Tendulkar is to cricket what Ali is to boxing: Lara
Heaping lavish praise on Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies cricket great Brian Lara Sunday likened the batting legend to another legend, in boxing, Mohammad Ali.
|Last Updated: Nov 10, 2013, 10:25 PM IST|Source: IANS
Kolkata: Heaping lavish praise on Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies cricket great Brian Lara Sunday likened the batting legend to another legend, in boxing, Mohammad Ali.
"In terms of statistics, some may come close to him, but in sports there are some individuals who stand apart. When you talk of boxing, you talk of Mohammad Ali; when you mention basketball, you mention Michael Jordan; and when you talk cricket, you talk about Sachin Tendulkar," Lara said during a Cricket Association of Bengal-organised event here.
Lara also said Tendulkar had made the right decision to retire from international cricket after playing his 200th Test match at his home ground in Mumbai later this week.
"Sachin Tendulkar deserves the respect to decide when he wanted to leave the game. He has given yeoman service to the sport. Imagining that a player with 200 Tests was hard to imagine few years back but I believe he has picked the best opportunity to walk away from the game," said the former West Indies skipper.
Lara also refused to accept that Tendulkar dragged on his career and his decision to retire has come late.
"His performance in last couple of years may not have been great, but sitting here, we can`t judge the impact he has on the team. We need to speak to the players to know the impact he has on this young Indian team. Let`s not judge him on stats alone. There have been others who played beyond 40," said Lara often compared with Tendulkar to be the best batsman in the world.
Expressing deep disappointment at the way the Carribeans capitulated in the first Test match at the Eden Gardens against India, Lara hoped to see better cricket from the team in the Mumbai Test (Nov 14-18).
Lara blamed the West Indian cricket administrator for the current poor condition of the team which was once invincible.
"West Indies cricket has been in doldrums because the administrators never developed infrastructure. When the world was developing technology and infrastructure, we hoped that a Viv Richards or a Gary Sobers would come from nowhere.
"Our cricket will not grow unless the grassroots is sorted out, infrastructure is developed. There will always be stars but you need to nurture and develop the mediocre, you need infrastructure to do that," added Lara.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.