Fab Five of Indian cricket – now a distant memory

Fab Five of Indian cricket

The Fabulous Five of Indian cricket – Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S Laxman and Anil Kumble will always be a part of our cricketing legends, inspiring people of all ages. Their nonpareil battling / bowling performance and conduct on-field as well as off-field are etched in every cricket lover’s mind.

But after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, the only active international player from this group, I felt like this was the end of Fab Five. Yes, I know that the sentence is misleading, as they are still active on other cricket related programs, including commentary, analysis and writing. But for me it is not the same as like watching them thwarting other teams or battling together to save the team from crushing defeats.

Seeing Sachin on-field, in the pristine white test outfits, was like revisiting the golden days of Indian cricket (1999-2008), when they were playing together. Not often will you see a group of legendary players playing together in a team. West Indies had witnessed it and Australia had their share of greats too. Fab Five was our pride on the cricketing field, binding us together when Indian cricket was coming out of a dark period of match fixing.

Memories just flood in – the overall mastery of Sachin, un-flinching attitude of Ganguly, solid yet graceful defence of Dravid, artistic wrist work of Laxman and spin wizardry of Kumble. Sachin instilled fear on opposition bowlers and the controlled arrogance of Ganguly rattled even the great Australian Steve Waugh. Dravid and Laxman, with their mammoth batting partnerships and superior technique, always made us wonder when the next 300+ partnership will be. Kumble, the smiling assassin and gentle giant, caught the batsmen from all across the world in a web of intricate leg spin. Headingley, Adelaide, Kolkata, Delhi, Hamilton, Multan – together they enthralled us wherever they went.

Victory or defeat – it never mattered for them. What they believed was to fight till the end irrespective of the results, and do it in the spirit of the game. And they did it with style. Through thick and thin they stood together, for a great cause – Team India.

Now, Sachin, the very last link that connected those good old memories has bid adieu to test cricket. We should have to resign to the fact that Star Sports or ESPN will always be revisiting the highlights of their best matches. But will that be enough? No, watching the bits and pieces will only make matters worse. At least for me.