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Legendary batsman Brian Lara has thrown his weight behind two young Indian talents, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, as potential challengers for his long-standing Test cricket records.
Lara, who holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket (400* against England in 2004), believes the aggressive batting style prevalent in modern cricket makes breaking such records a real possibility. He also holds the highest first-class score (501* for Warwickshire in 1994).
The West Indian great acknowledges the dominance of his record for several years. “It’s interesting that greats like Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes couldn’t surpass Gary Sobers’ record of 365 in the 70s and 80s,” Lara remarked. However, he highlights a shift in the batting approach during his own era, where players like Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, and others regularly challenged the 300-run mark.
Looking towards the future, Lara identifies a new generation of batsmen poised for greatness. “Players like Zak Crawley and Harry Brook in England, and certainly Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in India, have the potential to break records if the conditions are right,” he said. “The current crop of batsmen seems to favor a more aggressive approach, which makes these records more attainable.”
This isn’t the first time Lara has spoken highly of Gill’s talent. In December 2023, he specifically mentioned Gill as the player with the most potential to surpass his records, praising his ability to adapt to the modern game shaped by T20 leagues like the IPL.
While David Warner’s unbeaten 335 against Pakistan in 2019 came close, Brian Lara’s record remains unbroken. With the backing of a legend like Lara himself, the aggressive batting styles of young talents like Gill and Jaiswal could see these records challenged in the not-so-distant future.
