Allan Lamb Crowns Sachin Tendulkar as India's Greatest Batsman, Cites Early Encounter

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has weighed in on the debate of the greatest Indian batter of all time, firmly placing Sachin Tendulkar above the rest.

Virat Kohli acknowledges Sachin Tendulkar's legacy after surpassing his ODI centuries record.

Lamb, a veteran of three World Cups and 79 Tests for England, stated unequivocally to PTI, "Sachin easily."

The 71-year-old humorously recounted his early encounter with Tendulkar: "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 preference for Tendulkar over other legends like Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. "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."

Beyond the Tendulkar-Kohli debate, Lamb revealed his admiration for another Indian cricketer, his former Northamptonshire teammate, Kapil Dev.

"I loved the way Kapil Dev played. We played together at Northampton," Lamb reminisced. "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."