Who will replace Sachin Tendulkar?
The search for Sachin’s replacement, when he does retire, will be a long and arduous one. (Getty Images)
The country is abuzz with the news that Sachin Tendulkar will soon hang up his boots. This will not only bring down the curtains on one of the most illustrious careers of cricketing history, but will also leave a void in Indian cricket. In case Sachin decides to retire after his 200th test, M.S. Dhoni and company will have loads of problems to address.
With a South African tour coming up in December and a five match Test series in England next year, it will be tough for Dhoni to find his replacement. Yes there are options, we have Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh etc. But the question is, will they come good in the fast and bouncy conditions. India have tried and tested many batsmen in the past, but they have failed to deliver.
Shikhar Dhawan is doing well at the top so he is a certainty for both these tours. But what about his opening partner? It will be silly to rely on Murali Vijay, he has been consistently inconsistent. One just can’t count on his performance in the home Test series against Australia.
Who will be the best man to fill Sachin’s shoes? It’s a tough call to make. Suresh Raina has had his share of problems against short balls and the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and James Anderson will certainly exploit this chink in his armour. Rohit Sharma has piled up tons of runs in domestic cricket, but lacks the temperament for Test cricket. Yuvraj Singh has his own fitness woes to address. Virender Sehwag has always been a “See ball, hit ball” player. His hand-eye co-ordination hasn’t clicked for a while.
Ajinkya Rahane has been the unlucky chap who has spent more time carrying drinks instead of fighting it out on the 22-yard strip. Gautam Gambhir has failed once again in division 2 county cricket in England.
Yes we can throw plenty of names about as to who can replace Sachin, but do they really have the firepower and the zeal to replace this great man. Number four is an important position in Test cricket. A player with the right temperament for Test cricket can come good at this important position. A player who has the ability to shift gears and has the right kind of shots will come good.
Subramaniam Badrinath from Tamil Nadu has been one of the guys who has piled up tons of runs in Ranji trophy. He has been very unlucky when it comes to playing for India. He holds an advantage over others. So why not give a chance to this lad from Chennai who has been delivering ever so consistently.Similarly Mohammad Kaif is also one of those who has done pretty well for his state side over the years. If an Ashish Nehra can make a comeback to the Indian team then why not him. He also has the experience and the taste of Test cricket.
Coming to the openers slot, what if Murali Vijay doesn’t come good? Do we have replacements? Yes we have tried and tested many openers in the past, but have never been able to stick to an opening duo except for Gambhir-Sehwag who did pretty well for a couple of years.Wasim Jaffer is 35+ but he does have a couple of years of cricket left in him. In the mean time an opener can be groomed so that he comes good in the future.
Sachin is a name who can never be replaced. He has been a player who has overcome his weaknesses and has reinvented himself a number of times in the past. But surely we do have players, who if nurtured in the right way, will stand up and deliver for Indian cricket.