Perth: Recently retired Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting always has lavished praise on Indian batting maestro and said that he is the best that he played against.

"Sachin was the best I played against, and that is coming from more of a captain's point of view as well, knowing he had so much success against us in our conditions and their conditions," Ponting said in Perth after Australia lost to South Africa in the third Test.

These words might come as a real inspiration to the under-fire Tendulkar who has been struggling with form.

Ponting who scored 13,378 runs in 17 years of international retired as the second highest run scorer behind Sachin.

Even though the Australian rated the master blasted as the best, he said that Brian Lara had won more matches than Sachin.

“The way I judge players has always been on their ability to win games, and win games by themselves. Lara probably did it more than what Sachin's done for India," he added.

He also mentioned Harbhajan Singh among the top three bowlers and said that he has been one of his tormentor-in-chief.

"Harbhajan's probably the other one who caused me as much grief as anything. He got me out a lot of times. Those guys (Harbhajan, Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram) through their careers can all put their hand up and say they had my measure."