'He can do it' - Brian Lara names surprising batter who can break his staggering record of 400 and 501*

Cricket has witnessed many record-makers and record-breakers over the years. However, some records seem unbreakable, one of which is West Indies legend Brian Lara's highest Test score of 400. It's going to be 20 years since Lara set this world record, but no one has been able to touch it yet. However, the great man believes it will be broken in the future and named the batter with the best chance of doing so.

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Lara stunned the cricket world with 400 runs in a Test match against England in 2004. The second-highest score is former Australia opener Matthew Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe. Notably, the 'Prince of Port of Spain' also holds the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket - an unbeaten 501 in a County Championship match for Warwickshire against Durham way back in 1994.

Speaking to Anandabazar Patrika, the former West Indies captain heaped praise on India's rising sensation Shubman Gill and picked him to break his two towering feats. "Shubman Gill can break both my records. Gill is the most talented batter in this new generation. He will rule cricket in the coming years. I believe he will go on to break many big records," Lara said. 

"If Gill plays County cricket then he can break my 501*. In Test cricket, he can surely go past 400. Cricket has changed a lot, especially batting. Batters play t20 leagues across the globe. IPL has changed everything. The scoring rate has gone up. So you will keep seeing big scores. Shubman will score big, mark my words," he added.

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Lara talks about Gill's performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup

Gill got off to a great start to his ODI career, becoming the fastest player to reach 2000 runs in just 38 innings. The 24-year-old has so far played 44 ODIs and scored 2271 runs including six centuries. However, the right-hander could not live up to the expectations in the recently concluded 2023 ODI World Cup. But Lara, who hailed the youngster for his scintillating knocks, believes that he will win many major tournaments for India in the coming years. 

"Gill didn't score a century (in the World Cup) but look at the knocks he has already played. He has centuries in all formats, has smashed a double hundred in ODIs and has also played many match-winnings in the IPL. I'm sure he will win many major tournaments in the future," the 54-year-old said.