Paying tribute to Sachin Tendulkar on his reaching the milestone of 20 years in international cricket, former India captain Sourav Ganguly described the Mumbai maestro as the greatest batsman of his generation.

"Probably Sachin is the best batsman I have seen. He just amazes me. He just keeps going on and on. We hope he carries on some more years," Ganguly, who was Tendulkar's one-time opening ODI partner, said.

"It's not just about talent but it's how you use talent that makes you special. There have been a lot of players who had talents but they have not continued for a long time and that's what makes Sachin special. He uses his talent to the most," said Ganguly.

Congratulating Tendulkar, who completed 20 years of international cricket on Sunday, Ganguly said, "First I want to congratulate him on completing 20 years in international cricket which is phenomenal. Starting at the age of 16 and going on to play for 20 years with this intensity is unbelievable."

Having featured in more than 400 matches with Tendulkar, Ganguly said he had scores of memories with the Mumbai batsman since they met in Indore during a U-15 national camp.

"I have got a lot of memories. I met him for the first time in 1987-88. I had heard a lot about him. From the day one, I knew he was special," Ganguly said.