From Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma: Brett Lee reveals what made India’s cricket icons so difficult to beat

Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee opened up about his battles with Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, recalling what stood out to him when he faced the three batters at different stages of their careers.

Speaking on the Ranveer Allahbadia Show, Lee looked back at his encounters with Tendulkar and joked about the difficulty of dismissing the legendary batter.

Recalling one of his memorable moments against Tendulkar, Lee said, “Oh, this is a beamer. I remember this. Yeah, I'm just talking about beamers and sorry, Sachin. I felt so bad there. Didn't feel bad there. That was MCG long shot.”

Lee was referring to an incident at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Tendulkar appeared to misjudge a delivery. “He thought the ball didn't bounce. That's how a whole generation of Indian fans remembers you,” Lee said.

Asked what he did when he managed to dismiss Tendulkar, Lee joked that there was no elaborate strategy involved. “Pray firstly. Visualize, manifest, and pray,” he said, before adding that he had managed to get Tendulkar out a few times and was happy about it.

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Lee also spoke about Tendulkar's enormous influence on Indian cricket and said it was unfortunate that younger fans had not seen him play during his career. “It breaks my heart that an entire generation hasn't seen Sachin Tendulkar bat,” he said, urging them to “go back and watch him”.

Brett Lee saw Kohli's potential early

Lee also recalled facing a young Virat Kohli and said he could identify something special in the Indian batter even before he became one of the biggest names in world cricket.

Asked whether he thought Kohli would become the player he eventually did, Lee replied, “Yes,” explaining that he could see it in Kohli's eyes. According to Lee, some athletes possess a particular mental strength that allows them to focus more intensely than others.

“You can see it in his eyes,” Lee said. “There are sports people that they've got it and they might not have it at the start, but they've got that mental aptitude whether they can just focus more than other people.”

Lee said Kohli's intense presence was noticeable even when he was a young player. “He looks straight at you and just not looks through you, but like it's game on,” Lee said, adding that Kohli appeared to have the mindset of someone who believed, “you aren't going to get me out.”

Lee said he could still see the same quality in Kohli today, calling him “the same tiger” and praising his career.

He also defended Kohli against the constant criticism that can follow a poor performance, particularly in the social media era. Lee said comparisons across generations were unfair because the pressures faced by players have changed significantly.

“Think of what Sunny Gavaskar did. Sunil Gavaskar was massive, right? And then Sachin Tendulkar then became the guy that would try to take that mantle piece off or that trophy away from him,” Lee said.

He explained that Tendulkar subsequently carried the expectations of millions of Indian fans, while Kohli had to deal with an additional layer of scrutiny brought by social media. “They had the press back in our day but there was no social media, thank god. And now Kohli's got to deal with all the stuff that's written about him sometimes,” Lee said.

“Everyone's got a camera. Everyone's a journalist. People can think what they want. If he hasn't scored one run in a game, then he's past his best. It's all rubbish. Like, have a look at his record,” Lee said, before describing Kohli's record as “impeccable” and “incredible”.

Rohit Sharma's aggression stood out to Lee

Lee also praised Rohit Sharma, naming him among his favourite players to watch, particularly because of his pull shot. “He's one of my favorite players to watch, especially the pull shot,” Lee said.

Lee, who also faced Rohit early in his career, said the Indian batter's aggression immediately stood out to him. Asked what he saw in a young Rohit, Lee replied, “Aggression. Didn't back down.”

He connected that attitude to the broader transformation in Indian cricket around the early 2000s, when the team began showing greater confidence against the world's leading sides.

Lee said other teams had previously been able to “look down” on India and “muscle my way through this”, but that attitude changed when India began standing up to its opponents. “They were like, ‘No, we're not having this,’ and they stood up to the world,” he said.

According to Lee, India's emphasis on fitness and technique also played a major role in that transformation. He credited former India captain Sourav Ganguly for his contribution to the change, while also acknowledging Tendulkar's role.

Lee said the impact of that generation can still be seen in the current Indian team, adding that “this team's carrying over Kohli's legacy”.

At the same time, Lee said the enormous celebrity status of India's leading cricketers can sometimes make it difficult to separate their sporting performances from the wider attention surrounding them. “They're like Bollywood stars with cricket whites on,” he said.