Sachin Tendulkar technically far superior to Lara, says MacGill

Sydney: Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is technically a far superior batsman than West Indian legend Brian Lara, former Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has said.

“I’ve said on many occasions that as a spin bowler, the most devastating batsman I’ve played against was Lara. Having said that, Brian always went so hard I always felt like he’d miss one eventually, and it did happen occasionally,” MacGill wrote in an article for the Sydney Morning Herald. “On the other hand, when Tendulkar was at the crease, there was a scary calmness about him. Technically he is far superior to Lara and when he led the avalanche of runs at the SCG in 2003-04 with a big double hundred, his bat looked as wide as his pads,” he added. He further reckons that the biggest danger for Australia for the upcoming four-Test series against India would be that they might have misinterpreted the success of the young bowlers in the last couple of series. “James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon have all started their Test careers in exciting fashion and there’s no doubt they’ll have plenty more opportunities ahead. Bowling to Sachin and his mates at the SCG, MCG, Adelaide Oval and the WACA will be a completely different experience for them compared to New Zealand on a green-top, so they will have to be well supported and have crystal-clear objectives,” MacGill wrote. The first Test of the series will start in Melbourne on December 26. The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. The Tests will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from February 5. Bureau Report