The most saddest thing that has ever happened to Indian cricket is not the whitewashes at the hands of the Aussies and the English but the sudden yet expected retirements of two stalwarts of Indian cricket for over a decade -”RAHUL DRAVID” and “VVS LAXMAN”.
We all know the kind of players they were, the kind of impact they had on Indian cricket. They were true team players, doing all they could for team, not expecting anything in return. But like every good thing that comes to an end, these guys’ career has ended too. What was once called the “Fab Four” has become the last leaf now. And I believe, the little master’s time is up. I not only say this because his age is nearing forty as each day passes but, because this is the right time to groom a new look Indian team and it is the time for the new “Fab Four” to settle down.
Since the time Ganguly retired, there hasn’t been a suitable replacement for him. Many players including Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were tried out but no one was able to hold on to their place in the team. One can go as far as to say that it was the weakest link in the otherwise strong Indian batting line-up. But this changed last year when Kohli came on the scene and grabbed the position with strong performances in the limited version of the game. He made couple of fifties against West Indies and followed it up with decent performances in Australia.
I strongly feel that the youngsters should be given a extended run in the team to cement their positions. I feel that this is the right time not only because the away tours are not until the end of next year, but because being one the three newer faces will feel secure and since all of them are youngsters, they can understand and back each other up.
The next important thing is to find the right guys for the right positions. I personally believe Kohli has earned the number 4 spot because he closely resembles Sachin when it comes to building an innings. Being the number 4 in the ODI team already, Kohli can easily adapt and play in that position to full effect.
After seeing Cheteshwar Pujara bat in the first test against New Zealand, I think he is the right choice for the number three position. He exudes confidence while batting and shows extreme composure, poise and elegance; qualities Dravid was known for.
The next two spots opens up lots of possible combinations. There are six players mainly vying for these two spots. They are Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh (once he’s ready), Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Subramaniam Badrinath and Irfan Pathan. There are two main combinations that I would like to highlight here. My number one choice would be Irfan Pathan and the other spot should be given to either Subramaniam Badrinath or Manoj Tiwary. Irfan Pathan can play at the number 5 spot on the overseas tours mainly because he is an all-rounder. This will help in countries like Australia and England where we are in desperate need of a third seamer who can bat a bit. Since Irfan is not a pure batsman, the other batsman should be more than competent to play long innings because the number 6 will have to play with the tail enders most of the time. So they should be, in short, test specialists like Laxman.
My next combination would be Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma. Both these batsmen are good players of spin and could be an asset in sub-continental conditions. And with both them being able to bowl, it’ll be an added advantage to the team.
On the bowling front, it becomes quite easy to select the spinners especially after the West Indies tour to India last year. Already hailed as the “SPIN TWINS” by many, Ashwin and Ojha are bowling well as a pair. Zaheer Khan has come to his twilights and has little left of him to contribute in the longest format. Therefore the new pacers, once Zaheer decides to call it quits, should be groomed from now itself. Like in batting, there are many options and combinations when it comes to fast bowlers. The bowlers in contention are Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth,Varun Aaron, Ashok Dinda as of now. I think the ideal pair would be Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma because they complement each other well. Irfan can also be considered to fill in Zaheer’s place because their bowling is quite similar.
The openers and number seven batsmen are set for now. But when the time comes, players like Rahane and Abinav Mukund can fill in their place.
All in all, one can say that Indian cricket is in for some good times up ahead and we can soon lap up the new heroes of the Indian cricket team.
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