Who's the world's best batsman?

The "who's the world's best batsman?" debate has produced a hung verdict for almost a decade.

Both Brian Charles Lara and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar have made it impossible for the other to don the mantle without dispute.

The central protagonists in India's five-Test series in the West Indies, starting on Thursday, Lara and Tendulkar will this time be involved in a head-to-head fight for the crown in what promises to be a dramatic Caribbean series.

"Who is better is the most difficult question to answer," former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar said last week.

"We need to study them at several levels, measure them against a wide range of yardsticks. And still it's a close call."

Lara, known as much for his flamboyance as for his world record Test score of 375, is perhaps the most belligerent dispatcher of a cricket ball since Viv Richards.

Tendulkar, India's batting linchpin for more than a decade, has been hailed as modern cricket's most complete player by a plethora of experts, including the late Don Bradman.

RUNAWAY LEADER

But the West Indian is a runaway leader if match-winning innings are taken as the barometer.

No one has struck more memorable knocks over the last 12 years than the 32-year-old left-hander.

Lara has 7,221 runs in 83 Tests at an average of 50.49. His 18 centuries include three double-hundreds and one triple-ton. His 277 at Sydney in 1993 against Australia and his 179 two years later at The Oval against England were both priceless.

But what truly defined Lara's style of play was the unbeaten 153 at Barbados in March 1999, when he brought up the last 69 runs with Curtly Ambrose and last-man Courtney Walsh to chase down 308 in the fourth innings for a stunning one-wicket win over Australia.

"The high backlift, the characteristic shuffle and the powerful punch that sends the ball racing to the fence are a part of Lara folklore," Richards said in an interview.

"If Lara is batting one day and Sachin the next, I won't choose between the two, I'll watch them both."

TON-DULKAR

But if consistency alone were the key to the debate, Tendulkar, third on the all-time Test centuries list with 28 in 91 matches, would be a comfortable pick.

The 28-year-old has scored his 7,673 test runs at 58.57.

"There is no doubt Sachin will cross Don Bradman's 29 Test hundreds in the Caribbean," former Test player Atul Wassan said.

Huge expectations from millions of fans in India before every series put a huge burden of responsibility on Tendulkar.

Seen as India's Mr Reliable, the man who fights on when everyone else has failed, anything less than a hundred from him is considered a disappointment.

The 28-year-old from Mumbai has struck several stand-out innings since his first Test ton at Old Trafford during India's 1990 tour of England.

His 177 at Nottingham and fighting 114 at Perth in 1992 were both hallmarks of his aggressive approach.

The legendary Bradman said Tendulkar's strokeplay reminded him of his own batting.

But the Indian has often been accused of not delivering the killer blow in Tests -- a charge he has not denied.

He was heavily criticised after India lost by 12 runs despite his 136 in the fourth innings against Pakistan at Madras in 1999.

"I have been disappointed with myself... I have to learn to finish games," he said in a recent television interview.

ENIGMATIC CHARACTERS

Both Tendulkar and Lara are perceived as being as enigmatic as they are brilliant.

Lara quit the West Indian team for almost six months in early 2000 after an unsuccessful stint as captain. He played golf while the rest of the cricketing world wondered about his future.

He was coaxed back to the team but missed home series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan, saying he was not mentally prepared due to inadequate support from the cricket authorities.

Tendulkar, who has twice given up the India captaincy, leads a low-profile life, out of the limelight when off the cricket field.

His mannerisms, and even more his new conservative playing style, suggest that the wonderboy -- he was first capped aged 16 -- has consciously slipped into the mould of the team's elder statesman.

"I've learnt to pace my innings better, I think my style has changed a bit," Tendulkar says, adding he has become more conservative in his shot selection and cut down on uninhibited strokeplay.

Lara, like Tendulkar seen as the core batsman in a weakening West Indies side, believes in hitting out of trouble.

He smashed Sri Lanka's bowlers to three big hundreds late last year for a 688-run series aggregate at 114.6 but still could not save his team from a 3-0 whitewash.

The Caribbean series will be demanding for both men, Lara returning from a three-month injury to try and preserve West Indies's still impressive home Test record while Tendulkar strives to give India their first series win outside south Asia in 17 years.

The contest will also settle the "who's the best?" debate -- at least for now.

Mail Cricket Editor