Three legendary batsmen who debuted after Sachin Tendulkar and retired before he did
Sachin Tendulkar is widely considered as the greatest batsman to have ever played the game. His records of over 33,000 runs, 100 international centuries, 62 Man-of-the-Match awards, 15 Man-of-the-Series awards and many other milestones are not going to be overtaken by any other batsman in the near future.
He debuted against Pakistan in 1989 and went on to play for 24 long years. His last Test match was against West Indies in November 2013. Here lets look at three legendary batsmen who debuted after the 'Master Blaster' and retired before he did.
#1 Ricky Ponting (1995-2012) - Australia
Ricky Ponting, who debuted in 1995 against South Africa, was one of the finest stroke-makers the game has seen and possibly the most successful captain to have played the game. He captained Australia in 230 ODIs, which is a world record. He amassed over 13,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs.
He was the first batsman to score centuries against all the Test playing nations, in ODIs. The elegant hook shot he played so often is a treat to watch. He led Australia to two back-to-back World Cup victories. He played his last ODI against India in 2012.
#2 Brian Lara (1990-2007) - West Indies
Brian Lara, who debuted in 1990, is the one and only batsman in Test history to score a quadruple century. He achieved the feat against England in 2004.
He is one of the few batsmen to score more than 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs. When Wisden published a Top 100 best innings in 2001, three of Lara's innings got featured in the top 15. He played his last ODI against England in 2007.
#3 Sanath Jayasuriya (1989-2011) - Sri Lanka
Sanath Jayasuriya, who debuted in 1989, was one of the pioneers in ODI cricket who started pinch-hitting during the initial overs. He was one of the ace weapons of Arjuna Ranatunga who captained Sri Lanka to the victory in the 1996 World Cup.
He is the only player in the history of ODI cricket to score 10,000 runs, scalp 300 wickets and take 100 catches. He also held the records for the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODI cricket. He finished his ODI career with 13,430 runs and 323 wickets. He played his last ODI against England in 2011.
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