No Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli as Alastair Cook picks his greatest players amid ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former England captain Alastair Cook revealed his four greatest cricketers that he has played with or against amid the ongoing 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The legendary batter surprisingly picked no Indian players as he chose Brian Lara, James Anderson, Jacques Kallis, and Ben Stokes as his 'Mount Rushmore' of cricket.

Alastair Cook was asked to pick a batter, a bowler, an all-rounder, and a wild card, and he responded (via Stick to Cricket X handle):

The best ever batsman I saw, it's such a tough one between Lara and Ponting. But I have to go Brian Lara. I've only played against him once and it wasn't in a Test match but I've never seen a genius like him. Best bowler I am going to go with one of my better friends, James Anderson. Longevity is one thing but the skill he had and the ability to play for as long as he did, he can be my bowler.

Cook continued:

"Quite an easy one actually (all-rounder).. I say an easy one but I think Stokesy (Ben Stokes) has to be right up there in terms of game-changing stuff but Jacques Kallis, the number of runs he scored was just incredible and you top that up with the fact that he has got over 200 Test wickets and caught like flies in the slips, he can be the best all-rounder I saw. Spare player, I'll go Ben Stokes - game-changer and played some of the best innings I've ever seen under pressure to win big games."

Despite playing against several all-time great Indian players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli, among others, Cook's list did not include any of the three.

A look at the numbers of Alastair Cook's Mount Rushmore of Cricketers

James Anderson retired from international cricket last year [Credit: Getty]

Alastair Cook's pick for the greatest batter, Brian Lara, is the eighth all-time leading run-scorer in international cricket. Renowned for his majestic wrists and hunger for big scores, the former West Indian left-hander finished his illustrious career with over 22,000 runs, including 53 centuries.

Lara still holds the record for the highest Test score of 400* against England in 2004.

Meanwhile, Cook's former teammate, James Anderson, enjoyed an incredible 21-year career for England. While his ODI numbers with 269 wickets at an average of under 30 are impressive, Anderson's red-ball achievements stand out.

The former pacer finished as the third leading wicket-taker in Test history with 704 scalps in 188 matches at an average of 26.45, including 32 five-wicket hauls.

Alastair Cook's all-rounder choice, Jacques Kallis, embodied consistency across formats with bat and ball. The former South African finished with a remarkable 25,534 runs and 577 wickets in his international career, including 62 centuries and seven 5-wicket hauls.

Finally, Cook's wild-card selection, Ben Stokes, is still going strong, leading the England Test side. The talismanic all-rounder helped England win the 2019 ODI and 2022 T20 World Cups with stellar performances in the final.