Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Gavaskar, Azhar, Tendulkar..er...
India has plummeted to abysmal depths against SA in the recently concluded series. And it is common knowledge that it is the batting that is the culprit.
The trouble is, during the days of yore, people could say 'India's much vaunted batting line up collapses again !'. Alas ! Atleast we were paper tigers ! There is NOBODY in the current line up who can threaten the opposition bowling, make them think, make them change strategy. Maybe Dhoni to an extent , but he's no big century maker, not one who can make a total up single handedly !
When Gavaskar departed from the international arena, there was a big void, Azhar stepped into the shoes of the master, and after a year or so, Tendulkar took the stage. All master batsmen, charismatic players about whom the batting could revolve, about whose century a competitive total could be put up. (The Azhar I'm talking about is the one who scored 3 centuries on the trot, who scored the fastest ODI ton of his times, Azhar at his wristy best)
And now Tendulkar's form has dipped, and he's not the player he was. Despite being the most loyal of Sachin fans around, I can't help but conclude that his exit seems imminent now. We need to unearth a phenomenal talent now, one who can restore India's batting to the lofty peaks it had once stood upon. We need a big century maker, one who can intimidate the opposition, one who can tear the bowling to smithereens.
Complete the series, Gavaskar, Azhar (that 1 year, his halcyon days), Tendulkar, _______________ . Answer needed urgently, for the health of Indian cricket !
The trouble is, during the days of yore, people could say 'India's much vaunted batting line up collapses again !'. Alas ! Atleast we were paper tigers ! There is NOBODY in the current line up who can threaten the opposition bowling, make them think, make them change strategy. Maybe Dhoni to an extent , but he's no big century maker, not one who can make a total up single handedly !
When Gavaskar departed from the international arena, there was a big void, Azhar stepped into the shoes of the master, and after a year or so, Tendulkar took the stage. All master batsmen, charismatic players about whom the batting could revolve, about whose century a competitive total could be put up. (The Azhar I'm talking about is the one who scored 3 centuries on the trot, who scored the fastest ODI ton of his times, Azhar at his wristy best)
And now Tendulkar's form has dipped, and he's not the player he was. Despite being the most loyal of Sachin fans around, I can't help but conclude that his exit seems imminent now. We need to unearth a phenomenal talent now, one who can restore India's batting to the lofty peaks it had once stood upon. We need a big century maker, one who can intimidate the opposition, one who can tear the bowling to smithereens.
Complete the series, Gavaskar, Azhar (that 1 year, his halcyon days), Tendulkar, _______________ . Answer needed urgently, for the health of Indian cricket !
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