India V Australia – Post 1: the Fab 4 debate

We’re less than a week away from one of the most eagerly awaited test series of all: India vs Australia. After the excitement (cricketing and otherwise) of the last dual down under, one hopes this series will be remembered for great cricketing exhibitions than anything else.

A much hyped discussion these days is that of the “Fab 4” that is the legendary Indian middle order. Well, much of the guessing has been put to rest for the moment, with all 4 selected for the first 2 tests. And rightly so, irrespective of the failure in Sri Lanka, the 4 still remain India’s best bets for this all-important series.

However, there will soon come a time when the big 4 boots will have to be filled; so what are the prospects? Let me discuss a few obvious contenders:

Badrinath has been given the nod for the first two tests of the series. He has been among the most prolific run-getters in domestic cricket, and has truly deserved the recognition. However, the impression I get whenever I have seen him is that he is a little late on the ball and will be quite susceptible on the faster tracks. His showing against the Aussies in Hyderabad does not give much confidence.

Rohit Sharma has just hit a magnificent 105 against the Aussies. Yes, he surely seems to have the talent, and has more than proven his shot-making abilities in the shorter versions of the game. But, temperamentally he is not yet ready for test cdricket. He needs to invest at least one full Ranji season, and maybe some ‘A’ tours, to develop his mindset to build longer innings.

Yuvraj Singh is in my view, the 2nd most naturally gifted batsman to have represented India. (No disrespect to Gavaskar, Vishwanath, etc., and Ranjithsinhji played for England) But, alas he has been playing international cricket for a decade now, and has never displayed a mental aptitude for test cricket. Yes, he has had the odd big knock against Pakistan, but he refuses to correct basic flaws in his defensive technique. Anyways, by choosing to go out on a date in the middle of the crucial Sydney test, he has proven without doubt that he lacks any work ethic. Sorry Yuvi, you have flattered to deceive, and can forget about test cricket.

Suresh Raina was rated very highly by Greg Chappell, and that’s some bullet point for his resume. Notwithstanding Chappell’s failed stint as coach, he has been one of the finest batsmen, and has a fantastic eye for talent. Rewind to the 1991 WACA test, a certain S.R.Tendulkar, all of 19 years, had just completed a marvelous century when all his senior teammates fell like 10 pins. Greg Chappell, the commentator said, “We have just seen the emergence of one of the stars of the ‘90’s!!!”. And how true was his prophecy. Raina seems to have the complete package of a fine middle order batsman, and the humility to handle success. All the best boy, let’s hope you go all the way!

Manoj Tiwari is one name that has gone out of the limelight of late. He had a fantastic Ranji season last year, and was widely pitted to be a future test player for the country. He missed a superfast yorker from Brett Lee at Brisbane in his only ODI outing earlier this year. I thought Sehwag’s handling of this fine emerging talent during the IPL (Delhi Daredevils) was very disappointing and he deserved a much better run. He has a very solid technique and his strokeplay is a sight to watch; my vote to take over from Rahul Dravid. If he can be half as successful as Dravid, he’ll have done a great job.

Who are the other contenders? Mohammad Kaif has been given one too many chances, but has not shown the ability to play long innings. Robin Uthappa … nah that’s a long shot. Virat Kohli needs to prove himself for a couple of seasons at least.

So I have nominated 3 future Indian middle order batsmen (making Srikkanth’s job that much easier!) – Manoj Tiwari, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. What about the 4th? Let’s have some patience… we have till 2011 at least.. Sachin isn’t going to retire without winning the World Cup at the Wankhede!