Growing up with them: A fan's saga

(Note: This article got Editor's pick in Sportskeeda, here)

It was just another day. All seemed normal and clockwork. I was coming back from my coaching class when I checked my phone. A message flashed  " The greatest ODI batsman has retired". Words were pointing to the end. I took time believing that it was him. I read twice and many times over,  convincing my heart it can't be him. It had to be him. It was him. Sachin Tendulkar had retired from ODIs. Yes, he had just walked away partly.He decided to play only Tests. That too, as they think, for not too long.

I felt wronged that day. I felt like not watching cricket that day. It did't make sense to me. I watched cricket for a reason and the last piece of my reason was walking away into sunset. The legends had gone away into the sunset, one by one. I looked out of the bus window. The last call was near. End was near.

Times had changed.

Glimpses from the glorious past

My cricket watching had changed. Indian cricket has become stronger, we can beat anyone on our day. We aren't underdogs. We carry expectations to beat. World Cup has been conquered. Famous Test Series conquered. It was different then. It was a different experience watching a team do things for the first time. It was a good feeling to kill giants and be praised. It was an honour to watch classy Indian  batsmen being applauded by global cricket media.  It was a diffferent experience watching them grow into best batting line-up of world. I felt like being part of them. They represented growing India.

In 2000-01, when India played against Australia in Kolkata, nobody gave them a chance. We had a team written off before the match begun. It was a team of strugglers. Two quick  Australian wickets , then, was a miracle. A century against McGrath and Warne was a miracle. A win was a fable. Back then, centuries were rare and memorable. I remember watching Laxman and Dravid play out a day's play in Kolkata. It was sheer class. It was no less than art. Being treated with sublime shots against the best bowling attack. It was a revolution brewing up, of which I was a part. Every Indian fan was. It was like supporting a David who took on Goliath. Win wasn't expected. A litttle fight was cheered like a jab on the giant. It was fable, and I watched it being staged. A certain 11 year old fell in love with test cricket!

India didn't become invincibles but . Australia was too good a side to beat. it could humiliate a WorldXI. It could bowl out opposition in double digits. It used to defeat oppositions mentally and on the field. It was a champion team in those days. It was a colossal of legends who worked as a team. India was different. It was struggling slow-moving group that had its problems. It was hungry. I watched them struggle. I watched them get out on ducks and make centuries then. They were hungry to succeed. Ganguly took India to World Cup final in 2003, a miracle. Sachin looked destructive. India looked young. The test team was rebuilding. The Indian batsman were in 30s, an age of peaking. In 2003 fall, India went down under. A team that was tagged a bad visitor. It took on to the Australian attack. Sehwag, Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman. All got runs. I used to wake up at 4 am to watch the lion-hearted India inch closer to miracle. The miracle of beating Australia in Australia. I watched a miracle being staged again. I fell deeper into love with test cricket.

It separated , as they say, boys from men. Our men were tough. Our spirit tougher. World stood up and admired. I did too. With pride writ all over my face, I felt Indian.

 The perfection of Tendulkar, the fight of Ganguly, the resistance of Dravid, the class of Laxman. Indian batting turned into world class. It scared bowlers. It tired them and outclassed them. It was an experience watching them post mammoth totals. It was worth bunking schools. It was worth feeling passionate and proud. It felt like a throb of pride, when some English commentator appreciated Indian batting. It seemed a wonderful feeling. Our India was rising and catching eyes. It felt poetic justification that our economy too was developing. We wanted to conquer the world.

Times of transition arrived. We rose in ODI cricket. The younger and talented lads with nimble fielding skills started to get attention. The Fabulous four were getting on wrong side of 30s, Ganguly was not performing. In 2007-08, Kumble led a resurgence again. It felt like a reassurance. He retired soon. It felt weird. It seemed apprehensive. Everybody talked retirement. It just didn't feel timely. It felt wrong. Saurav Ganguly hanged his boots soon. It was one down, the other big three had come into discussion, " Who will retire when"  was a hot topic. I hated the discussion. I hated the smell of the end. I pushed the thought away.

 Our ODI team won world cup in 2011. The test team slumped to worst form. In 2012, it seemed clsoer. They were not scoring runs. Fingers were being pointed at them. People became logical in an emotional cricketing nation. Why all of a sudden? They were heroes not long before. They were not now. Were all suddenly indifferent? Why can't we let emotions override.

 Dravid couldn't take it. He went off. It took time sinking in. That famous  Adelaide square-cut seemed like yesterday. Was he going? Did I grow old? My cricket idol has decided to walk away without a farewell test. It didn't look apt. As an old cricket fan, I deserved to watch the doffing of hat and the standing ovation. He didn't want the glare. He broke hearts that day. I felt wronged as a fan. It looked treacherous. It wasn't apt.

Two months had passed, Laxman decided to walk away too on an afternoon after being picked in test team .He was hurt. So was I. No farewell test. No emotional departure. No farewell knock. Just few Eden memories and a sad media presentation. Did he too go like that? Didn't we deserve that wristy flick past mid off. It was just not apt. It wasn't.

Laxman and now Dravid. Two setbacks and that too silent. Away from the attention. Like a news report.

Just when 2012 was walking away from that dream of yesteryear. On that day in bus, I got this news of Sachin. An enthusiastic part of my cricket fan died a little. It won't be same. The time is near. On another dull day, he'll quit tests too. It will make headlines, tributes will pour and cricket world will move on. Indian team would change then. These names would be part of records and some lunch time talks. New young stars would take the centrestage. India will win more series. Be world-beaters. But that feeling of growing up with a team won't come. Like any other fan sitting in oblivion to the legends in my home, I have accepted the passing of an era. It isn't easy to see them go though. It isn't.

Sigh!

Michael Clarke: Best modern captain?

1)Teamplayer :

No other captain would have dared to declare on individual score of 329 even having a chance to go past Lara's 400  and still win the test somehow. He decided against individual feat and defeated India heavily.

2)Proactive:

His fields are impressive and proactive.He cleverly managed to get Sachin out in 90s in SCG,which could have been his 100th hundred.

3)Weak rebuilding team

:He manages to win test matches without McGrath, Gillespie, and Warne. The batsman aren't Hayden, Gilchrist and Martyn. On paper, the team is weak. The results? 9 tests out of 12 won!!

4)Leading by example:.

He has the record of most runs in 2012, 4th best ever.

His run-making has been prolific. 1500+ runs in 2012. Fourt best in a calendar year ever!! he has scored fourth DOUBLE TON this year. A record even Sir bradman didn't come close to!

5) Versatile

He is one of the best player of spin in the world. His feet play is good. That makes him score runs all over the world, and show the young team the way.

'On a good Length' thinks Clarke has handled a growing Australia well.

The Sixth Batsman Puzzle

BATSMAN BATSMAN EVERYWHERE, NO BATSMAN TO STAY!!

Since Ganguly's retirement, India have struggled to find a permanent number 6 batsman for quite a long time now. It is worth mentioning that Ganguly retired in November 2008 and since then it has been musical chairs between Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, both of whom have failed to impress. I researched a lot on ESPNcricinfo and found some puzzling statistics related to this. Although stats are no exact measure of quality, but numbers don't lie too.....

This shows overall record of Yuvraj and Raina in test matches. A dismal story of averages. Raina's average shows how many chances he has botched up.

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In foreign tours, amazingly Raina's average picks up a little. Yuvraj's average however plummets down below 30. Both of them again show sorry figures.

At home,  Yuvraj is impressive with a stable 42. Raina, surprisingly for most, averages just a meager 20 at home. Think again before calling him a good-for-home batsman!!

 Only VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli have looked ominously good at number6 since Ganguly's retirement. The former has retired and the latter now bats at number5.

     The ignored men: Look how prolific Rahane, Badrinath and others have been. Technically sound batsmen have been waiting in the wings for too long but the selectors have turned a blind eye on them. Its time they get their due! Badrinath has already crossed 32. Others seem on the right side of age, as the term goes.

Now this shows India's dismal story. I searched for the record of number 6 position batsmen in last 10 years . All test playing nations have one stable batter there. India's illogical selection policy has kept this spot open even till now. 

All in all, its time the selectors stop fiddling with same old options that aren't clicking. The ones waiting have to be tested. That is how the Ranji performers will be rewarded and not IPL stars. Justice awaits...where are the selectors to bring it???

Ps: Espn Stats search si so good, it took me just under 2 hours to do the whole Post!!

                                             

A hero deserves to walk out as hero.

 In Dark Knight, Batman says "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Somehow it is unfortunately apt for Indian Cricket God. I just wish I haven't seen the last of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar in test matches- a sight of Southee rattling his midddle stump, then a pang of anger controlled before it was to erupt-you knew the man with many highs was feeling low. In a career that had peaked again in last few years, one could have seen 'The Master' signing off at different highs. After World Cup 2011 probably.But, it never came. Not because he was selfish to earn more money, but because he wasn't selfish to retire when team needed him most. I felt bad today when a certain sections of media said " Sachin should go". I suppose they haven't earned the right to ask him to leave. I understand that nobody is bigger than the game itself, but some sportsmen are  a big part of the definition of that game.
Roger Federer for Tennis. Michael Schumacher for Formula1. Tiger Woods for Golf.  They make the game what it is. Sachin Tendulkar is that figure for world cricket. A household name synonymous to a good cricketer. When a child manages to hit bat with ball for the first time, people say " Sachin banega ye tou". That is how big the man is. 

A section of media said "Raina shouldn't make way for Rahane, Sachin should..Raina is the future, not Sachin". These narrow-minded literary experts don't know what impact Sachin has in dressing room, on the youngster even on the bench. 

When a certain 20 year bowler shouts at him. He looks away and hits next ball for four. That's how big he is.

When he hits a century, he looks at the skies for God and his father , and not at critics. That's  how big he is.

When he recieves booes from his home ground, he helps his team to a world cup win years later on that ground. That is how big is.

No he isn't bigger than the game. But he is bigg enough than your senseless comments.

In Castrol Awards ceremony, Sachin  told a reporter recently" the day i wake up and find no will to pick up a bat and play, I'll retire". It is amazing how somebody can have that will to give 100% for 22 years, every single day. Career of Sachin has been  longer than the age of some Indian Cricketers, that tells you of  his legendary cult status. And now to have fingers pointed at him, when 3-4 balls have found space between his pad and bat, is to disrespect the 22 years of selfless service. This makes you feel that perhaps, it is good to be be selfish and retire at a high. Because a hero who defined Indian Cricket for decades, should walk out as a hero. Nothing less.


'On a good Length' feels Sachin has the right to take his call.

The Fab Four Series: Part2

Part1: The ‘Change the trend’ tour down under

Part2: The World Cup debacle

Part3: The Controversial Oz tour.

Part4: The Sunset, losing streak and what lies ahead.

Note: A slight change in Part-2: Only World Cup debacle will be covered as it turned out be a lengthy narrative in itself.

Part2: The World Cup Debacle

I left the last part of this series, here, (click to see the last part) calling the Australian Tour the start of downfall of Saurav Ganguly’s batting form. With the wins on Australian soil, against Pakistan in 2004 and a successful 2003 World Cup on his CV, Ganguly was deemed the best captain India ever had by cricket pundits. But the runs from the southpaw’s willow dried completely in 2004 and thereupon every single loss highlighted his dismal batting run even more. Don’t dismiss it as small event; it was much more than just a drop in a single player’s confidence; it was the drop in the confidence of a team whose captain had become diffident. As always, when things go wrong ‘CHANGE’ is the buzzword.

Image source: Oulook

In September 2005, Greg Chappell took over the coaching reigns and pressed for the urgent need of blooding youngsters in team with 2007 World Cup in sight. The scapegoats were the non-performing old legs. Chappell had emailed the Board of Control for Cricket in India, stating that Ganguly was "physically and mentally" unfit to lead India. This email was leaked to the media and resulted in huge recoil from Ganguly's fans. And within a month, groggy, unathletic, out-of-form Saurav Ganguly was dropped and out-of-favour. A spate of controversies ensued, with coach making the news for all the wrong reasons.

One Fab4 member’s decline meant passing on of the baton, Rahul Dravid took over the leadership crown and as always, committed himself to a new role for the team.  In an era of mixed wins and losses and enshrouding controversies, Dravid helped the team to some memorable wins in West Indies. Under Dravid-Chappell, the ‘report card’ was an impressive read. India jumped from the 7^th ICC spot in ODIs to 3^rd in quick time. The ODI squad saw Raina and Dhoni emerging as responsible young batters who could chase down targets easily. Yuvraj Singh’s career grew in stature. Notably, chasing targets was a rarity in Ganguly’s golden era. But as the World Cup drew near, doubts started to creep in. The young team had a disastrous Champions Trophy in 2006. It resulted in comeback call of Saurav Ganguly to the frail ODI side. He justified selection ( like he said in an Ad) with some good knocks that. though lacked the old touch,  but still went down as ‘runs’ on scoreboard. Some anchoring fifties against Sri Lanka and West Indies in Feb 2007 secured Ganguly a spot in the World Cup. Ganguly’s success and youngsters’ simultaneous dip had messed up the Chappell vision. The team that went to Caribbean was finally a veteran team that featured Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid and Kumble. All the legends of last decade. But no Laxman.

In an illustrious career that had seen some classy knocks, Laxman failed to make it to another World Cup. His own ODI form had dropped after a spate of ODI centuries in 2004 that looked like a second life to his ODI career. But more than the decline, it was inconsistency and ‘one-paced game’ as per Chappell that kept him out-of-favour. The focus on fielding in that period always singled out Laxman .All this was despite his superb form in Australia and Pakistan in early 2004, when he made four centuries in 14 games, including three in a week in the VB Series in Australia. His good close-catching skills weren’t enough and a spate of centuries sandwiched between some inconsistent series, kept him out of ODI side mostly. He showcased timely brilliance to silence critics, like in West Indies. But, that was not enough for the five wise men and Chappell. As a final nail in the coffin, his dream of featuring in a World Cup seemed over when the World Cup team couldn’t afford him, with the age too nearing 33.

Sachin Tendulkar meanwhile was a shadow of its former self. His form was fickle, and his knocks had ‘accumulated singles’ written all over them. The injuries had cut down his shots especially the hook shot he churned out in 90s. Critics had written him off. Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis were at the peak of their careers, and Sachin’s records seemed vulnerable at one point of time.The World Cup affair of the little master raised hopes from fans, who wished to see him back among runs. And more than runs, back with that midas touch of old.

The World Cup was a dream that had eluded India for 20 years. A dream India’s Fabulous Four had not realized. India had fallen one short in 2003. It seemed a last shot at glory. Time was running out. Kumble was on the brink of retirement. All the hype of Chappell always had the keyword of World Cup mentioned in it. Time had come now. They were one of the favourites on slow Caribbean pitches with an experienced squad that looked formidable on paper. But they had to deliver on field, which unfortunately they didn’t.

In the opening match at port-of-Spain, Bangladesh turned out to be the David who killed the Goliath. All of a sudden, the same formidable eleven looked brittle, the bowling  attack became toothless, the batting crumbled. India didn’t lose the match; it lost the belief of winning the World Cup. The formalities of exit were completed in the first round itself. 2007 World Cup was perhaps the most controversial and dragging World Cup, with stretched schedule, early exit of Asian giants India and Pakistan, the sudden death of Bob Woolmer and the last three overs of the final being played in darkness, inter alia. Add to that some retirements, like every edition of this marquee event has. And finally an expected Australian hat-trick of World Cups to wind off a World Cup, which most Indians had stopped watching after Indian exit.. The sole consolation for India was a one-sided game against Bermuda where Sehwag and Yuvraj showed signs of form. Tendulkar failed for the first time in a World Cup, the event where his run-making was almost customary till now. He looked out of sorts and out of runs, so did the team.

Image source: SantaBanta

The image of teary-eyed Dravid in the final moments of Sri Lanka loss had said it all. Dravid, a thinking captain, had done so much in the past two years of rebuilding with Chappell. All those series wins, all those home ground chases, all those strategies, all those controversies, all that hard work had evaporated with the bottom line of India’s early exit. Unexpected debacle would be perhaps the only thing linked, when Dravid would be talked of as Indian Captain. It was clear that effigies will be burnt in protest. Some heads will roll. Some scapegoats will be singled out. Some inciting stories will be published in media. One thing was more certain:

Inside that teary eye of Dravid, a dream of a nation had shattered.

The debacle meant a leeway for critics. The voices that were murmuring till now about Sachin’s retirement found strength. Rahul Dravid’s captaincy career seemed over. Saurav Ganguly did no good by scoring a selfish-looking fifty against Bangladesh. Indian cricket perhaps needed a renewal. A long-term vision was called to be lacking. Fresh legs were in demand again. The names of Yuvraj Singh cropped up for captaincy in some circles. All of a sudden, the fabulous four looked toothless in impact.

Like a kid who does everything right in practice but still gets nervous on the stage, India veterans had not come good at the biggest stage-THE WORLD CUP. In a cricketing nation with short term memory, their past performances didn’t matter to the public anymore. The crevices had turned into gaping holes. They were being seen as heroes merely on paper; sheer nominal legends. Indian Cricket had found itself caught between the idea of youth and experience. The balance had perhaps gone awry. The strategies had gone awry perhaps. And perhaps, the career of the four Indian legends had too gone awry. But like all stories of superheroes, this end looked inapt and uncalled for.  Heroes are always meant to end with a win, I learned in childhood. This could not have been the end….

 In case you have missed the first part:
 Part-1 of Fab4 series
 

Cricket is not popular, Sir.

TEST PLAYING NATIONS: 10
OLYMPICS NATIONS: 204

Why Cricket is not in Olympics?” As top athletes fight out for medals in London, this question must have crossed most of cricket fans’ mind. Well, the two criteria that a sport has to satisfy to be in Olympics are universality and popularity among other factors. It is an interesting choice of words, mind you. Some will argue that cricket is a more popular sport than sports like canoe slalom, fencing and other lesser heard names which made it to Olympics. Yes, you are right. Statistically, cricket is the second most popular sport of the world as per an article in The New York Times, insubstantially though. Interestingly, the yardstick that defines the popularity of cricket can be the number of fans who follow it or the number of nations where it is popular. I would say cricket is popular in nations which share a huge percentage of population of the world like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But if you consider the global awareness of cricket, let alone popularity, it is gloomy.

And at this point of time, why can’t IOC build cricket stadiums for every country that hosts it? The reason they aren’t built is that nobody is interested in cricket there! If you think of host cities for Olympics: Atlanta, Barcelona, Athens, Beijing ..rarely there are cities in cricket-playing nations. I remember a one-off India Netherlands cricket match being telecasted on ESPNStar. The pre-match show had a survey of local Dutch people about cricket and surprisingly, cricket, the insect was more popular than cricket, the game there. And yes, Netherlands is close to the county-cricket nation England and has played in many ICC events! Unfortunately, Dutch scenario is just a case in point and no exception.

The Problem

If we look closely, besides the ten ICC full member nations, there are 36 Associate members and 60 Affiliate members out of which only six namely Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland play some ‘serious’ cricket. In other teams, you would find players who play cricket as a hobby on Sundays and work on the weekdays. The Bermuda team which played in World Cup 2007 is an example of this hobby-cricket. I wonder how many local Bermuda people even knew that Bermuda was representing itself in that ICC marquee event. Same goes for associate/affiliate teams who have had years of experience playing with each other and yet have not graduated to the top level. And how can they graduate if they don’t play against the better teams? Cricket thus remains a lesser-known sport in these associate/affiliate nations.


Another factor while discussing ‘popularity’ is the real popularity at grass root level. How many nations’ children play cricket on streets in their childhood? Very few. In fact, teams like USA and Canada don’t have Americans and Canadians playing in their teams but the Asians and County players who perhaps went there for a better career.
Associate nations need more examples like Netherland’s Ryan ten Doeschate in IPL, Big Bash, etc.
So, why are the other nations not playing cricket? The reasons are seemingly complex rules, lack of the required skill set and global academies to help budding cricketers evolve and compete with the best. Naturally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) won’t include a sport where podium finishes are decided before the games begin!

Solutions

The ICC gloats of popularizing cricket with various associate tournaments that happen round-the-clock. But the gap between test-playing nations and these associate/affiliate nations isn’t narrowing.  Apparently, these nations are playing in a zone of their own. Beating each other won’t help. They need serious cricket with full-members. The ICC is worried that a Denmark vs. India match won’t buy sponsors and stadium tickets, and that is why these games aren’t promoted. Don’t look much far – just count the difference between the tests Bangladesh and India plays per year. This money-drawing calendar of matches isn’t helping the ‘popularity’ of cricket.
A possible solution would be to let these associate teams tour the full-member nations more frequently to know how it is like playing at the bigger level. Some of these players will get noticed, get IPL, Big Bash contracts and the money will start to pour in these nations for better administration and facilities. It is a long term investment which might draw less people to stadiums initially but later on, as these nations show some fighting spirit, only the game of cricket will benefit.
Another solution will be to promote the inter-associate competitions more. Even county cricket is shown on television, then why not national cricket matches of associate nations. ICC needs to take a leaf from FIFA’s book which has ‘popularized’ football in all possible definitions of the word.
Next time while watching cricket, do let your cousin in Brussels or Vienna know what cricket is! The word might just spread..

'On a good Length'  feels cricket needs expansion.

Quotes about Laxman

I googled this term and was surprised to have found only two on Wikipedia page. In comparison, you would find avalanche of quotes easily on Sachin and Dravid. Anyways while I read several articles yesterday, I  found a handful of quotes sandwiched in between and most of them were amazing.

"If you get Dravid, great. If you get Sachin, brilliant. If you get Laxman, it's a miracle." Brett Lee repeats the words of wisdom of his former captain,Steve Waugh 

"I hope his back's pretty sore for next week as well and he can't play." Ricky Ponting pays a back-handed compliment to Australia's nemesis

Image source: rediff

At a nets session one remembers coach John Wright calling a young batsman and telling him, “Watch him, but don’t try to imitate. Only VVS can play them.” Yes, only Laxman could have played with such imperious dominance. Not at nets; in a challenging match situation.

Remembering  the one-wicket win over Australia at Mohali in 2010 when Laxman and Ishant Sharma added 81 runs for the ninth wicket. Ishant discovered his batting potential that afternoon. “Watching Laxman bhai bat, I thought this was easy. Watching him, I also thought how I wish I had been a batsman!”  

"When i walk out to play in Hyderabad I will feel a deep void. A void that can never be filled. My dear friend, VVS Laxman..."
India team-mate Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter after retirement announcement

"That was the brightest day in Laxman's career. That innings had a big impact on Indian cricket. It had given us a huge sense of relief and made us have belief in ourselves that we're not behind... Since then, we never looked back as Indian cricket kept improving."
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Laxman's 281 in the 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia

"VVS is one of the finest human beings to have played cricket. One of the main pillars of the team and a true friend. Words are not enough."
India team-mate Virender Sehwag

"His (Laxman) knock was absolutely fantastic and had a lot of character, guts and class. Definitely, it lifted me as such a knock puts a lot pressure on the bowlers. Laxman's knock was a big inspiration for me ," Rahul Dravid who returned to form and struck an unbeaten 155 on the fourth day of the second Test at Kolkata.

From carrying his innings to carrying himself, VVS has shown immense class. Will miss you Laxman bhai."
India team-mate Suresh Raina

"Not many batsmen made batting look as easy as VVS Laxman. If a cricketer's greatness is to be measured in terms of his performances against the best opposition of his time, then Laxman stands right at the top; his record against Australia, the world's No. 1 team for the better part of his career, speaks for itself. Indian cricket-lovers, and the game of cricket itself, will miss him for the elegance and grace that he epitomised, on and off the field."
BCCI president N Srinivasan

A wizard among muggles

-Sharda Ugra, Cricinfo

I feel sadder at VVS's departure than Dravid's. With Dravid, I respected *what* he did. With Laxman, I loved *how* he did it. Magic.

-Ramesh Srivats, Twitter

My favourite ones by Harsha Bhogle and Zaheer Khan,

"Requires a very special man to turn his back on a grandstand end and accept the moment has come. Rose in my eyes if he could any more."
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle aftr Laxman announced to retire an inch before his home test where he could have got farewell from home audience.

“On his day he could beat even 22 fielders and find the boundary,” as Zaheer Khan  analyzes after a laxman innings

The Fab Four Series: Part1

My affair with test cricket has coincided with the Fab4 of Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly and Dravid being the linchpin of Indian batting. With only vestiges of that era remaining, I look back at some of the moments involving fab4 that probably altered the course of Indian cricket. And went on to define it. Their contribution was much more than the runs they made together, perhaps something not quantifiable.

 fab4 series

Part1: The ‘Change the trend’ tour down under

Part2: The World Cup debacle and Controversial Oz tour.

Part3:The Sunset, losing streak and what lies ahead.

I will start with part one because it comes to my mind like yesterday, having seen the tour ball by ball. Part-II will follow. And Part III will wind off the series.

Part1: The ‘Change the trend’ tour down under

Image source: Cricinfo

The clock was striking four on a typical lazy winter morning in India. The kind of day on which most alarms would have got snoozed if it was not for a test match going on, oceans across at Adelaide Oval.  The stage was set. The Indian captain had scored a fighting century to ensure draw in the first match at Brisbane, a result which was more than acceptable from the bad tourists. A statement had been made with that century. ‘We can fight’ was the message. The Indian intentions were of something bigger than draw this time around and consequently, Adelaide test was something the media and fans were desperately waiting for. The second test began as a one-sided contest, putting lid to all the hype that preceded it. The first four sessions all belonged to the home side, as Indian bowlers helped Australia to post a mammoth 556 on scoreboard. Ricky Ponting smashed a 242, hitting Indian medium-pacers all over the park. Indians had their backs against the walls. The Indian batting had to rescue from the situation their bowlers had put them in. At 30/31, an age called to be a prime time for a batsman-Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman were probably playing in their last Australian-tour together. You had a feeling they would click, even if the pressure was mountainous. And they almost didn’t.

After a 66 run opening stand, Indian batting line-up crumbled to 85/4 within a few overs with all top four including Tendulkar and Ganguly back in pavilion. The Dravid-Laxman partnership was the last hope for the tourists in an illustrious line-up. The pair went on to recreate the Eden magic, only this time the protagonist and the deuteragonist exchanging roles. Dravid played the best innings of his life against a ‘Gillespie, MacGill and in-form Bichel ‘lead attack. A sublime 233, undoubtedly a magnum opus adorned with cuts, drives and pulls.The Wall batted 594 minutes on Day2 and 3, vindicating the sobriquet given to him. In an era where Dravid's rise met Sachin's fall, Rahul Dravid looked impermeable on the crease. There seemed no humanely way, at times,to procure his wicket. Laxman, the Picasso, meanwhile weaved wristy magic with some majestic pulls, scoring 148, an innings better than all but the 281. India went to achieve one of its greatest overseas victories ever thanks to Agarkar’s spell; with the montage of Dravid hitting the winning runs becoming one of the most memorable scenes of Indian cricket.  It wasn’t just a test win. It was a statement. A statement that Indian batting is not a nominal line-up gloating of statistics, but an aesthetic and impermeable line-up that can score runs on any surface against any line-up. Three members of fab4 had scored tons.

Image source: Cricinfo
The winning moment

‘The wounded tiger is dangerous’. Australia turned the tables in Melbourne test, outbatting the Indians again with Ponting going on to better his 242 with a 257. Sehwag scored a quick 195 but only Dravid could make an impact, as far as the fab four were concerned. Ganguly’s bat had gone quiet. Laxman failed in both innings. The pressure was back to India, and more precisely the spotlight was on Sachin Tendulkar, who was probably playing his last test in Australia, which though didn’t turn out to be his last, years later. The Sydney test was an emotional landmark for the Oz, as Steve Waugh had announced to retire. The focus was on Waugh and Tendulkar, the two great men. And as they say, ‘Cometh the moment, cometh the man’, both stole the limelight in their own ways with the former hitting a double century and the latter knitting a match-saving 80.  The Border-Gavaskar trophy was due for more grime-gathering, as it had remained intact in India after the series was drawn level. India had won the hearts. The fight from the tourists was not much expected. And when David gives Goliath a run for its money, it is the spirit of the fight that impresses the audience most.

The series was a landmark in Indian cricket. As a young cricket fan, I had this feeling that it was something that will define the subsequent years of Indian cricket. The fab four had all come good, at different times, when the team needed them. The series on one side marked the peak of Dravid and Laxman, then on other side a start of downfall of Ganguly’s own form. Tendulkar, one could see, had much more left ahead of him. One thing was sure after the tour, this was not the last tour down under of fab4. Indian cricket was a hypothetical level-up

In his blog years later, Aakash Chopra revealed the motto of the tour was ‘change the trend’, which they surely did…

Best Probable Indian Squad for New Zealand Series

Image source: Times Of India

India begins its test campaign after a lay-off of 7 months. Unlike the last 8 tests it lost, the next few are on its own home soil. With the home advantage and few good selections, India can get its winning momentum back and pep up the rankings too! This post acts as a fellow-selector in analyzing the best possible Indian squad that can be picked in post-Dravid era!

Step 1: Decomposition of 14 men squad:

A two-test home series needs to have 14 members. 15 or 16 member squad will mean at least 4 players benched throughout the series.

Position	Comment
Openers -2                                               Middle order Batsman-5                      Wicketkeeper-1 Spinners-3 Pacers- 3	(Don’t need third specialist opener in subcontinent) (Two extra batsmen for Dravid void ) (Settled) (Turning tracks)

Step2: Zeroing in on final team

A)Openers

No two opinions here. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are automatic selections. Sehwag,however, had a glute problem at the fag end of the series. In case of his unavailability, Rahane can sneak in.

B)Middle-Order Bat

Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli are automatic selections for number 4,5,6 positions in team. The number three position left void by Rahul Dravid is up for the grabs. Rohit Sharma’s dismal show has decreased his chances. Suresh Raina might not have done enough to convince of a test comeback. Cheteshwar Pujara will make the cut  most probably. While the fifth batsman might be Manoj Tiwary, on accounts of form.. S badrinath has not been on radar for India-A team even.

C)Wicketkeeper bat

MS Dhoni is the obvious and lone choice.

D) Spinners

This is interesting as Harbhajan took 3/29 for Essex recently that might make him the second-choice spinner for the home series. Ashwin is a certain choice. Ojha might edge out Rahul Sharma, given the lack of experience of latter.

E)Pacers

Zaheer Khan is a regular choice. Umesh Yadav might take the second place. Praveen Kumar, if fit, can sneak in as third-choice pacer. Injuries galore in this section as Ishant, Sreesanth, Aaron and Nehra all unfit and some gradually out of selection radar.

Conclusion

India won’t look to experiment with new faces much having lost last eight matches. It would like to take a safe route of winning a series and getting some wins under the belt before the October series against Aussies.

Squad

Virender Sehwag/Rahane (subject to fitness)

Gautam Gambhir

Cheteshwar Pujara

Sachin Tendulkar

VVS Laxman

Virat Kohli

MS Dhoni ( c&Wk)

Harbhajhan Singh

R Ashwin

Zaheer Khan

Umesh Yadav

Manoj Tiwary

Praveen Kumar/Ashok Dinda (subject to fitness)

Pragyan Ojha