Former Australia batsman Michael Bevan paid rich tributes to Brian Lara, saying the West Indies batting legend, who retired last week from international cricket, is a "once-in-a-generation player".

"He has been a fantastic player. When people watch him play, he gives so much entertainment and wonder. He does so many things that not many other players or batsman can do," Bevan told rediff.com on Tuesday.

• Also see: A legend leaves the arena

He, however, rates Sachin Tendulkar as the best batsman he played against.

"I played mostly against Lara in one-day cricket. I am not too sure he played a lot of matches against Australia, to tell you the truth. Most of the cricket I played against were teams like India and South Africa. So, from a batting perspective, I have seen a lot of Sachin Tendulkar play and he was extremely good to watch. He was a match-winner for India and he is probably the best batsman I played against in a one-day game," said Bevan.

The 36-year-old, however, said that there was no other better sight in world cricket than watching Lara in full flow and refused to make comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting.

"From a pure genius perspective, Lara is very hard to go past. He can play shots that no one else can play. And you sit up and take notice and wonder what is going to happen.

"Whereas Tendulkar and Ricky are a little bit less flamboyant. So they are all different types of players; I guess they are all fantastic players. It is really hard to rate them," he added.

The Australian left-hander further added that while Lara's retirement is a big blow for the West Indies, it also gives them an opportunity to blood new youngsters.

"It's going to be a big blow for West Indies. There are always those moments when a great player retires and they have to find a new one. It may also give a chance to get some fresh blood in the West Indies team and they now have the chance to forge their own performances and create a new environment for some younger players to come through," Bevan said.

Bevan, who played 18 Tests and 232 one-dayers for Australia, was regarded one of the best batsmen in the shorter version of the game.

• Also see: Australia is the form side: Bevan | Audio