Opposition Tail Enders- Nightmares for India

THE INABILITY OF INDIAN BOWLING TO WIPE OUT OPPOSITION TAILS.



There were days in the nineties and also before when Indian team had the ammunition to wipe out the remainder of the opposition tail quickly in a matter of overs.
Anil Kumble being the leading destroyer most of the times. Kapil did it a few times.
The way Anil Kumble used to run into the tail and wipe them out, almost put India in a comfortable zone.
I can remember the infamous Sydney test of 2007. Australians were 5 or 6 down for a little over 150. A few umpiring errors , a few missed moments , and a gigantic innings from Andrew Symonds saw Australia not only post a huge total, but also register a thrilling win.
Many a times In the games versus England, India managed to get the first 5 or 6 wickets very quickly, and just when you think its gonna be India all the way , you have people like Ian Bell forming a huge partnership with someone like Butler, Moeen Ali or Broad who come in at no.7 , no.8 and no.9. the last 2 or 3 wicket partnerships pile up double than what the top 6 have got.. and there you have, India chasing the score all throughout the test match with the likes of Anderson, Broad and others challenging the Indian T20 specialists with genuine pace , swing and spin.
It is for the BCCI and the Indian think tank to think and plan and put in place a way for  a future that has to be promising.
Zaheer Khan and Ishant probably have been the last top quality fast bowlers that India has managed to produce. And how often Ishant has been off colour, giving the opposition a massive advantage on the first morning of the test match.
When can India have a pace bowler , bowling at 140-145kmph regularly on every corner of the planet, bowling in that corridor of uncertainity, bowling good challenging short stuff..? Without this important factor, looks highly unlikely India can win a few games in the near future whilst relying on the most inconsistent  batting line up ever , which has a habit of collapsing in a hurry, in a matter of few overs. (remember India's 2014 tour to England 1-2). Abject surrender has often been the word used.
We have had the most wonderful brains and huge legends of the game. Yet , the future doesn't look so bright. Its high time the BCCI , the coach and the captain think about a strategy to counter these dark clouds that loom over the greatest cricketing nation in the world.
We need bowlers who can clean up the likes of Ab DeVilliers, Williamson, Root, Steve Smith,Cook, Bell , Amla et all.. and We need batsmen who can face and stand tall against bowlers like Anderson- Broad, Morkel-Styen-Philander, Hazelwood-Johnson-Starc-Pattinson.. not on batting friendly wickets like Nagpur, but seaming and pacy conditions in Perth or Cape Town.
Certainly, there can never be another fab 5 , who have stood tall against the best of the bowlers of their time, and the Master Sir Sachin Tendulkar, who has faced Generations of fast bowlers!
Take a bow Sachin - Dravid-VVS-Sehwag-Ganguly in that order!

Bright and sunny days of indian cricket gone or lost!

Over the last two to three decades , Indian cricket followers and fans have witnessed some of the greatest cricketing moments in test match history, some great battles, nail biting finishes, spectacular individual brilliance that changes the game on its head, and some very very emotional moments of joy which have given a lump in the throat of many of us...
It was the England on its tour to India in 1992 -93 , An English team which had the likes of Graham Gooch , Mike Gatting , Alex Stewart, Graeme Hick and a few more.. India led by Mohd. Azharuddin had a young and inexperienced side that had Sachin Tendulkar,Anil Kumble , Venkatpathy Raju, Vinod Kambli, Rajesh Chauhan , kiran More .. That was the series INDIA whitewashed the British 3-0 , Kumble the wrecker in chief with 21 wickets in the series. That was the beginning of India dominance at home. The ODI series was shared 3-3.
The 1992 Tour to Australia saw the master Sachin Tendulkar scoring centuries at Perth and Sydney against a bowling attack that comprised of McDermott, Merv Hughes & co. Though India lost the series 4-0 and Sydney test drawn, It showed that India are in for a great future with young players stepping up and performing well.
Come 1996-97 and The Prince of Kolkatta signalled his arrival with a bang.. a ton at Lords on test Debut. The 96 runs scored by Rahul Dravid on Debut was overshadowed by the Off side brilliance of Sourav Ganguly.
Tendulkars brilliance at headingley had the british in awe.
Though India also lost the series in South Africa, Tendulkar and Azharuddin did play some magnificient innings to restore some pride.
In the middle of this lovely , fairy tale batting brilliances , there came that Painful test loss at Chennai against Pakistan which also witnessed one of the greatest innings in test match history by none other than the master himself, Sachin Tendulkar 136.
Anil Kumble at Kotla cleaned up the entire Pakistani team by picking 10 wickets in the innings.
A few years later came that sweet , one of its kind , one of the greatest test battles ,one of the greatest turnarounds, the 2001 test at Eden Gardens . The guy who turned the match on its head along with Rahul Dravid, had previously tormented the aussies in Sydney in 1999, by scoring 167 runs in a losing cause. That was just the indication of the things to come in future. At the Eden, while Australia were looking to wrap up things and the test most likely turning into a day 4 finish, Very Very Special Laxman played the innings of his life , turned the match and the series , ending the Australian record breaking juggernaut.
2003 test at Adelaide, another spectacle and a proud moment for Indian cricket. Ponting got a double and Australia piled up 550 plus. VVS and Dravid once again repeated kolkatta ,Ajit Agarkar broke the aussie batting and India chased down the total. Another lump in the throat moment.
Tendulkars brilliance at Sydney almost won India a series in Australia, before Steve Waugh Holded fort and the series was drawn.
 Mr. Virender Sehwag, probably the most destructive batsman India has ever produced, Century on debut against South Africa, almost a double (195) in the boxing day test at MCG, from being called Nawab of Najafgarh, One innings of brilliance and power, saw his coronation as Multan ka Sultan. 309, Indias first triple centurion, having Sachin (194) at the other end, saw India win the test match comfortably. A Rahul Dravid brilliance at Rawalpindi sealed the series for India.2-1
All these gentlemen, All part of one single team, The most feared batting line up in world cricket, Those were the most glorious days of Indian Cricket we have seen in our life.
Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid , Laxman, Ganguly the Fab Five, along with the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble gave India and its cricket crazy people many a smiles to remember.
All good things have to come to an end.. and the end began from 2011.. Indias tour to England.
By now, India had won the WorldCup in 2011, world T20 in 2007 and the extravaganza called IPL had already started.
The beginning of Decline-
2011 tour to England. None of the batsman clicks, None of the bowler seems to clean up the opposition. The English tail wagged in every test match, innings after innings, nothing seemed happening, Batsmen.. apart from Rahul Dravid, failed miserably, India lost 4-0.
Few months later, India Tour Australia .. the nightmares of England are repeated and India lost 4-0.
England visit India, Sehwag's brilliance helps India win the first test, then in the other tests, the best players of spin fall apart to English spinners and a series is Lost. 1-2.
The Phase of transition comes.
Ganguly , Dravid , laxman retire.
Sachin carries on for another season. Then retires.
I would read it as retirements of the master class ,retirement of the temperament , retirement of rock solid defense, Retirement of the technique and ability to stay on the crease for long.
None of the Indian batsman in the recent years has shown any of the following qualities consistently.
Too much of Limited overs cricket and IPL ? Ex- players say its rubbish to blame the IPL for this.
Indian test match scenario has come to the point that, none of the batsmen can survive good quality bowling, swing bowling, spin bowling.. None of the Bowlers have the ability to wipe out the opposition tail.
Todays Loss at Galle against Sri Lanka , confirms all our fears.. India as a test playing country is no longer a threat it used to be.
matches that should have been won.. are Lost... all in the name of positive cricket.
Gone are the days when we had VVS - Dravid who could bat all day , Gone are the days when we had Sehwag who could turn the game in one session, Gone are the days when we had Anil kumble wiping out the tail in a matter of few overs.
Hope Indian Cricket authorities realise before it is too late... We don't want to see an Indian team now losing a test match to Bangladesh.. probably that would be the last nail in the coffin...
- An Indian Cricket follower, mourning todays loss at Galle.