Insight: Is India truly No.1 test side ?

Champion yet?

The ICC test Rankings must have started to gather some grime and dust as it has remained unchanged at the top spot for a year now. India has held to its numero uno rank despite some close test series. On paper  India is still ahead of England and South Africa by a good 7-point margin as of now. But considering the top clashes scheduled this year, the pecking order might shuffle dramatically. By the end of 2013, the table might favour the side who plays out a good season here.This is a positive sign for International Cricket with Australian invincibility being overthrown by other sides after a long era of predictability at the top. But looking at that Australian squad under Steve Waugh and then Ricky Ponting, one would not hesitate to call them a true world champion side. They not only ruled on paper  but created a 'fear' in minds of opposition. Beating that Aussie line-up was as rare as Sidhu's not laughing on a joke!! Here in this post I will compare that Australian team with current Indian line-up and find out where India needs to plug the gap to become a true no. ONE!!

1. Good core batting line-up: This is indubitably India's forte . A good batting order rarely crumbles and even if it does, it always finds atleast one soldier to rescue the side. In last decade, India have had different heroes who have stood up at different moments. The absence of one player doesn't make the batting helpless. With batters like Sachin, Dravid,Laxman, Sehwag and Gambhir- I would rate this line-up even better than the Aussie line-up of Hayden, Gilly, Ponting, Hussey and  Martin /Clarke.As far as bench strength is concerned, Indian bench of Kohli, Raina and pujara too seems better than North, Hughes and others. Although nobody can fill the shoes of current Indian legends but situation is quite healthy here.All in all, this aspect is well covered.

2. Pace line-up: Although Indian pacers manage to get wickets under the Zaheer spearheaded attack but they are nowhere near the dangerous troika of McGrath, Lee and Gillespee-who made the batsman dance to their tunes. A good bowling unit never lets the pressure off, always making the batter work for his runs. India hasn't found tag teams of bowlers who could bowl in tandem. Getting 20 wickets on flat pitches is a big ask for the side. Moreover,  Aussie bench strength of pacers is more sharp than the injury-prone medium pace attack of India. This is easily India's achilles' heel. After Zaheer's retirement, things seem even more bleak! Wonder what academies at domestic level are doing!

3. Captaincy: A captain is an anchor of the ship-guiding through treachorous waters. Steve Waugh ,as a captain, enthralled me. There was a non-chalance about his ways.Field placements, pressure handling, leading from the front, batting with tailenders- Oh! he was a leader . Dhoni seems to match him in captaincy skills with the calmness but nowhere in batting skills! Ponting ,on the other hand, never was a good captain-I believe. As far as Dhoni remains captain, future is shining for India!

4.Spin Quotient : Champion test teams always have a champion spinner. Australia had it in Warne. Nobody has stepped up after Warne quit the game. Although Stuart McGill showed some glimpses in twilight of his career. India has been a traditional spin warehouse. They may have lost a champion sportsperson in Kumble but Harbhajan has been a reliable option.  Still I think Bhajji hasn't stepped up that much. He seems flat when doesn't toss it up. Otherwise, he's a quality offie who can contain runs .Of late- Mishra, Ashwin, Ojha and Chawla have done their bits in ODIs. But something is still missing in the jigsaw .India needs their own Warne here.Where are the magicmen?!!

5. Pressure of playing away: With Australia , this was never a worry. they seemed to be equally ept on all turfs and in all climates-winning series all over the planet. Not only winning-whitewashing all over the earth. India started improving their dismal away record under the leadership of Ganguly and have gone a notch better under Dhoni. This aspect is not looking a worry anymore for Team India. Good going!

6.Showing aggression : A champion side sees oppurtunity in darkest of situations. Australia never gave up just like that. They came back and won from bad situations. India has become bolder but sometimes the team becomes ultra-defensive like that in last test match in West indies where they could have gone for a win. Under Dhoni, aggression will come natural to the team.

In a  nutshell, India is not yet fiery invincibles but they are a formidable side to beat. They might not yet threaten the oppositions but they are better than 1930 Bradman sena on their day! The coming series against England and Australia will clear the doubts whether their  test top ranking is here to stay or not. I should better stop speaking and let the team 's actions speak for themselves!

CHAMPIONS AREN'T BORN . THEY ARE MADE.

The wall that inspires

Determined as ever!

It has been around 12 years since I've been following cricket.In this considerably long duration I have always admired test cricket more than its baby versions just because of the sheer test of patience and determination it entails.It's even better when legendary players battle it out in adverse conditions-Swinging ball on a windy day with fierce pace on display.Such adversities separate the wheat from the chaff.The run-pelters without any inkling of technique fizzle out and the best in the business show their class.That innings of theirs ,with jaw dropping drives -that seem majestic and breath-taking square cuts, is something that forms an indelible part of my memory.I remember many such innings and without much surprise-most of these belong to the bat of the wall-Rahul Dravid.

There's something about Rahul Dravid that I've liked even more than the sacred maestro Sachin Tendulkar.Generally when he walks in, India's score reads 30/1 or 40/1 or even more pathetic and he has a job to do like all the No.3 ilk.You can tell from the way he focusses on the next ball, taps the bat , takes his stance , watches the ball being delivered , plays it at the very last moment with the softest of the touches- that he means business out here. Rarely will you see a loose shot from him.It's like watching the perfect defensive technique being replayed on a video again and again.Not just that defense,  his drives, pull, square cut , all seem like a flowing brook-smooth and flawless.At the best of the form in 2003-04 he seemed impenetrable.All his double hundreds( Oh that sacred Adelaide hundred)  came that season against Aussies in their backyard and against Pakistan.That period was apparently the peak of his beautiful career in service of Indian cricket.He has always been a team man-no doubt. Opening the innings in tests when needed and donning the gloves when India had no decent gloves man in entire country.Mr.Dependable has always had a promise in his way of batting on which the team banked in crisis.One more peculiar aspect of his batting has been the profuse sweating of his. Even in an hour of batting, his face perspires profusely.Dripped in sweat and defending like a wall-he seems the perfect example of determination on display.

Such an awesome career unfortunately has also had its share of criticisms.One being the World Cup 2007 fiasco in which the team had an early exit under his leadership. Other being his dip in form in last two years. Some pundits have predicted that he has lost his sheen and must have hung his boots by now.But I believe there's plenty more left in him and he must carry on till he enjoys playing his game.His recent century at Sabina park is a point in case. It was a meticulous effort  adorned by few classy drives in adverse conditions.When all other batters gave in to the bouncy and uneven pitch, he seemed to be in his own world. That itself accentuates his greatness.For me, he has always been a source of inspiration for the concentration and perseverance he puts to the task with not a wee bit of brag in his demeanor. When he'll hang hid bat, Indian cricket will lose a loyal servant, a cricketing legend, a modest human, a gentleman. Perhaps the void he'll bequeath will be too large for any shoes too fill in.

Rahul Dravids after all aren't born everyday.What a player!