Playing for country should come first, disappointing to see young cricketers leave Test cricket: Brian Lara

Brian Lara, the Trinidadian, who is now the strategic advisor and batting coach of the Indian Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, has shared his thoughts on how disappointed he feels while seeing young cricketers leave behind Test cricket to focus on T20.

“Playing for the country should come first. Because I played for the West Indies, other opportunities opened up for me. It’s disappointing to see young cricketers leaving Test cricket. The ICC should come up with a rule stating a cricketer must play a certain number of games for his country before he can play in the Twenty20 leagues. Something needs to be done,” Lara told Sportstar.

He also spoke of being with the Sunrisers coaching staff, and said that he will be looking forward to working with Muttiah Muralitharan, the Sri Lankan legend, whom he faced a lot many times during his international career. He said that Muralitharan, as a bowler, had many tricks, and that he had to plan and create a strategy to play his bowling attack.

‘His influence was positive wherever he went’ – Brian Lara on Shane Warne

He also remembered the Australian spin legend, Shane Warne, calling him the ‘greatest leg-spinner ever’. Recalling the challenges he faced while facing him, he said: “We’ve been involved in some fascinating duels. But after the day’s play, he would leave everything behind and have a drink with you. As a commentator, he articulated the right issues. His influence was positive wherever he went.”

“India has a very good team now, irrespective of who is leading the side. To beat Australia in Australia and win the decider with a second or third side speaks much about India’s bench strength and the kind of pacemen it now has. Rohit appears a good captain with a cool head with the respect of all players including Kohli,” he said while talking about Rohit Sharma as India’s Test Captain.