Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has ranked West Indies batting legend Brian Lara ahead of Indian great Sachin Tendulkar in his list of the greatest batters he faced, while also paying glowing tribute to former India batter VVS Laxman for his dominance against Australia. Gillespie shared his views during an appearance on the Fast Bowling Cartel podcast alongside fellow Australian greats Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming.

Gillespie described Laxman’s iconic 281-run innings at Eden Gardens in 2001 as one of the finest knocks he had ever witnessed. The former pacer recalled how Australia’s celebrated bowling attack, including legendary spinner Shane Warne, struggled to dismiss the stylish Indian batter during the historic Test match. He said Laxman’s ability to counter spin from the rough and handle fast bowling with equal confidence made him one of the most difficult opponents he encountered.

The Australian also revealed that his frustrations against Laxman dated back to Under-19 tours in India, where the Indian batter repeatedly scored heavily against Australian youth sides. Gillespie jokingly admitted he was “sick and tired” of watching Laxman dominate Australian bowlers and said part of his relief in retiring from international cricket came from no longer having to bowl to him.

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In his ranking of the greatest batters, Gillespie placed Jacques Kallis fifth, followed by Kumar Sangakkara at fourth and Rahul Dravid at third. Tendulkar was ranked second despite Gillespie acknowledging the Indian icon’s extraordinary record of nearly 16,000 Test runs, 51 Test centuries and unmatched consistency across formats.

Explaining why he chose Lara as his number one batter, Gillespie said the West Indies legend possessed a rare ability to immediately put bowlers under pressure, even when they delivered their best balls. He noted that while most batters would defend or leave high-quality deliveries, Lara could attack from almost any position and score freely through unconventional strokeplay.

Gillespie added that Lara’s ability to rapidly change gears and manipulate bowlers made him uniquely difficult to contain. According to the former Australian pacer, the West Indies great’s attacking instincts and unpredictability separated him from even players of Tendulkar’s calibre, ultimately making him the finest batter Gillespie had ever bowled against.

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