Two Decades of Amazing Cricket


               'God of Cricket', ‘The Wall’, ‘God of the offside’, ‘God of the second innings'.. these titles are testimony to their unforgettable and ineradicable contribution to the game. Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly retired in 2008, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired this year. These four members along with Sachin Tendulkar have been the pillars of the team for a long time. Pillars that stood tall and compelling when the ‘invincible’ Aussies ruled the world but India. Back then, having nightmares in India was a common thing for legends like Warne, Akhtar, Lee, Mcgrath, and others.

         


                Ganguly and Dravid, after a not-so-successful ODI debut, got a chance to play in a test match after a couple of senior players got injured. Little did the world know, that the match they were about to witness was going to change the future of Indian Cricket. That match created the legends we know as Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly. Ganguly scored a century, while Dravid scored 96. These two players formed a great pair and gave the batting line-up an audacious look.  In the 1999 world cup, they shared an amazing partnership of 318 runs. A match which made a mockery of the Sri Lankan bowlers (Dravid – 145, Ganguly – 183)

                Sachin Tendulkar made his test debut against Pakistan as a 16 year old. Though he did not have any magical debut, this man now holds almost all possible records for a batsman. Now, its more  like he breaks his own records every time he steps on the field. Being the first to score a 200 in ODIs and 100 centuries in all formats ain’t a joke. If I go more into SRT's statistics, I’ll end up damaging my keyboard. 

                I feel Anil Kumble and Laxman, both have been under-rated in India. In 2002, in a test match against West Indies, Kumble bowled with a broken jaw. What could be a better example of dedication and patriotism. In one of the more memorable matches he played, this man actually took all 10 Pakistan wickets in just one inning of a test match. About Laxman, he has a rather complicated name, but a very simple and efficient style of playing. Who can ever forget his winning knock of 281 versus Australia, after being asked to bat again. Its after this match, that captains these days think twice before asking the opponent to bat again.



     I read some articles by some former players, questioning Sachin’s reflexes and his about retirement. He is a great man, and I’m just nobody to comment on this. Hope the decision he takes, is in the best interests of the team. The retirement of Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble and Laxman has created a big void in the Indian team, but I’m pretty sure with Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni, Viru and Gambhir, India has enough experience to deal with this situation. Its just a matter of time.. and things will be great again.

Comments

  1. AndyMarch 31, 2013 at 11:02 AM

    Oh, I agree whole-heartedly with you about Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman. They were so underrated. But at least Kumble finally got to enjoy a very glorious end to his career. Poor Laxman didn't even get that!

    Out of these 4 Greats, There is no doubt that Sachin has always been the special one. While all the rest were dropped and expendable, Sachin has never been dropped!Awesome.

    Here's hoping that the next genertion of cricketers creates legends like these. We all need them, Awesome article.

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