http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-King-c41197 (Part 2) - Opinion
Lara captained his team like Tendulkar did once, but was comparatively more successful as he led The West Indies to a Champions Trophy victory in 2004. He had his ups and downs however, yet unlike Tendulkar, Lara kept on cherishing the job and ensured that
he could contribute when all the others failed around him.
Yet as a batsman, he oozed with style. It was all about a high bat lift, low leveled eyes and a flashing blade that sent the ball rocketing towards the boundary. He was an icon in the minds of many young left-handers, and a player that neutrals were overwhelmed
by. Tendulkar at the same time was in a league of his own and played some exquisite strokes which were equally pleasing to the eye. His technique however, was replicated by quite a few players such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Dravid-c2229, both of whom were equally
proficient at defending the ball with a straight bat. Replicating Lara however, bordered on the preposterous for many, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 being the only player who could pull it off at the international level, albeit with inconsistency.
It is a well known fact that the greatest batsman in the world would be someone who could pull off match winning contributions against some of the best bowling attacks around. Lara’s 153 not out against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 at Bridgetown in 1998/99, went down as the
greatest Test match innings of all time behind Sir Donald Bradman’s score of 270 according to Wisden because of his ability to save the game for his side from a precarious situation. In contrast, Tendulkar has made more centuries than Lara, but some of them
have not been match winning contributions or had such a huge impact on the outcome of the game as Lara’s did. One can think of examples, where his ton against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Cup of 2011, proved to be futile efforts.
The case was completely opposite to Lara however, as it was a noted fact that whenever the man scored, the Windies would usually win, and win convincingly.
Lara is also the first man to score a quadruple century in the history of Test cricket. That innings at the ARG ground in Antigua helped the West Indies avoid a white wash in a Test series that had been dominated by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 from the outset. Much to the disgust
of many, Tendulkar does not have a single triple century to his name, where even the likes of his fellow team mate http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CH-Gayle-c1221, have triples under their belt. That innings from Lara; however, was inhumane due to a plethora of
reasons. He had lost the world record to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gareth-Batty-c1456, helping himself immerse in glory. His 375
not out at the same venue against the same team in 1994, had already brought this man into the lime light and a series of cricket games were launched in tribute to the genius, shortly after.
He retired to a resounding applause at the Kensington Oval, amid tears from his passionate followers. He entertained crowds and played with such flare that he was considered as extraordinary to say the least. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 is still out there however,
and he continues to battle it out for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in national colours. The records would continue to tumble as long as Tendulkar bats at the crease, but there is no disputing the fact that if Tendulkar is a modern great, then the retired Lara was certainly better.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: