Former South Africa pacer, Makhaya Ntini, said touring Australia and India was extremely difficult, but in terms of the sheer individual greatness with the bat, West Indies legend Brian Lara was the toughest batsman he ever came across.
"Facing Australia in Australia and India in India has always been tough. But when it comes to bowling at the toughest batsman, Lara was just too much," said Ntini during an Instagram live chat with former Zimbabwe pacer-turned-commentator, Pommie Mbangwa, on Friday (June 19).
"He was one of those guys whom you just couldn't wake up and bowl to. You needed to do your homework 110 per cent."
Across 18 Tests played against South Africa, Lara scored 1,715 runs at an average of 49.00, including 4 hundreds and five half-centuries.
Ntini, who played 11 of those Tests and took 53 wickets at just 23.67, also gave an insight into the level of preparations Proteas had in order to counter the amazing left-hander.
"We did so much research on him that we would know about his moods," he said. "Our wicket-keeper Mark Boucher would come and say that if Lara didn't change his bat during the innings, we are in trouble and if he did change his bat, he wasn't in a good mood."
"So every bowler would get excited hearing that he has been changing his bat because we knew that we could get him out quickly."
Ntini considers getting Lara twice at his home ground in Port of Spain during the 2001 tour as his best international performance.
"My best has to be against West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago at Lara's home. I took his wicket twice in the same game. I was over the moon… it was that special," he said.
Lara retired in 2007 with a record that puts him among the greatest batsmen to have played the game, with his legacy built in adversity amid West Indies' yet unarrested decline.
(Inputs from TOI)
