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Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  End of the road for Sourav Ganguly’s boys?
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End of the road for Sourav Ganguly’s boys?

Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singhthe fearsome quartet, once the backbone of Indian cricket, is on its way out

Sehwag’s future may depend on how the youngsters perform in the ongoing series. Photo: Pal Pillai/Getty ImagesPremium
Sehwag’s future may depend on how the youngsters perform in the ongoing series. Photo: Pal Pillai/Getty Images

OTHERS :

The iconic Bob Dylan song from 1974, Forever Young, could well have been a favourite with India’s cricket captain from 2000-05, Sourav Ganguly. Of the many talented players Ganguly unearthed and backed to the hilt in the Noughties, he may have hoped that the likes of Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh would stay forever young.

But age is unforgiving, and more so in sports. It didn’t spare Sachin Tendulkar. Nor is it sparing Ganguly’s “golden boys".

In 2011, when the Indian team went to Nottingham, UK, to play the Trent Bridge Test, veteran pace bowler Khan, injured at Lord’s in the first Test, was already out of the Test series—Nottingham happens to be where the five-match Test series between India and England started on Wednesday. Sehwag was struggling with fitness issues and was ruled out of the second Test after missing the first one. Harbhajan and Yuvraj did play that match but the Indians were humiliated, and the story of their decline began.

Over the next three years, the quartet that gave a distinct identity to Ganguly’s brave new India side would fade away one by one. Except Sehwag, the others returned from England midway through the 2011 tour, owing to injuries and bad form, and have never managed to reclaim their spots with any consistency. This time, they were not even considered good enough to make it to a touring party which has an unprecedented 18 members.

“I am not too sure that a long-term vision has been defined (by the Indian selectors) by excluding these players. If that is the case then fine, but you still need short-term results," says former India opener Sanjay Bangar, who toured England in 2002 with these players, and is the coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab. Recently, Bangar surprised everyone by picking Sehwag for the Kings XI Punjab squad in this year’s IPL, and was applauded later for making substantial use of the explosive opener. Apart from playing some fine cameos, Sehwag played a blinder against M.S. Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the eliminator game.

“I don’t think this is the end of the road for Viru (Sehwag)," Bangar says. “Of course, a lot will depend on how the youngsters perform in this series. When film actors age, they start playing character roles (instead of playing the main hero). The same applies to cricketers."

Zaheer Khan. Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
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Zaheer Khan. Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“You can’t really replace a Sehwag or Zaheer overnight, but the cruel fact is that Zaheer’s career is now over," says former India batsman and former selector Ashok Malhotra.

“If this young side wins the series in England, it will be even tougher for them," says Sanjay Jagdale, the only selector who has been involved with selecting both Ganguly’s and Dhoni’s teams.

While Khan’s omission from the team is a clear indication of his diminishing importance in Test cricket, he is no longer in the scheme of things for the One Day International (ODI) or Twenty20 (T20) teams either.

The selectors have repeatedly ignored Harbhajan and persisted with R. Ashwin, even giving Kashmir’s Parvez Rasool a chance (in the Bangladesh ODI series in June). The message is clear.

Since the Trent Bridge Test of 2011, Harbhajan has bowled 107 overs in Test cricket across six innings. The highest wicket-taker in Tests among the active players, Harbhajan has managed just seven wickets in the last three years. He has not featured in an ODI match since July 2011.

Harbhajan’s close friend and Punjab Ranji teammate Yuvraj’s struggle is no different. The 32-year-old has scored only two 50s in the last three years in ODIs, with a batting average of below 20. It wasn’t surprising that the southpaw didn’t even find a place in a second-string India team for the tour of Bangladesh.

“For Yuvi (Yuvraj), a Test comeback looks very tough, but you still can’t rule him out for the 2015 World Cup," Bangar says. “As far as Harbhajan is concerned, a lot will depend on how Ashwin performs in England. Bhajji (Harbhajan) has a better record outside the subcontinent and Ashwin still has to prove himself outside India."

Malhotra feels the only one of the quartet who has a chance of making a comeback is Harbhajan. The 34-year-old, with 694 international wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20 matches, had a decent Ranji season and was impressive during the IPL season that ended in June. Malhotra is so certain of the loss of form of the other three that he says they will not be called back even if India lose the Test series in England.

Jagdale, however, doesn’t rule out a dramatic turnaround. “If they stay fit and hungry, it still is not all over for them," he says. “Bhajji has to take inspiration from (Erapalli) Prasanna, who made a comeback in 1967 after being out for five years."

Time may be up for Ganguly’s boys, but they may find solace in Dylan’s song:

May your hands always be busy. May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation. When the winds of changes shift...

May you stay forever young.

Vimal Kumar is IBN7’s deputy sports editor and the author of Sachin: Cricketer Of The Century.

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Published: 09 Jul 2014, 08:05 PM IST
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