Australia Great Rates Brian Lara Over Sachin Tendulkar, Was 'Sick Of Seeing' This India Legend

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie listed his five greatest batters, including VVS Laxman as an honourable mention. Laxman enjoyed a brilliant record against Australia, and his sensational knock of 281 at the Eden Gardens in 2001 permanently etched his name into cricket history. Gillespie recalled the historic innings, noting that despite Australia trying almost everything, their legendary bowling attack simply could not dismiss him. He even joked that he was "sick and tired" of seeing Laxman smash the ball.

"My honorary mention is VVS Laxman. Do you guys remember? Absolutely tore us up in Kolkata in 2001. The 281 against us was one of the best knocks I've ever seen. We tried everything but could not dislodge him. I remember some of the shots he played against Warnie out of the rough-it was some of the best play against spin bowling I've ever seen in my life. It was absolutely nuts. And the way he handled us quicks as well, it was brilliant. Over 8,000 runs in Test cricket at 46, he was a wonderful player," Gillespie told Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming on the Fast Bowling Cartel podcast.

"I remember playing the Australian Under-19s. We went around in India, and basically, VVS Laxman played every game-Board Presidents XI, all the youth Tests-and he smacked us for hundreds there. So, I can assure you now, I'm sick and tired of seeing VVS Laxman smacking us Aussies everywhere around. I was glad to retire, purely so I didn't have to bowl to him again. He was a wonderful, wonderful player and a great man too."

Gillespie rated South Africa's Jacques Kallis at number 5, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara at 4, and Rahul Dravid at 3. For the top two spots, he named Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, ultimately crowning the West Indies legend as his number one pick.

"My No. 2 would be a lot of people's number one. But for me, it's Sachin Tendulkar. Nearly 16,000 Test runs at 53.8, 51 hundreds from 200 Test matches-a Test hundred every four matches, which is extraordinary. And then another 49 hundreds in one-day cricket and over 18,000 runs. Just a run-making machine all over the world. Superb cricketer. Sachin was very difficult to bowl to," added Gillespie.

"But my number one is the great West Indian, Brian Charles Lara. The reason I put him above the others, particularly Sachin Tendulkar, is that with most batters, if you bowled your best delivery, they would play it conventionally. They would either defend it or leave it alone, which allowed you to build pressure through dot balls and patience.

But I never felt I could do that consistently with Brian Lara. It all depended on what gear he was in. He could shift from second to third gear in an instant. A ball on top of off stump, your best delivery, could suddenly be carved behind point, whipped over midwicket, or flicked behind square. He had this incredible ability to put the bowler back under pressure, probably more than any of the other batters I have listed. That is why I put Brian Lara at the top."

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Topics mentioned in this article

Jason Gillespie Sachin Tendulkar Brian Lara VVS Laxman Jacques Kallis Rahul Dravid Kumar Sangakkara Cricket