for over half a decade. He has been credited for the team's pace-attack winning overseas in recent times.

Earlier, this correspondent was informed that 'Sachin' was no longer in this world. Hence, Barnes was asked,u00a0 "do you miss Sachin? I heard he died recently!" He promptly replied with a big laugh: "Why would I miss him? He is still very much alive."

It can be recalled that tennis legend Martina Navratilova named her dogs Puma and Yonex, the racquet brands she endorsed.