Taylor is a 'great ambassador' of cricket, says Sachin Tendulkar

Hamilton, April 4:  Legendary Sachin Tendulkar congratulated batter Ross Taylor who played his last international game on Monday against the Netherlands at Seddon Park, terming the New Zealand cricketer a 'great ambassador' of the game.

"You've been a great ambassador of the game Ross! It was wonderful playing against you. The way you reinvented yourself over the years to adapt is an inspiration for all the young kids aspiring to be cricketers. Heartiest congratulations on a fabulous career," tweeted Tendulkar.

Ross Taylor scored only 14 runs in his final ODI match but more importantly pouched the catch to dismiss the final Netherlands batter and helped New Zealand romp to a 115-run victory and sweep the three-match series 3-0 here on Monday.

New Zealand opening batsman, Martin Guptill expressed his emotions and shared a heartfelt tribute to Ross Taylor.

"This is it; this is the last time we saw him walk out of the New Zealand team. It'll be even more emotional when we wake up tomorrow morning and Ross is no longer going to be there. It will be tough, but we will have a good night tonight celebrating the Netherlands vs New Zealand series. Rosco (Ross Taylor) is an absolute legend and all of us are going to miss him around the group. He has been phenomenal and absolutely lovely and hopefully, we can catch up over the coming years," he said.

Former Kiwi batter and Kolkata Knight Riders' coach Brendon McCullum took to his Twitter and wrote, "Congrats mate @RossLTaylor You left it better than you found it. "Gather Ye.." May the next stage be as great as the last."

Taylor, who had a successful international career as a cricketer, made 8,607 runs in 236 ODIs, while in 112 Tests, scored 7,683 runs.