Shane Warne and James Anderson pick the best batsmen they have faced

The on-the-field rivalry between Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne has been one of the fiercest and celebrated stories of the sport. Sachin’s uncanny ability to hit Warne’s inimitable deliveries with ease and Warne’s umpteen Sachin dismissals have both been a part of the cricketing lore. But the players themselves have kept a very good friendship with each other and Warne has always maintained that Sachin was the most dangerous batsman in the world to bowl to.    

Coming to the IPL show for Fox Sports, Warne reiterated his views and said, "For me, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar were the best two of my era - no one got close to those guys. Then there was a bit of a gap and you can put in the likes of Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Graham Gooch."

However, sitting next to him, England pacer James Anderson, who has 467 Test wickets and 26 ODI wickets to his name, decided to go with his Ashes rival Ricky Ponting and South African batsman Hashim Amla as the dangerous batsmen to bowl to.

Anderson said, "I'd put Ponting right up there, especially in Australian conditions. Basically, he hit you off your length and made it really difficult for you to settle as a bowler. Now, Hashim Amla is right up there - he's very difficult to bowl at, especially in Test cricket."

Warner, on being asked what made him the cricketer that he was, credited his ability to understand his own game as the biggest reason for his success.

The legendary leggie said, "I think my greatest asset was probably my passion for the game, as well as out-thinking batsmen. I've got plenty of weaknesses too! Understanding and knowing yourself is really important - the sooner you know what you need to do to get right for a game and how you think the better. There are different ways to prepare, not just going to the nets."