"It was me that made your name" - Former England batter chooses between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli amid ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has picked legendary Sachin Tendulkar ahead of Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar as his favorite batter between the trio. The 71-year-old also hilariously shared that he once dropped Tendulkar's catch during a Test match before he scored a century.

Lamb was referring to Tendulkar’s first-ever Test century (119*) against England at Old Trafford in August 1990. This was also his first-ever ton in the longest format.

Allan Lamb told PTI (via Livemint):

“Sachin easily. 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 crediting Kohli for his ability to score quickly, Lamb also wished to witness Tendulkar in action against the prime West Indies during Gavaskar's era:

“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. 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."

“You’re going to rely a lot on Bumrah” – England legend's blunt take amid ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Allan Lamb believes that Jasprit Bumrah is essential to India’s success in Tests amid the ongoing five-match series in England. Following criticism over Shubman Gill’s captaincy in the opening Test, he added that Virat Kohli’s absence would hurt India in the red-ball format. Lamb said in the same conversation:

“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.”

Chasing 371, Ben Stokes-led England won the first Test at Headingley by five wickets to go 1-0 ahead in the series. The second Test will be held at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2 onwards. The tourists are yet to win a Test at the venue, losing seven out of eight games, including a draw.