Anderson fires salvo at Tendulkar ahead of India series

England paceman James Anderson has fired the first salvo just days before the Test series against India begins by urging his team mates not to treat batting legend Sachin Tendulkar "with too much respect in the middle".

"There has been much talk that this may be Sachin Tendulkar's last Test series. I do enjoy bowling against him as testing yourself against the best is what playing at this level is all about," Anderson wrote in his column for 'The Daily Mail' ahead of the four-Test series starting November 15 in Ahmedabad.

"And there is no question in my mind that he has been one of the best batsmen - if not the best - for 20-odd years. But we have to make sure we do not treat him with too much respect in the middle," he said.

Anderson said admiring Tendulkar too much would take away the competitive edge as England begins its pursuit of its first Test series win in India since 1984-85 and is also targeting the number-one ranking in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table, just a few months after losing the top spot to South Africa.

"I do know that people have said they love watching him bat and maybe too much of that kind of admiration could dull your competitive edge," he said.

"I've never been aware of succumbing to that myself but maybe subconsciously, because you respect him for what he has done in the game - 100 international centuries is some achievement - and the way he has conducted himself, you want to get him to respect you back."

He felt the Sachin factor could become something of a liability for India.

"The Sachin factor is quite something to experience. I've played in games here in which the Indian supporters seem more interested in his batting than how their team are doing, when Sachin getting out is the signal for a mass exodus," he said.

Anderson said he wouldn't be singling out Tendulkar for special treatment but treats everyone in the opposition with equal respect.

"I will be seeking to make myself pretty unpopular with the locals in the weeks ahead. The bottom line is that we treat everyone with the same respect, whether they've played one Test or 100 - and that goes for trying to earn their respect, too," he said.

He reserved praise for Indian comeback man Yuvraj Singh for making a "remarkable" return to international cricket after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer.

"The return of Yuvraj Singh to the Indian side will complete a remarkable story, after all he has been through since the Test series against us at home in 2011," he said.

"I cannot begin to understand how devastating it must have been for him to be told he had lung cancer. Not so long ago, such a diagnosis would have been akin to a death sentence and it is incredible that he can be playing top-level cricket again so soon," he added.