Tendulkar passed on a rich legacy to the highly talented Indian youngsters: Brian Lara

Former West Indies captain and a legend of the game, Brian Lara had a great time in the 18-hole golf course at the Hyderabad Golf Association today. Lara has been an ardent lover of golf and he came here on an invitation from its member and the former Member of Parliament Dr G. Vivekanand. Lara was arguably the greatest batsman of his time along with Sachin Tendulkar of India and the duo shared an immense mutual respect between each other.

Speaking on Indian cricket, Lara said that India have always performed exceptionally well in home conditions but with the emergence of more versatile players their woes in the foreign tours are expected to end sooner than later with more accomplished batsmen in the team who can play in all conditions.  But Lara emphasised on the fact that this has only been possible due to the legacy left by Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

“But, one should remember the impetus has been provided by the great Sachin (Tendulkar) at his peak. He passed on a rich legacy to the highly talented youngsters who are ready to take on the world now. Virat Kohli is arguably one of the best batsmen in contemporary cricket and he has his own style of batting. I am not the one to give any ratings or make any comparisons of him with anyone else. And even in captaincy, he has his own style which is proving to be very effective,” Lara was quoted as saying by the Sportstar.

When asked whether he would like to coach the national team, Lara said that once he is qualified to take the coach’s responsibility he will think on that matter. “Maybe, after a couple of years when I am qualified to be one, I might think about it,” he said. “You know the kind of politics prevalent in West Indies cricket. I don’t want to get into that straight away. I am not a politician and never wanted to be one. Whatever help I can give, I always do on a personal basis like helping out Darren Bravo or any other youngster,” Lara added.

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Lara conceded that the current West Indies players lack the experience to handle the pressure in Test and ODI cricket. “In T20 you have the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, who are the most sought after players across the world in this format. We need players of that calibre in the other two formats to excel. The current crop of youngsters lack the vital experience to handle the pressures of that brand of cricket which is again the ultimate test for any cricketer,” he pointed out.

Lara concluded by saying that his fascination towards gold started when he was in his 20s and it is the best sport to play to keep away from the stress of playing cricket.  “That is the reason why I always stepped onto the golf courses especially in Australia and New Zealand during my playing days to stay fresh — mentally and physically — for the bigger battles on the cricket field,” he said.