Cape Town - Indian great Sachin Tendulkar led the tributes for Dale Steyn, whom he said is "without any doubt among the top bowlers" he has faced.

The Proteas fast bowler announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect on Monday.

Steyn, who made his international debut against England in 2004, last played a Test in February 2019 against Sri Lanka.

He took 439 wickets in 93 Tests at an average of 22.95 and is the Proteas' all-time leading wicket-taker in red-ball cricket.

READ: Steyn: Thoroughbred's loss exposes SA underbelly

In a conversation with Times Of India, Tendulkar hailed Steyn and congratulated him on his illustrious Test career.

"I have to say that without any doubt, he's among the top bowlers that I played in my 24-year career," said the 'Little Master'.

"The only other guy who bowled very much like him was possibly James Anderson. Their wrist positions were similar. But Steyn had a more whippy action. He could go through the crease much faster.

"The swing that he consistently got at that pace was incredible. When he was at his peak, he was bowling close to 150km/h, so it wasn't that easy to handle. That's where he had mastered that art," said Tendulkar.

"I remember the spell that he bowled to me on the morning of the third Test in Cape Town. Gautam played Morne Morkel, and I played Steyn. For close to an hour, we couldn't rotate the strike at all... That one hour, I can say, is one of the most thrilling, interesting and challenging hours that I've played in Test cricket.

"I enjoyed my battles with him and congratulate him on a wonderful career," he ended.

Tendulkar, the highest run-scorer of all time in Test matches, retired for India in 2013 and played 200 Tests with 15 921 runs.

Wishing you all the very best for the future @DaleSteyn62. You always challenged batsmen to bring their A-game to the ground.
It’s been a joy to watch you bowl and play against you. pic.twitter.com/CndQbGsOU4

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 6, 2019