Sport | Cricket
Tendulkar is Bradman of present period: Lara
Lara says Tendulkar is the modern-day Bradman and rules out comparison with Ponting
- By K.R. Nayar, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:00 November 29, 2010
- Image Credit: Rex Features
- Lara was mobbed by cricket fans during a visit to the Deira Gold Souq, despite hanging his boots boots three years ago. “My records are under threat,” the West Indies batsman told Gulf News. “But when it is broken, I will say that the person who did it really deserves it.”
Dubai: Brian Lara, the former West Indies captain and batting maestro who broke almost all batting records, was in Dubai on a private visit. Despite hanging up his boots three years ago, when he visited the Kanz Jewels store in Deira Gold Souk on Saturday, he was mobbed by cricket fans forcing the store to seek police help to escort him into his car.
In an exclusive interview to Gulf News, Lara, who broke the world records for highest Test score with an unbeaten 400 and an unconquered 501 in first class cricket to be as prolific as Donald Bradman, said that India's Sachin Tendulkar is the Bradman of the present period.
Gulf News: How have the days after retirement been?
Brian Lara: I have enjoyed it. It has been three years and my daughter is now 14 years old and meanwhile I have got a second daughter who is now seven months old. I am generally relaxed and doing a little bit of business. I just got back into cricket by playing three games in a Twenty20 tournament in Zimbabwe and had a good time.
We hear that you've decided to take up coaching starting with the Zimbabwe team?
I am not becoming the Zimbabwe coach, which is Alan Butcher. I will be helping them in the batting department. I believe that I can make a contribution as they also have played international cricket for many years. I will look more into their mental side of their batting than the actual physical or talent grooming. I will be with them during the key moments before some of their important tours, especially before the World Cup.
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How satisfied are you with the progress of the West Indies team especially after your retirement?
It is three years since I retired but nothing has improved greatly. I will not put the blame on the players because I don't think we have the infrastructure that can generate good consistent cricket against the best.
Until we fix the infrastructure we might see some wonderful performances one day and some awful performances another day. It could be as usual more failures than success.
I want the infrastructure to change before we actually think about getting back to the top.
So who do you think has the best chance to win the 2011 World Cup especially in sub-continent conditions?
It is hard to say right now because there is still a lot of cricket to be played between now and the World Cup. I feel that a sub-continent country, playing in the subcontinent will always be a force to reckon with.
The last time when the World Cup was held in Asia in 1996 it was won by Sri Lanka. However, one cannot say whether even West Indies might come good by then.
Australia is struggling a bit now but nobody can be written off. You can get a clear picture once the days get closer.
How do you see the race between Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar since your retirement?
I don't think there is any race. Both are great players. Tendulkar has shown the world what he is capable of and his longevity in the game is something to be really appreciated.
The time he will spend on the game, records are going to tumble. The fact that someone can be there from the age of 16 and still at the age of 37 perform brilliantly is something that I cherish more than anything else.
I am really looking forward to his 50th Test century and for him to score nearly 15,000 Test runs and over 17,000 runs in one-day cricket is itself a remarkable achievement.
He is our period's Don Bradman. Forget the difference in averages with Bradman but whoever I have spoken to who have seen very old players in action; they believe that he [Bradman] would not have averaged 99 in today's cricket. So I believe that Sachin is our period's Bradman.
With the advent of Twenty20 and batsmen scoring briskly, do you think your record for the highest individual scores in world cricket is secure?
It does not matter if it is broken because I believe that it is going to be broken one day. Don't forget that it took 26 years to break Garfield Sobers' record. With the advent of Twenty20 cricket we've seen lot of attacking players come forward.
The batsmen who have challenged the records are [Virender] Sehwag, [Sanath] Jayasuriya and [Chris] Gayle and they hit the ball around. So my records are under threat but when it is broken I will say that the person who did it really deserves it.
During recent years many scandals have hit cricket. Is the game under pressure now?
Like all sports cricket too has been at it. We saw it happen in cycling and even rugby recently. We have to learn to deal with it.
The International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption Unit has taken all steps to support the players. I am disturbed by it and I am hoping the game comes out of it and it is not something that keeps recurring all the time in the game.
We had dealt with it in the nineties and the fact that it is still surfacing is a bit of a worry.
How is your love for golf shaping up?
I am fanatical about golf. I love the game and have been working hard to bring my handicap down to five. I would love to get it a bit more lower. I spent a lot of time today at the Ernie Els Golf Course. Butch Harmon has a teaching academy there and I spend time with a young coach named Justin. I totally enjoyed it.
Can Lara still prove to be a hit on IPL 4? Do you agree with his assessment of Tendulkar?
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