Why India's current group of players should not be compared with the "Fab Four"
In India, we all are analyzers, have an opinion on everything and ready to impose our knowledge on everyone regardless of the topic. But when it comes to cricket, we become the experts and sometimes believe that we know better than the players, too. It is embarrassing enough, but I still admit that somewhere down the line, when I had gained ‘some’ knowledge of the game, I must have also behaved in the same way.
But in the end, it’s our passion and love for the game that brings out such over enthusiastic and passionate reactions. Cricket is undoubtedly the most celebrated, cherished and loved sport of the country. With the World Cup round the corner and the all-important series of Australia before it, there is no need to waste time on the fact that the Indian team is the hot topic of discussion for the cricket-crazy people of India at the moment.
Obviously, when we discuss, we ‘analyze’, ‘criticize’ and impose our ‘opinion’ too. After hearing a lot of interviews and media questions as to how the young guns of Indian cricket will perform on their toughest tour so far, I couldn’t resist giving my ‘opinion’, too, on what to expect and hope from the young team.
First of all, isn’t it strange that whenever India tours outside the subcontinent, be it anywhere (Australia, England, South Africa), it always becomes the “all-important tour” or “the tour that counts”? I have already given up my energy on this. These unnecessary statements, by the media to a large extent, are just to create hype and curiosity around the tour.
Even if India fail, it is not going to be the end of the world or the end of cricket in India. But the most important thing is the constant or rather consistent comparisons of the current crop of players with the “Fab Four”, namely Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, of Indian cricket, who will always remain the brightest talents the country has produced.
There is no doubt about their credentials and what all they have done for the betterment of the team, on and off the field. Being a cricket lover, I respect them all and their opinions are considered to be most influential. Whenever we see these former players giving interviews or attending press conferences, our heart goes out for them. To me, till date, Indian cricket and “Fab Four” go hand in hand.
They started shaping their careers when the team’s reputation was at stake. The infamous match-fixing controversy of 2000 had brought Indian cricket to its knees. Just then, these four individuals rose as a pillar of strength and made India realize its maximum potential. The team won matches when all seemed lost, and we witnessed the golden period of Indian Cricket.
No doubt Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath also played their roles to perfection and complemented the “Fab Four”. All these senior players had great strength as a player; they were all able leaders willing to do anything for the team, read the situations nicely and were calm and composed during the toughest of situations. But their era is over now. Cricket lovers in India need to accept it.
Most of us have accepted the reality but have failed to move on from them entirely. The comparisons with the younger players just don’t make sense to me. The younger lot will always be their successors and followers. They are here to have their own identities. No one is here to be the next ‘Rahul Dravid’ or ‘Sachin Tendulkar’. It’s not possible even biologically. The Cheteshwar Pujaras, Virat Kohlis and Ajinkya Rahanes are here to be the next big thing in Indian cricket and not the next Dravid, Tendulkar or Laxman.
Indian fans need to be patient with young players
True, India’s overseas Test record has been pathetic of late, to say the least. It cannot get more shameful than this. The patience levels of the fans have been tested already, with their inability to even put up a fight being a big concern.
However, it is important to note that players like Kohli, Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have made their entry into Test cricket only in the last 2-3 years. A few of them did spend time with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar among other senior players, giving them the opportunity to observe how these greats go about their cricket, but observing and actually performing are two vastly different things.
They all are relatively new to overseas conditions and should be given some time before people start judging their abilities. The only request from this younger lot is that they should take more time to eradicate their mistakes from the longer format. Some of the younger players still look a bit confused when in whites. They need to learn to respect the conditions as the red ball behaves differently, especially abroad.
Their ability to leave the ball outside off-stump, show more resilience, patience and fitness to play long innings or bowl longer spells has been tested, and they have under-performed. Their Test methods are not fully up to the mark, and the polishing of their skills needs time.
They are still new as tourists. No one can be great from the word go. You need to be ‘good’ first before becoming ‘great’. This is the case with the Indian players right now.
It’s high time we realized that the era of the “Fab Four” is over and it is difficult to expect anyone matching their lofty standards in the near future. I see great potential in players like Varun Aaron (my senior in school), Bhuvneshwar, Kohli and Rahane, just to name a few. These players have been given a long run in ODIs irrespective of their success or failures, as a result of which they are now a solid ODI team. They are known to playing risk-taking, aggressive and innovative cricket.
Test cricket is totally different. But having said that, the newer lot can certainly be the next big thing of Indian Cricket. These players have the potential to carry the mantle forward. They just need some space to breathe easy and perform without pressure. It is little unfair to term them as “ODI players” as they haven’t toured outside India in whites.
One thing that ‘we’ (well wishers and supporters of India) can do is not compare them with former greats and give them an extended run to help them find success. Who knows just like they have made India a dangerous side in ODIs, they may also make the Test team a competitive bunch. These players may well form their own ‘era’.