Testing time for India’s Gen Next

The first Test against South Africa in Nagpur marked the first time since late 1996, when VVS Laxman made his debut, that India went into a Test with just one member of the vaunted 'Fab Four' in the playing eleven.

For close to a decade, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Laxman and Sourav Ganguly formed a formidable middle-order quartet that made it practically impossible for anyone else to get a look-in. Not even Virender Sehwag’s unique skills could unsettle the quartet, forcing the then think-tank of Ganguly and coach John Wright to promote the dasher from Delhi as an opener, a job he has performed with unqualified success.

Ganguly’s retirement in November 2008 provided the first genuine opening in the middle-order; in some ways, Yuvraj Singh was the automatic replacement, largely on the back of his limited-overs heroics, and while the left-hander has shown flashes of brilliance, he is still to convince the connoisseurs, despite nearly a decade in international cricket, that he is the real deal when it comes to Tests.

Injuries to Dravid and Laxman left Tendulkar as the lone seasoned torch-bearer in Nagpur. The little man kept his end of the bargain up with a classy second-innings century in a losing cause, but of greater interest was how the rest of the middle-order, particularly Murali Vijay at number three and S Badrinath, shaped up. After all, not too long from now, India will have to reconcile to life without their middle-order gems. A sneak preview of what the men most likely to step into the giant shoes was on offer at the VCA stadium, and while the signs were encouraging, both the Tamil Nadu boys have a long, long way to go.

“Not too long back, everyone was talking about how the ‘Fab Four’ was a thing of the past,” pointed out Woorkeri Raman, the former India opener who is currently the coach of the Tamil Nadu team, and has thus worked closely with Vijay and Badrinath. “All it took for everyone to jump on them was one not-so-good series in Sri Lanka. “You don’t get batsmen of the calibre of Rahul, Sachin and Laxman ever so often. Obviously, it won’t be easy to replace them, but we must put steps in place to make sure that the next generation is well prepared by the time it is blooded on the Test stage on a permanent basis.”

Vijay is an opening batsman who played in the middle-order in Dhaka and Nagpur because of injuries to Laxman and Dravid. Badrinath, 29, has served a long apprenticeship in domestic cricket, and offered enough hints with his first-innings 56 that he isn’t out of place in the more demanding cauldron of Test cricket. “Both have what it takes to be successful at the Test level,” Raman agreed. “However, it is important that Vijay and Badri, as well as the others who are considered prospective middle-order replacements, are equipped better when it comes to Test cricket.” Raman suggested a vigorous India ‘A’ mechanism that takes the cream of India’s bench strength out of its comfort zone. “Most of them are contracted to the BCCI. It won’t be a bad idea for the Board to make sure that at least 30 days a year, if not more, the ‘A’ team plays in domestic first-class competitions in Australia, South Africa and England so that the batsmen get accustomed to playing quality fast bowling on pitches that help bowlers, and the bowlers learn not to be overawed when they occasionally come across a surface with pace and bounce.

“A lot of young batsmen have made loads of runs in India and batted for long periods. They have shown that they have the temperament and the ability to score big runs.
“But it’s important to realise that in Test cricket, you might sometimes go an hour without being able to score a run. I am not sure if that can ever be the case in Indian domestic cricket, which is why I am of the opinion that the younger batsmen will benefit immensely from playing ‘A’ cricket in Australia, South Africa or even Sri Lanka, where at least three bowlers will consistently bowl in excess of 135 kmph.

“We must show patience and not expect batsmen coming in to straightaway perform like a Dravid or a Tendulkar,” Raman remarked. “We must also prepare them for the challenges ahead, and particularly now, when we know that there isn’t too much time on hand.”