Brian Lara vs Sachin Tendulkar

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Sachin Tendulkar (India, right-handed) and Brian Lara (West Indies, left handed) are two of the best batsmen in cricketing history.

In a critique towards the tail end of Tendulkar's test career, Mukul Kesavan writing for ESPN CricInfo contrasted the last 25 test innings of both batsmen, arguing that Tendulkar's performance in the twilight of his career diminished his otherwise long and illustrious record:

But it is the comparison with Brian Lara, by common consensus Tendulkar's greatest batting contemporary and his closest contender for the title of the best batsman of the fin de siècle, that speaks most directly to the "dying of the light" argument. Look at Lara's last 25 innings. He averaged just under 45, more than ten runs an innings better than Tendulkar [Tendulkar averaged 28], but that's almost beside the point: it is his big scores that stand out. Lara hit two centuries and two double-centuries in his last year of Test match cricket.

Teams give ageing, inconsistent geniuses the benefit of the doubt because they believe they are still capable of match-turning bursts of inspiration. Lara repaid that faith; Tendulkar hasn't.

Comparison chart

Brian Lara versus Sachin Tendulkar comparison chart
	Brian Lara	Sachin Tendulkar
	current rating is 4.08/5 1 2 3 4 5 (938 ratings)	current rating is 4.34/5 1 2 3 4 5 (1364 ratings)

Full Name	Brian Charles Lara	Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Date of birth	May 2, 1969	April 24, 1973
Place of Birth	Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Nickname	The Prince, Prince of Trinidad	Master Blaster, Little Master
Country Represented	West Indies	India
Playing Role	Top-order batsman	Top-order batsman, part-time bowler
Batting Style	Left-handed	Right-handed
Bowling Style	Right-arm leg-break (occasional)	Right-arm off-break/leg-break/medium pace
Career Span	1990-2007 (17 years)	1989-2013 (24 years)
Test Debut	December 6, 1990 vs Pakistan	November 15, 1989 vs Pakistan
Test Matches	131	200
Test Innings	232	329
Test Runs	11,953	15,921
Test Batting Average	52.88	53.78
Test Centuries	34	51
Test Half-Centuries	48	68
Test Highest Score	400* (world record)	248*
Test Not Outs	6	33
ODI Debut	November 9, 1990 vs Pakistan	December 18, 1989 vs Pakistan
ODI Matches	299	463
ODI Innings	289	452
ODI Runs	10,405	18,426
ODI Batting Average	40.48	44.83
ODI Strike Rate	79.51	86.23
ODI Centuries	19	49
ODI Half-Centuries	63	96
ODI Highest Score	169	200* (first ODI double century)
ODI Not Outs	32	41
ODI Shirt Number	9	10
Test Bowling Average	63.00 (1 wicket)	54.17 (46 wickets)
ODI Bowling Average	42.00 (4 wickets)	44.48 (154 wickets)
ODI 5-Wicket Hauls	0	2
Highest Individual Test Score	400* (world record at retirement)	248*
Double Centuries in Tests	9	6
ODI Double Centuries	0	1 (first player to achieve this)
World Cup Appearances	5 (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007)	6 (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011)
World Cup Victory	0	1 (2011)
Major Awards	Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1995), ICC Player of the Year (2004)	Bharat Ratna (2014), ICC Player of the Year (2010), Wisden Leading Cricketer (1997, 2010)
Primary Domestic Team	Trinidad and Tobago	Mumbai (Bombay)
County Cricket	Warwickshire (1994-1998, 2004-2005)	Yorkshire (1992)
Other Teams	Southern Rocks (Zimbabwe), Transvaal	Mumbai Indians (IPL)
Playing Style	Elegant stroke-maker, exceptional against pace bowling, record-breaking innings specialist	Technical master, versatile stroke-play, exceptional consistency, longevity
Career Runs (All Formats)	22,358+ runs	34,347+ runs
Career Highlights	375 vs England (1994), 400* vs England (2004), carrying West Indies batting	First to 10,000 ODI runs, 100 international centuries, 2011 World Cup winner