The greatest Indo-Pak team of all time - A story of 2003 World Cup
The greatest team of all time
Republic Day – which comes up in 10 days – and Independence Day are the two days in a year which gets me into a contemplative “what-if” mode. We have heard many a wise person talk about an undivided India and what could have been its future potential as a nation.
One thing which doesn’t come up that often is the lip-smacking possibilities of a joint Indo-Pak cricket team. A team which would have the silken skills of Indian batsmanship and the unbelievable dexterity of Pakistani fast bowling. A team which would be capable of putting up a steady show each time it took the field and yet raise the bar a few notches higher in times of adversity with their mercurial skills.
Most efforts to “build” an Indo-Pak team in the past have largely concentrated on an All-Time XI. So you would have a Zaheer Abbas playing alongside a Sachin Tendulkar and a Bhagwat Chandrashekhar bowling in tandem with Wasim Akram. While the endeavours have mostly been noteworthy, what I would be interested in is a team which would be the greatest of its era. Something on the lines of Bradman’s Invincibles or the West Indies team of the late 70s and early 80s.
And it is very difficult to keep your personal bias out of the equation when you attempt something like this. Which is why I would place this particular team in the South African summer of 2003 – a time when time hadn’t dulled my passion or memory – as they look forward to launching their World Cup campaign. To give this article a feeling of authenticity, whatever comes next would be in the form of an actual newspaper article which might have been written at that time had our policy makers decided on a different fate for us in 1947.
January 26, 2003 – After celebrating Republic Day at home, the Indian cricket team departed for South Africa today carrying the wishes and goodwill of the world’s most populous nation. Most cricket pundits feel that 2003 is the year the trophy could come back home – eleven years after Imran’s Tigers had set the Australian shores on fire and seven years after Azharuddin’s men were booed to ignominy at Eden Gardens after a failed bid to retain the title.
The manager of this team, incidentally, is no one other than Imran Khan and there is no doubt as to which side he will put his money on in this year’s showpiece event in the cricket calendar. In his own words, Imran feels that Sourav Ganguly‘s team will “not just win but will not lose a single match in the tournament”.
Coming from someone else and from a different team, these claims might have sounded ludicrous but, at least on paper, Imran’s words carry a lot of weight. The side is chock-a-block with superstars and for some of them this might be a final hurrah on the international stage. They would leave no stone unturned in a bid to sign out on a high.
Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq
Opening the batting would be the reliable firm of Messrs Tendulkar and Ganguly. As of date, they already share the highest number of century partnerships for an opening pair as well as the highest stand for the first wicket. Both of them are in good form and would be gunning for quick runs and a steady base at the same time.
The reserve opener lacks none of the pedigree of those mentioned earlier. Saeed Anwar has been one of the mainstays for his state team Pakistan. Pakistan has won the A H Kardar trophy – India’s domestic first class competition – a record 53 times and is known for providing an unending supply of quality fast bowlers to the national team.
They are also known for racking up big totals against opposition and, in recent times, this man has had a greater role to play in that more often than not. His most memorable exploits include a breathtaking 194 in an unofficial Pakistan versus the Rest of India match in 1997 to commemorate 50 years of India’s independence. His score still stands as the highest List A score by an Indian batsman but he reckons his teammate Sachin Tendulkar or the new kid on the block Virender Sehwag would beat it in the years to come – possibly even against an international attack.
Making a comeback at number three would be the familiar figure of Rahul Dravid. Dravid took over the gloves from Kamran Akmal last year and demoted himself to number five to lengthen the batting order but the presence of MS Dhoni (whom we will talk about later in the article) in the squad has allowed himself to bat in his favourite position. It is a mark of a team’s bench strength when a young Turk like Younis Khan, who would walk into any other team, has to wait for a chance to even make it to the final fifteen.
At number four would be the reassuring girth of Inzamam-ul-Haq. There has been a call for more athletic players in recent times but the likes of Yuvraj Singh are yet to hold up a candle to the batting of Inzamam-ul-Haq who provides India with both a calming presence and a battering ram in the middle order. His presence would be boosted by the inclusion of Yousuf Youhana at number five which essentially means that even if the opposition manages to make early inroads into this Indian batting lineup they would still have to contend with a rock solid middle order.