Team selection plays a vital role before the start of any game. While most would agree with the selectors, there would be some who would have wanted other players in the team.
As India plays its 500th Test match against New Zealand today, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given an opportunity for all the ardent supporters to create their ‘Dream Team’.
Yes, your own fantasy team. Imagine selecting a squad of Indian legends who have been a mainstay in the team over the years. While voting is going on full swing at Indian Cricket Team’s Facebook page, here are the options.For the second
For the second pacer, one can select Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Venkatesh Prasad, Irfan Pathan or Zaheer Khan. For my dream team, I would go with Zaheer Khan. His left-arm fast swing bowling was a delight to watch.
Who would you opt for as the first seamer in your team? Karsan Ghavri, Ramakant Desai, Javagal Srinath, Mohammad Nissar or Ishant Sharma? Javagal Srinath would be my pick. His consistency and impeccable line and length would work well with Zak’s swing bowling.
It’s time for the spinners now. Anil Kumble, EAS Prasanna, BS Chandrashekar, S Venkataraghavan or Dilip Doshi? All of them have made vital contributions to the team but for me it has to be Anil Kumble. Jumbo’s quicker ones and commitment to the game has made me a fan of his.
This is a tough one. Who would you select as the first spinner? Harbhajan Singh, Bapu Nadkarni, Bishan Singh Bedi, Subhash Gupte or Ravichandran Ashwin? Harbhajan’s hat-trick against the Aussies at Kolkata makes him my first choice.
Who will be the Keeper-batsmen? MS Dhoni, Farokh Engineer, Syed Kirmani, Nayan Mongia or Kiran More? For me, it has to be MS Dhoni. An aggressive finisher who can the dislodge the bails in a flash, just the kind of cricketer I was looking for.
Who would you select for the number six position? An all-rounder or a batsman? One can choose Vinoo Mankad, Amar Singh, Kapil Dev, Dattu Phadkar or Ravi Shastri. India has always struggled to find an all-rounder who can bowl fast. Kapil Dev is the best that we have had and I would opt for him blindly.
It’s time to strengthen the middle order. Vijay Hazare, Polly Umrigar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly or Sanjay Manjrekar? This is a tough one indeed. I can’t choose between VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. So, one of them will play in my dream team as the 12th man. What about you?
Here comes the mind-boggling question. Who would you select for the number 4 position? Will it be Virat Kohli, Vijay Manjrekar, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar or Gundappa Viswanath? For me, it would be Sachin Tendulkar any day. While Kohli is the future as far as Indian batting is concerned, I personally feel that he still has a lot to prove at the Test level.
Here’s an easy one. At least for me. Who would you pick for the number 3 batting position? Ajit Wadekar, Rusi Modi, Mohinder Amarnath, Vinod Kambli or Rahul Dravid? It has to be The Wall. A Test team without Rahul Dravid would be incomplete.
We are down to the opening slots. Vijay Merchant, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Chetan Chauhan, Virender Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir? Sehwag with his innings of 319, 309 and 293 has gold, silver, and bronze as far as the record for highest Indian scorer in Tests is concerned. If you have him on the team, like I would, then the opposition team is surely going to have a hard time.
Last but not the least. Who would you pick to face the first ball of the Test? Pankaj Roy, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Murali Vijay, Sunil Gavaskar or Wasim Jaffer? The original Little Master – Sunil Gavaskar, who was known to demolish any bowling line-up, would be my choice.
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