What’s the story?
Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar have admired each other’s game for a long time and we, as cricket fans, are lucky to have witnessed them grace the game of cricket. Lara is currently in Hyderabad and while speaking in an exclusive interview with The Hindu, spoke about how Sachin Tendulkar has already driven the youth of the country.
When asked about what he feels about the current crop of Indian players, he said, “One should remember the impetus has been provided by the great Sachin (Tendulkar) at his peak. He passed on a rich legacy to the highly talented youngsters who are ready to take on the world now.”
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Lara played for Sachin’s Blasters against Shane Warne’s Warriors in the Cricket All-Stars tournament. The duo have been friends off the field, in spite of being pitted against each other by the media.
The West Indian even visits Sachin’s home whenever he is in Mumbai. Despite many ex-cricketers voicing their opinion that, ‘Lara is slightly better than Sachin’, the West Indian speaks highly of Tendulkar.
The heart of the matter
When asked if he would take up a coaching role, Lara said he wasn’t considering it until the team’s issues with the West Indies board is resolved. However, he expressed his worries about the Windies’ struggles. He said that West Indies team is facing issues in the longer formats of the game due to the inexperience of the players to handle pressure.
Contrastingly, a more matured Indian cricket team is scaling new heights every year. He pointed out that it is because of the presence of players like Tendulkar which are inspiring the youth. Lara highlighted the importance of Tendulkar motivating the Indian youngsters, who are now fearless to play in any part of the world.
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He also expressed his views on current Indian captain, Virat Kohli, and said that he is the best in the world because of his flair. Kohli has admitted that he was inspired by Tendulkar and took pride in sharing the dressing room with him. The West Indian legend was quite impressed with the way the Indian captain marshalled his troops in the recently concluded series against England.
What’s next?
With the presence of a well-structured domestic circuit, mentored by the likes of Rahul Dravid, we might see more and more youngsters emerging out to the bigger stage, driven to emulate figures like Sachin Tendulkar.
Sportskeeda’s take
Indian cricket team is finding a new hero in every series. Last year, Jasprit Bumrah exhibited his talent as a death-overs specialist. In the recently clinched ODI series, Kedar Jadhav was in the spotlight and was declared the Man of the Series after a string of impressive performances.
There is no doubt that India will produce capable and determined youngsters in the near future.
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