Brian Lara believes that Ricky Ponting can eventually take the Test run-scoring record from Sachin Tendulkar, who overtook Lara's mark of 11,953 runs on Friday. Lara said there was no better person he could have passed the mantle on to than Tendulkar, who he said had been "a great for so many years". Lara held the world record for nearly three years, having passed Allan Border's milestone in Adelaide in November 2005. Tendulkar is nearly two years older than Ponting and has a lead of almost 2000 runs on him, but Lara expects Ponting to be the next man to top the Test tally.
"I would think that he [Ponting] still has 30 or 40 Tests matches [left] under his belt," Lara said while visiting Australia this week. "He has already gone past 10,000 runs, so it is one of those records that if you play long enough and you score runs consistently, you are capable of doing it."
Tendulkar, 35, overhauled Lara's total during the second Test against Australia in Mohali. Lara knew his record would not stand forever and he said he was pleased that it was Tendulkar who succeeded him as the greatest run scorer.
"[There is] no better individual or batsman in the world that could go past you, or maybe you can pass the mark on to, than Sachin Tendulkar," Lara said. "He has been a great for so many years and is someone who is deserving of such a record. So I just want to wish him the best.
"To have held it for a couple of years is good. [I have] a couple more records in the bag so I've still got a few to hold on to. But it's a feeling that I've had my opportunity. To get there first of all and to achieve it and hold that mark for a period of time is great in itself. There was no sadness at all."
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