It will be amazing if Kohli goes past Tendulkar following in his footsteps, feels Brian Lara

Legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara is no less than an epitome of stylish batting which is very popular in modern-day cricket and his 17-year long career only solidified his position amongst the best in the business. As West Indies overhauled India in Chennai, Lara heaped praises on India skipper Virat Kohli.

Having hailed Kohli as the “Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket”, the Windies legend shared that his numbers are unreal as he repeated that he is a class player. Lara also shared as an opposition captain he would have been very worried every time Kohli came out to bat and it's very similar to the aura that Sachin Tendulkar carried around on the field.

“There are a lot of cricketers I enjoy watching. I take each cricketer for what they bring to the table and Virat is definitely one who catches your eye. A guy who can play all forms of the game and be top. You can't look away. He is definitely a class player. I spoke about his work ethic,” Lara told TOI.

“You expect runs, I mean, if I was an opposing captain I would be very worried every single time he comes to bat. You had the sort of the same situation with Sachin Tendulkar. Virat is up there with the very best and I am not talking about (just) in his era, I'm talking about since the game has begun. You look at his numbers and it's just unreal. So, I have a lot of respect for him.”

When asked if Kohli can break Tendulkar’s records, Lara shared that given his fitness and desire to play Kohli will smash quite a lot of records. The West Indian pointed out that Kohli breaking Tendulkar’s records won’t overpower the effect the little master had in the sport of cricket.

“I think Virat is going to break a lot of records. He has got the fitness level, the desire. India is a very successful team, so you can see him enjoying his cricket for a few years to come. Are those records (Virat breaking them) going to diminish the effect that Tendulkar had on the game? No, not at all. These numbers were made to be aspired to and that's what I am sure Virat Kohli has done. Sachin Tendulkar must have been a role model of his. And following in his footsteps, if he goes past him, that's amazing.

“I felt the same way with Sir Vivian Richards. I would never compare myself with him, he is a great batsman. But to know that you have numbers alongside him, that is just an amazing feeling. I am sure Virat Kohli would have that same sort of respect for Sachin Tendulkar. But, yes, he is going to go on and break a lot of records. And I also feel that he has the ability to break my record of most runs in Test cricket. I am not sure if he is playing that much first class cricket, so that record might be safe (highest first class score - 501* for Warwickshire vs Durham in 1994). He is a joy to watch,” the record breaking batter concluded.