Sachin and Sunil, Kapil and Srinath
L Sivaramakrishnan, the former India legspinner, picks his favourite India XI.
After
the India-Sri Lanka Test series, a lot of people were heard commenting
about how a Test side has to be different from a one-day team.
This was in reference to the Sri Lankan team who proved that their
one-day reputation does nothing for their Test results.
I believe that not only must the attitude be different, but even the composition
of the team must vary to suit the nature of a Test.
First of all, a Test is played over a period of five days.
We must take into account the wear and tear of the wicket. Very
rarely does a Test wicket show no change from day one. In
fact a good Test wicket will be a little fast on the first three
days and then slowly start favouring the spinners on days four
and five.
Keeping this in mind and also the balance required for a team
to bowl out the opposition twice, we need to find the right compromise
between batsmen and bowlers. We also need to see the condition
of the pitch before deciding on the number of pace bowlers
or spinners.
I have always wondered what it would be like if we
were allowed to choose an Indian team which included both
Sachin and Gavaskar, Srinath and Kapil Dev.
I have taken the liberty of choosing my favourite Indian Test
side from the players whose game I am familiar with.
This does not mean that the others, who do not form part of the
team I have chosen, are not talented cricketers. I have had to make some tough decisions. Why, even Jimmy Amarnath and Rahul Dravid do not find a place in
my dream team.
I know only too well that India has produced more than eleven skilful cricketers and would probably need to name at least three Indian teams to fit them all. Even then I might not exhaust the list of probables.
In the team that I have chosen, I have tried to keep in mind the
maxim that a Test side has to be different from a one-day squad.
I have tried to mix a lot of experience with youth and skill,
and keep the bowler-batsman balance. In picking my team, I have had
to imagine what fielding positions the players would
stand at to make sure that it is also a
good fielding side.
I would right away name Sunil
Gavaskar as captain of my team. Not only do I have great faith in his
captaining abilities, he, in my opinion, is one of
India's most successful skippers. Sunny would also
open the batting. Technically, he is one of the world's best openers.
His thirty-odd centuries are testimony to that. He
is a batsman who can set a rock solid foundation, making it easier for the batsmen who follow.
Mushtaq Ali would come in at number two. His aggressive style
will be a perfect foil for Sunny's solid game. Ali is capable
of getting quick runs and dominate the bowling when he gets going.
The opening pair should provide a study in contrasts.
While one batsman builds a strong foundation for the innings,
the other gets some quick runs on the board.
The number three position was a big dilemma. If I picked Jimmy
Amarnath then Azharuddin would not find a place in the side. After
much debate, I decided to go with Azhar because of his superior
fielding ability. Azhar made his debut at number three and scored centuries in his first three matches. A very attractive and wristy player, he is capable of contributing positively to a side.
I cannot imagine anyone other than G R Vishwanath at number four.
Like Azhar, he is an extremely graceful player, putting in the
minimum amount of effort. There has never been a time when India
lost a match when Vishy hit his sparkling centuries. His
squarecuts and leg glances are the kind of stuff dreams are made
of. Andy Roberts used to bowl to him with a deep point and that says a lot about Vishy's ability as a batsman par excellence.
At number five, I would like to have Sachin. He has a cricketing mind far beyond his
24 years and would lend a lot of depth to the middle order.
The number five slot is a vital position especially if there are some early
wickets going down. Sachin is also a good fielder in the slip
and close in positions.
No Indian XI would be complete without Kapil Dev at number six.
He is one of the best all-rounders the world has produced
and holds the record for the highest number of wickets in Test
cricket. Kapil has been the idol and the role model for many of
the medium pacers we have today. He can be very useful with
the bat as he has proved so often. A great natural athlete, he
is a good fielder both in close in positions and in the deep.
Kapil managed to stand out in a country where the bowling was
dominated by spinners. Though he could bowl extremely fast,
he cut down on his pace to enable him to bowl longer spells. Forever a team player I believe any country would want Kapil in its side.
Kirmani may not be the most technically brilliant of wicket-keepers,
but he had exceptional reflexes which made him one of the best
wicket-keepers in India. He never missed a stumping opportunity.
and his brilliance as a 'keeper is never more obvious then when he
used to keep wickets for Chandrashekhar. Chandra
was one of the most difficult bowlers to read. Kiri is also capable
of some good scores batting lower down in the order.
Srinath at number eight will provide
good support to Kapil when opening with the new ball. While Kapil
moves the ball away, Srinath moves the ball in toward the batsman.
This should prove a good combination to get some early wickets
and put the opposition in trouble.
Numbers nine, ten and eleven will be Prasanna, Bedi and Chandra.
The trio need no further mention other than that they are
among the best spinners the world has ever seen. They have won
many matches for India. Individually, each are capable of running
through a side giving the opposition no time to think or recover
from their collapse.
This team should score at least 350 runs, that
too on a bad day. This team is also
capable of playing result-oriented Test cricket which we lack
today.
L Sivaramakrishnan
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