Monday, July 6, 2015

Is this India's best ever team in Test cricket?




Is this India's best ever team in Test cricket:
1.   Sunil Gavaskar
2.   Virender Sehwag
3.   Rahul Dravid
4.   Sachin Tendulkar
5.   Gundappa Visvanath
6.   Farokh Engineer
7.   Kapil Dev
8.   Zaheer Khan
9.   Anil Kumble
10. Bishen Singh Bedi
11. Erapalli Prasanna / Javagal Srinath

This team has five batsmen, five bowlers and a wicketkeeper. It has opening batsmen of contrasting styles, a technically accomplished player in Gavaskar and a dasher in Sehwag. It has a great allrounder in Kapil Dev and a top-class wicketkeeper-batsman in Farokh Engineer. The bowling would be opened from one end by the right-arm swing of Kapil Dev, and from the other end by the left-armer Zaheer Khan. In sub-continental conditions one would play the classical off-spinner Prasanna, while on overseas wickets the nippy paceman Srinath would get the nod.

But this is where the arguments would begin. Some may want VVS Laxman in. Others might prefer Syed Kirmani to the flamboyant Engineer. Old-timers may vote for the freakish Bhagwat Chandrasekhar instead of Kumble. There would probably be a case for Harbhajan Singh ahead of Prasanna. There might be several other names floating around.

And who would captain this team? My choice would be the astute Gavaskar. Start of another debate?    

No comments:

Post a Comment