Test Cricket
India has now retained the top position in ICC test rankings for good amount of time. And for almost as long as five years we have been in the top 3 teams in international test cricket. It has been an upright journey. And we have witnessed some breath-taking conquests by India in recent times. India has defeated all top-class teams at their own homeland. Whether it is England or Australia or South Africa or even Sri Lanka the Indian team has displayed its splendid game against every nation. And whenever the big guns have been down due to injury our bench-strength filled the spot really well.
The Indian team has shown character to rise to big occasions. It has worked well as a unit. The batsmen have played their part very well. Sachin has shown vintage form. Laxman has displayed the grace and charisma he possesses. Sehwag and Gambhir come with a formidable opening stand most times. Dravid and Dhoni have also played their role well. The bowlers have also fared well. Zaheer and Bhajji have utilized their experience. At the same time they have always assisted other junior bowlers to make them perform. Now, at least the bowling line-up has the capability to take 20 wickets in a test match which our bowlers were previously incompetent in!
But, wait for a moment. Where do you see this team to be in world test cricket 3-5 years from now? I can say for sure that the three big guns for India – Laxman, Tendulkar and Dravid would have retired by then. These players are the backbone of our test team. They are the key players in our side as at least 2 of the 3 chip in with good contribution every match! When they do well, so does our team. And even their presence in the team is critical! Since, they are capable of boosting the youngsters perform around them.
The bad news is that they are all in their late 30’s. They are set to bid good byes to the game in the near future. With Ganguly’s retirement we already have lost one from the fab 4 (Laxman, Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly). And, still his place is vacant now as no one has been able to cement his place as a replacement. So, this already evidences that a ‘redevelopment phase’ will again start for us as the left fab trio leaves test cricket!
Though Yuvraj says he’s keen to prove that he belongs to test cricket I am afraid he is still not been able to do so! He has been around for more than five years and still not been able to convince the selectors. Raina has chipped in with some good performances in recent times. But, then, it is too early to declare him as one of the ‘void filler’ of the fab trio.
Pujara, Kohli, Rohit and Badrinath too are also good picks. But, are these young guns ready to play at the bouncy and fast pitches in Australia and South Africa? Do these players have the potential to toil for 5 days and perform in extreme conditions? And, most importantly will these greenhorns be ready by the time of fab 3’s retirement? There is no definite answer to these questions! But, the only solution which is visible is that the fab 3 must give time for the team to recollect by retiring asynchronously rather than simultaneously.
Tags: Australia, Cricket, England, ICC Test Rankings, India, Indian Sports, Sachin Tendulkar, South Africa, Sports, Sports India, Test Cricket, VVS Laxman
