CRICKET
Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli - The England legend has resolved the GOAT debate.
Updated : Jun 29, 2025, 05:40 PM IST
 "'I made Sachin Tendulkar's name': England great's bold claim sparks best batsman debate; ignores Virat Kohli, Sunil Gavaskar")
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Who is regarded as the greatest Indian batter across different eras among Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli? The answer remains ambiguous as cricket analysts hold varying perspectives. Gavaskar faced the most formidable bowlers, Tendulkar recorded astonishing statistics, and Virat Kohli has set new standards of excellence in the contemporary game with his consistent match-winning performances and dominance in all formats.
Recently, former England cricketer Allan Lamb has added his voice to this debate, asserting that none can rival Tendulkar as the greatest Indian batter. In an interview with PTI, Lamb, who participated in three World Cups and played 79 Tests, praised Tendulkar as the finest Indian batter of all time, making a tongue-in-cheek remark about his own influence on Tendulkar's legacy. Lamb reminisced about his first encounter with the then 18-year-old Tendulkar during the Manchester Test in 1990, where he missed a catch at slips, allowing Tendulkar to score his first Test century, which ultimately contributed to India securing a draw in the match.
"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.
"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."
Sachin is not, however, Lamb's preferred Indian cricketer; that title goes to Kapil Dev, with whom he shared the dressing room at Northamptonshire.
"I love the way Kapil Dev played. We played together at Northampton. I remember him coming over, and I 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."
