Warne lists Sachin on top, Lara 2nd
Posted on Sep 01, 2007 at 15:33 | Updated Sep 02, 2007 at 17:48
40 Comments
Email 
Print
New Delhi: Shane Warne has finally stamped his approval on what many have been saying for the past one decade.
The Australian leg-spin legend has put Sachin Tendulkar at the top of his list of 50 greatest cricketers ahead of another batting legend and former West Indies skipper Brian Lara.
The list is of players with who played during the same time that Warne played.
Justifying his decision to rank Tendulkar at the top, Warne wrote, "You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer. This is cricket as Sachin has known it since the age of 16. He grew up under incredible weight of expectation and never buckled once - not under poor umpiring decisions or anything else. I place him very slightly ahead of Lara because I found him slightly tougher mentally."
"It is such a close call, but here is an example of what I mean: in Australia in 2003-04 he was worried about getting out cover driving so he decided to cut out the shot. I saw the wagon wheel for his next innings: he scored 248 without a single cover drive. Like Lara, he has scored runs all over the world. I have seen him run down the pitch and hit Glenn McGrath over the top for six, and I have seen him hit me for six against the spin going around the wicket. I have been lucky to get to know him off the field as well. He is quiet and humble. A great player and a great man," Warne wrote in praise of the Indian batting legend.
In 1998 after touring India where his bowling figures were destroyed by Tendulkar, Warne admitted to having nightmares about the Little Master.
"I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six,'' Warne had said.
Warne even compared Tendulkar to perhaps the best batting talent ever to have walked the earth - Sir Donald Bradman.
"He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Sir Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar," Warne said.
While Warne ranking Tendulkar as the best player of his generation may not come as a surprise to many, what would certainly startle them is that there is no Australian in the top three with the West Indies pacer Curtly Ambrose occupying the third spot.
Former Australian skipper Allan Border, who is credited with turning the Baggy Greens into a ruthless winning machine, is at the fourth spot followed by the fast bowler Glenn McGrath.
| Ads by Google |
Total Comments: 40
Read All Comments | Post Comment
Posted By Madhukar
Sachin is the greatest ever cricketer. Warne has rated him for which Sachin deserves.
Read Comment
Posted By Gilroy
Where does NS Sidhu stand in his list? Sidhu was the one who set the stage for Sachin to attack
Read Comment
Posted By Munish
My dear , this is a list of people , warne has played with. Gavaskar retired before he started playing.I
Read Comment
Posted By ankit
gavaskar!..i think u missed the point..its a list of his contempraries..not a list of all time greats else a lot
Read Comment
Posted By John
I respect Warne but don\''t think his comment is correct. Tendulkar is a great player with amazing stats but Brian
Read Comment