Vote - Sachin Tendulkar vs Brian Lara: Who is the greatest?
Sachin Tendulkar and Brain Lara: Over the last two decades, we have seen many long drawn debates on which of these two batsmen is the best in modern times. Both have tons of runs under their belt and have been remarkably consistent over longer period of times. Both of these greats hold legendary status among the cricketing circles and will be remembered forever for their sheer brilliance and records.
While Tendulkar shouldered the expectations of the billions in India for more than twenty years, Lara has always been the pillar of strength for the Caribbean nations. Both batted at No.4 in the batting order for a greater part of their illustrious career, making the comparisons a bit more easier. While ‘Tendlya’ clearly outnumbers Lara in the aggregate of runs, the ‘Prince’ has a number of big knocks than that of Tendulkar’s.
Perhaps the only area that differentiates the two is the fact that Lara is left-handed. Without adding more fuel to your thoughs on which one of them is better, we give a comparison of these stalwarts’ statistics. The decision is yours to make.
Statistical highlights (Tests)
| Sachin Tendulkar | Brian Lara | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| International debut |
At the age of 16
|
At the age of 21 | The little master took the cricketing world by storm when came into the side as a teenager. |
| Career span | 24 years | 17 years | The Indian superstar had a long career compared to the Carribean great. |
| Matches | 200 | 131 |
Tendulkar is the first and only cricketer to represent his country in 200 Test matches. |
| Runs | 15921 | 11953 |
The ‘little master’ is the leading run-scorer and leads Kumar Sangakkara, the leader among active players by almost 4000 runs; Lara lies in the sixth place. |
| Batting average | 53.78 | 52.88 | The Mumbaikar edges out Lara in terms of batting average by a run. |
| Hundreds | 51 | 34 | The right-hander also holds the world record for most number of centuries. |
|
Highest score |
248* v Bangladesh, 2004 | 400* v England, 2004 | The left-hander had the appetite for huge scores and also has a second best of 375 to his name. |
| Matches as captain | 4 wins out of 25 (Win% of 16.00) | 10 wins out of 47 (Win% 21.27) | Captaincy did not suit Tendulkar and he tasted little success as the skipper; Lara is not the best either |
| Wickets | 46 | 0 | The Indian was a handy bowler even in Test matches and was used as a partnership breaker |
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