Legendary Australian seamer, Glenn McGrath had a fair share of rivalries with the batting legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Despite all the tussles on the field, Mcgrath continues to hold the batting duo in high esteem. Recently, he picked one of those batsmen as the tougher one he faced while bowling.
The legendary bowler with 949 international wickets said both Tendulkar and Lara were “equally good” but conceded that it was the latter’s consistency against Australia that kept him ahead in the final judgment.
As per the quotes in Times of India, McGrath said, “That was Brian (Lara). He never changed his game. I may have got him out 15 times, but he also scored big hundreds and double hundreds against us when both I and Warnie (Shane Warne) were playing together for Australia.”
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Lara played a memorable knock of 277 in Sydney against Australia, in just his fifth Test innings in 1993. He scored four centuries and as many fifties in 19 matches in the long format Down Under at an average of almost 42.
Comparing the great, McGrath said, “When it was his day, he could do absolutely anything. Sachin was equally as good, but there was something about Brian where he could just keep going and he was slightly harder to bowl to than Sachin. He was more fearless.”
Tendulkar also played some significant knocks in Australia during his maiden tour of the country in 1991-92 and ended up having six centuries and seven fifties in 20 Tests in Australia at an average of 53-plus. His highest score in Australia was 241* made in Sydney in 2003-04.
Overall against Australia in Tests, Lara amassed nine centuries and 11 fifties in 31 Tests to score 2,856 runs. On the other hand, Sachin scored 11 centuries and 16 fifties in 39 Tests against the Kangaroos to score 3,630 runs.
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In ODIs, Tendulkar amassed nine tons and 15 half-centuries in 71 games against Australia to make 3,077 runs at an average of 44.59 and the highest score of 175. Lara played 51 ODIs against Australia in which he slammed three centuries and 15 fifties to make 1,858 runs at an average of 39.53.
