Lara superior to Sachin, says Ian Chappell

West Indies' Brian Lara's knowledge of how to amass big scores at rapid rate without putting his wicket at risk makes him a "superior" batsman of his era than Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, writes former Australian captain Ian Chappell.

Chappell said Lara's remarkable feat of scoring the only 400 in Test cricket, a triple century and seven double centuries, probably highlights an area where Lara was better than the senior India batsman Tendulkar and Ponting. "There's no argument Ricky Ponting deserves to be mentioned with Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as one of the three most dominant batsmen of the era. But who is the best of that trio?

"Lara is the world record-holder with a Test score of 400 and, next to Bradman, he's the scorer of the most "big" centuries in Test cricket. He has the only score of 400 in Test cricket, a triple century and seven double centuries. That's a remarkable feat, especially when you consider neither Tendulkar nor Ponting has a triple century. This probably highlights an area where Lara is superior to the other two players under discussion; his knowledge of how to amass big scores," Chappell wrote in his column for 'Daily Telegraph'.