Allan Lamb: Sachin Tendulkar Still Edges Virat Kohli as Cricket's Best

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has weighed in on the age-old debate, naming Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest Indian batter of all time.

Virat Kohli bows down to Sachin Tendulkar after breaking his record of most number of centuries in the ODIs during the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Lamb, a veteran of three World Cups and 79 Tests for England, didn't hesitate in his assessment. "Sachin easily," the 71-year-old told PTI. He even jokingly claimed a role in Tendulkar's success, recalling a dropped catch early in the Indian maestro's career. "I played against him when he was 18. I dropped him at slip and he went on to get 100 (in a Test match). So I always say to him, it was me that made your name."

While acknowledging Virat Kohli's brilliance, Lamb explained his preference for Tendulkar. "Kohli is a brilliant player, he's got all the shots, he can score quickly. But if you want the best player I played against, that Indian player is Sachin, even ahead of Sunny."

Lamb further elaborated on his reasoning, highlighting a particular challenge. "The only thing I would have liked was to see Sachin play against the West Indies, where Sunny scored runs against the West Indies. He was probably the only Indian to score runs against those quicks," he said, referencing Sunil Gavaskar's success against formidable West Indian pace attacks.

Despite his admiration for Tendulkar, Lamb revealed his personal favorite Indian cricketer: Kapil Dev, his former teammate at Northamptonshire. "I loved the way Kapil Dev played. We played together at Northampton," Lamb reminisced. He recounted a humorous anecdote about Kapil Dev's arrival, "I remember him coming over and me saying, 'Kapi, I'm so pleased that you've come over. We need to strengthen our bowling.' He said, 'No, I haven’t come to strengthen my bowling. I've come to better my batting. I've come here as a batsman,' which I always enjoyed."