Cricket Blog

Looking at the recent India-Sri Lanka test series one can see that pretty soon we will be seeing a majosr shift in the Indian test team’s composition. The Fab 4, aka Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman, have not contributed at all to the team’s win in the second test. Its been 5 consecutive failures by these 4 talented and legendary batsmen.

Tendulkar is coming back from an injury so he would likely take some time to get into some form. Ganguly should hang up his boots and leave now with his pride intact. Laxman still has a couple of years left and needs to get into some sort of form sooner rather than later especially with the Aussies coming to town soon.

Dravid is the main worry for me here. The wall has certainly shown a lot of cracks ever since he renounced his captaincy last year. He has been out of form ever since. I am not sure how long the Indian board is going to wait before axing him from the team.

So, to the future. The Indian team’s bench strength has never looked so promising at it looks right now. Here is my team for the future (next 2 years):

1. Gautam Gambhir - Continues to prove his mettle against all oppositions in all forms of the game.
2. Virender Sehwag - No denying him now that he has found his form.
3. Rohit Sharma - The future wall of Indian cricket, in my opinion.
4. Sachin Tendulkar - What can you say about this man
5. VVS Laxman - Wristy elegance not found anywhere else now.
6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Indian cricket’s future.
7. Robin Uthapa/Yuvraj Singh/Irfan Pathan - Pick your choice depending on form and conditions.
8. Harbhajan Singh - Almost 300 test wickets. Need I say anymore.
9. Piyush Chawla/Pragyan Ojha/Amit Mishra - One of these will have to support Bhajji.
10. Zaheer Khan - He is back and he is meaner and leaner than ever.
11. Ishant Sharma - Indian cricket’s true express fast bowler. Ricky Ponting anyone.

Then there are Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel, Manpreet Singh Gony, and more waiting in the lines.

Post your comments on your future Indian Test team.

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Spectacular batting from young gun Rohit Sharma went in vain as the visitors chased 164 easily. A 7 wicket win ensured the winning streak continued for Yuvraj Singh. Deccan find themselves at the bottom of the table with just 1 win. Marsh and Jayawardene batted superbly for the Kings XI. VVS Laxman seems to have found some form for the Deccan Chargers.

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Spectacular batting from young gun Rohit Sharma went in vain as the visitors chased 164 easily. A 7 wicket win ensured the winning streak continued for Yuvraj Singh. Deccan find themselves at the bottom of the table with just 1 win. Marsh and Jayawardene batted superbly for the Kings XI. VVS Laxman seems to have found some form for the Deccan Chargers.

Click here for the full scorecard

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What a superb match and a sensational win to Team India. MS Dhoni’s boys did what previous Indian legends could never accomplish. This win in the best of three finals will rank as high as the Twenty20 World Cup. Massive celebrations at the end of the match clearly indicated the emotions that the Indians were going through. After a controversial summer, the Indians managed to tell the Aussies - Shut the hell up.

Sachin Tendulkar was the standout performer for India and played two dream innings just when it mattered. He silenced his critics, for now, by playing match winning knocks in the crucial finals. But the real heroes were the 19 and 20 year olds backed by their maverick captain. I still remember Dhoni calling this team as “My team” in the presentation ceremony. This performance, coupled with the T20 win, has surely put an end to the One day careers of Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly.

Playing with the most inexperienced side in this tri-series, Dhoni and his “boys” have proven that experience without will and talent is like a glass without water. I, for one, had been extremely impressed by the selectors’ decision to pack the squad with these talented youngsters. The fact was that these players had already proven themselves in the T20 World Cup. How many tournaments have Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman won for India? I am not questioning the talent and experience of these four, but at the end of the day, results matter.

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Watch the full highlights of the first final match which India won by 6 wickets thanks to a sensational unbeaten ton by Sachin Tendulkar.

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