Virat Kohli, Sunil Gavaskar IGNORED; Ex England Star Picks India's All-Time Best

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Allan Lamb, former England star has weighed in on the eternal debate surrounding India's greatest cricketer and picked legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar ahead of both Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.

Lamb, who faced some of India's finest during his playing days, hailed Tendulkar as the best Indian player he has ever come up against - despite acknowledging the brilliance of both Kohli and Gavaskar.

"Sachin easily," Lamb said in an interview with PTI. "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 (laughs)."

While appreciating Kohli's modern-day dominance and Gavaskar's era-defining contributions, Lamb made it clear that Tendulkar stood apart for him. "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."

Lamb also shared one regret - not witnessing Tendulkar play against the iconic West Indies bowling attacks of the 70s and 80s, which Gavaskar famously tamed. "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 noted.

Reflecting on Indian cricket's overall journey, Lamb said he always believed the sport in India was destined to grow. "I always thought that Indian cricket was going to go up, it was on the gradual climb. And because of the population and being your number one sport, cricket was always going to be the top of the tree," he said.

He also touched upon the game-changing impact of the IPL, calling it a global revolution. "The IPL has changed cricket in India and the world. It's incredible to see these youngsters coming through, the 15-year-olds and the 16-year-olds (like Vaibhav Suryavanshi), and making a name for themselves."

Lamb concluded by backing India's chances in limited-overs cricket but cautioned about Test cricket challenges. "In one-day cricket, India should win every competition. In Test matches, you're going to rely a lot on Bumrah and you're going to miss Virat Kohli big time," he added.