Brian Lara Reveals The Cricketer Who Inspired Him To Be The Cricketer He Is Today

The world will perhaps not see another Brian Lara. The former West Indies skipper oozed elegance and class as he went on tearing apart teams from across the world with his exceptional batting. Lara had everything that a batsman craves for. No surprises then that he retired from the game as one of the all-time greats.

And while Lara is being idolised by millions across the world, the man himself idolises another cricketer. Lara, on Wednesday, took to Twitter to reveal how his compatriot and former West Indies captain Sir Viv Richards inspired him to become the cricketer he is. Lara shared a picture of himself alongside the statue of Richards in Antigua and wrote:

“Trust me, he looks better in person ?This man inspired me to be the cricketer I am today #legend #sirvivrichards @ivivianrichards”

Trust me, he looks better in person ?
This man inspired me to be the cricketer I am today #legend#sirvivrichards @ivivianrichards pic.twitter.com/TFFXLU0kuQ

— Brian Lara (@BrianLara) October 16, 2019

Richards is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen of all time. He was one of the most important part of the all-conquering West Indies team of the 1980s. The right-handed batsman scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches and managed to register 6,721 runs in the ODI format at an average of 47. He also helped West Indies win the World Cup.

Like Richards, Lara is also a celebrated batsman. He retired from the game in 2007 after finishing his career with 22,358 runs and 53 international centuries. The southpaw holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket for his unbeaten 400-run knock against England in 2004.  He also holds the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket, as he scored 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994.

The legendary batsman played 131 Tests and 299 ODIs for West Indies. He managed to score 11,953 runs in the longest format of the game while he registered 10,405 runs in the 50-over format.

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