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Allan Lamb Picks Tendulkar Over Kohli, Says He Dropped Him Before Maiden Century

Rajgeeta Yadav

Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli [Source: @ViratFanTeam/X.com]Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli [Source: @ViratFanTeam/X.com]

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has weighed in on the long-standing debate about India’s greatest batter, choosing Sachin Tendulkar over Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. In a candid conversation with PTI, Lamb declared Sachin as the best he ever faced, even joking that he was responsible for putting the cricketing maestro on the world map.

Allan Lamb Settles Iconic Indian Batting Debate with Bold Claim

Lamb recalled a pivotal moment from the 1990 India-England Test at Manchester, where an 18-year-old Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 119, his maiden Test century.

"Sachin easily. I played against him when he was 18. I dropped him at slip and he went to get 100 (in a Test match). So I always say to him, it was me that made your name," he laughed.

Sachin Tendulkar Over Kohli And Gavaskar, Says Lamb

Lamb acknowledged Virat Kohli’s brilliance and his ability to play shots all around the ground, but maintained that Sachin stood taller due to his consistency and impact. 

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

Notably, Sachin Tendulkar’s numbers speak for themselves. With 100 international centuries, over 34,000 international runs, and top records in both Test and ODI formats, he remains the gold standard in batting. His 24-year career featured 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, during which he redefined cricketing excellence.

Despite retiring from Test cricket with 9230 runs from 123 matches, Virat Kohli’s legacy is still celebrated. However, his numbers place him behind the elite trio of Tendulkar, Dravid, and Gavaskar in Test cricket.