Margao, Oct. 22: Rarely do we see such moments in Indian cricket. It happens once in a decade or maybe in 15 years, that the Indian batting line-up consists largely of young batsmen in their early twenties.
True, the World Cup, which is less than four months away, is one of the reasons for the young guns getting their opportunities and the tired legs taking a break. But it’s surely also a sneak peek into the future of Indian batting. A transformation, which is both exciting or nervous.
Thankfully, for Indian cricket, it is exciting times. And if what has transpired in the recent past pans out along desired lines, than their predecessors will be pleased that they are passing the baton to the right talent.
Led by Suresh Raina, who himself is 23, and future captaincy material, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Saurabh Tiwary, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara — the list goes on — are the names we will most often hear in future.
The Visakhapatnam win against Australia on Wednesday was spectacular in the way it came. Most often than not, after losing a couple of wickets in a big chase, India’s batsmen have taken the cautious route but Kohli and Raina were aggressive and not unfazed by the occasion. In the end, the victory was calm and the celebrations were maturely muted.
In fact the win, which put Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men 1-0 up with the final match to be played here on Sunday — was the highest successful run chase against Australia, the No. 1 side in the world. Yet, many would point out it came against a Aussie side, battling injuries, lack of self-confidence and a bowling line-up that contained two debutants. But the figures over the last 10 months make for different reading.
In 2010, India’s ODI team have seldom been full-strength but have managed to retain their No. 2 status. And the youngsters have played a crucial role, when the experienced hands Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh or Gautam Gambhir were unavailable.
In the 23 matches played this year, Dhoni and his boys have won 12 of them with Kohli and Raina leading the chart with 761 and 618 runs respectively. Of the lot, these two young men, with contrasting outlooks, have impressed the most. Raina’s rise has been phenomenal. Primed for success in the last five years, since former coach Greg Chappell tipped him for bigger deeds, the Uttar Pradesh lad has broken the shackles finally.
Indeed, Raina has benefitted from the influence of the IPL, but his century on Test debut against Sri Lanka this July, will stay in his memory for a long time. Still, a stiffer test lies ahead on the tour of South Africa and its bouncy pitches, for a batsman who is susceptible to chin music. But Raina has grown wiser with experience and if he can retain the same hunger to learn, then the southpaw will be around for a long time to come.
Kohli too can attain the same stature, if he doesn’t compromise his behaviour over his batting. The Delhi lad, all of 21, has experienced the high of winning the under-19 World Cup title as a captain and the low of losing his father — in the middle of a Ranji match. But Kohli has overcome all that, and his third ODI century on Wednesday, is a testament to his self belief.