Allan Lamb Settles the Debate: Declares Sachin Tendulkar Superior to Kohli, Gavaskar

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has weighed in on the debate of the greatest Indian batter of all time, choosing Sachin Tendulkar over Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar.

Virat Kohli bows to Sachin Tendulkar after breaking his record.

The 71-year-old, who participated in three World Cups and 79 Tests for England, stated definitively that Sachin Tendulkar is the best player India has ever produced. "Sachin easily," Lamb told PTI.

Lamb humorously recounted his early encounter with Tendulkar. "I played against him when he was 18. I dropped him at slip, and he went on to get 100 (in a Test match). So, I always say to him, it was me that made your name."

Lamb elaborated on his choice, explaining why he ranked Tendulkar above Gavaskar and Kohli.

"Kohli is a brilliant player; he's got all the shots, and he can score quickly. But if you want the best player I played against, that Indian player is Sachin, even ahead of Sunny," Lamb asserted.

He added, "The only thing I would have liked was to see Sachin play against the West Indies, where Sunny scored runs against the West Indies. He was probably the only Indian to score runs against those quicks."

Despite his admiration for Tendulkar, Lamb revealed that his favorite Indian cricketer of all time was his former Northamptonshire teammate, Kapil Dev.

"I loved the way Kapil Dev played. We played together at Northampton," he recalled.

"I remember him coming over, and me 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 our bowling. I've come to better my batting. I've come here as a batsman,' which I always enjoyed," Lamb concluded.