New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar’s failure in the recent series against New Zealand may have triggered debate on whether he should retire now, but West Indian batting great Brian Lara reckons the Indian batsman still has a “year or two” of cricket left in him.
“I know he has already exited from the Twenty20 version of the game, but maybe another year or two in Test cricket left in him… maybe still define himself at the top of scoring the most runs in both the Test and One Day Internationals,” Lara said.
The former West Indies captain, who started his international career a year after his Indian contemporary, said that Tendulkar has been phenomenal and would be missed by the cricket world whenever he decides to hang his boots.
“I think he (Tendulkar) has done a wonderful job. Somebody who started playing cricket, I am not sure whether he was 15 or 16, and he is still there. So he started may be a year or two before myself and has gone on to play five years after I have done”, he told a TV channel.
“I think he is approaching 25 years of international cricket, that is something all Indians should be proud of, not just Sachin,” the veteran of 131 Test matches said.
Lara, who has 11,953 Test runs to his credit including a record unbeaten 400 against England, added that Tendulkar is far apart in class and ability.
“We know he had a few injuries and to be able to play that length of time and stay at the top of the pile in runs, in just class and sheer ability, I think he has done a tremendous job and world cricket is gonna miss someone like that when he leaves,” he said.
The 43-year-old Lara, who has often been rated at par with the Indian maestro, hailed Tendulkar contribution to the game.
“I think he has done a tremendous job and I have only praise for someone like that. I have played with him on a few occasions and played against him, I think he has been a gentleman and the one world cricket should be proud of,” Lara said.
Asked about the ongoing World T20 and who he thought as the favourites to win, Lara said, “Who else other than the three big boys of Asia.”
Lara, however, said that the Windies were also “worthy favourites” if they play as a unit.
“We used to watch great players like Sobers, Sir Viv etc and that is how we could evolve ourselves. I want to see that thing in current players also,” the West Indian legend said. (PTI)