Allan Lamb Sides With Sachin Tendulkar in Kohli Debate, Citing "Made Your Name" Moment

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has weighed in on the debate, naming Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest Indian batter of all time, surpassing even Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar in his estimation.

Virat Kohli pays respect to Sachin Tendulkar after surpassing his record for the most ODI centuries during the 2023 World Cup.

Lamb, a veteran of three World Cups and 79 Test matches for England, shared his perspective with PTI, stating simply, "Sachin easily."

The 71-year-old then humorously recounted a personal anecdote, claiming a role in Tendulkar's rise to fame: "I played against him when he was 18. I dropped him at slip and he went on to get 100 (in a Test match). So I always say to him, it was me that made your name."

Lamb elaborated on his choice, acknowledging Kohli's brilliance but ultimately favoring Tendulkar's enduring legacy. "Kohli is a brilliant player, he's got all the shots, he can score quickly. But if you want the best player I played against, that Indian player is Sachin, even ahead of Sunny."

He further noted, "The only thing I would have liked was to see Sachin play against the West Indies, where Sunny scored runs against the West Indies. He was probably the only Indian to score runs against those quicks."

While Tendulkar holds the top spot for Lamb, his favorite Indian cricketer overall is his former Northamptonshire teammate, Kapil Dev.

"I loved the way Kapil Dev played. We played together at Northampton," Lamb recalled. "I remember him coming over and me saying, 'Kapi, I'm so pleased that you've come over. We need to strengthen our bowling.' He said, 'No, I haven’t come to strengthen my bowling. I've come to better my batting. I've come here as a batsman,' which I always enjoyed," he added.