Former India wicketkeeper and chief selector Kiran More pays tribute to West Indies batting great Brian Lara, who will quit international cricket after the World Cup Super Eights match against England on Saturday.
"Lara was outstanding. I still remember the first innings he played against us in a side game when he went to the West Indies in 1989. He got a brilliant 189. The innings was a statement then I am ready for international cricket and I will score a lot of runs. He is a genius.
He is a great player to watch and a great entertainer. I have never missed Lara's innings wherever he has played since most of the matches are played on television. Today also, if any old match of Lara is being showed, it is a pleasure to watch.
The shots he plays is unbelievable, with the elegance and style he has. Lara's performance speaks for itself.
He is not young anymore and it his decision [to retire from cricket] and any person who makes a decision knows when the time is right to leave cricket.
If Lara would have played in the 1980's when Viv Richards played, he would also scored that many runs and West Indies would have won most of their matches.
Lara was the lone battler for West Indies in the last 8-9 years and has been performing single-handedly. Some of the innings he played against Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka were some of the best knocks I have seen in my cricketing career. The way he handled Muralitharan I think hats off to him.
We are going to miss his batting. He was one of the greatest in international cricket."
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