Which of India's 2000s heroes would Virat Kohli want in his Test team

Remember the 2000s era? Indian cricket team before it was called Team India, The childhood heroes who made us watch a whole day of a Test Match ball by ball. Cricket was telecasted on Doordarshan, Indian fast bowlers were not famous for being lethal. Sometimes India used to play three spinners too, Australian side we used to hate and those early morning winter days when we used to watch them competing against likes of Lee, McGrath and Warne from our blankets.

Cricket has changed now, the Indian team is different. They are not a bunch of superstars hiding as a gentleman. The Indian Test team had become No.1 in the world for quite some time and Indian fast bowlers are currently scaring batsmen all around the world. Overseas tours are not about winning games anymore but about winning series. But still, there was something about that team led by Sourav Ganguly which still gives us goosebumps.

We do not completely agree with Aakash Chopra that Dada’s team could have beaten Virat Kohli’s team very easily but we do not have any doubt that Indian batting was stronger at that time. The bowling is better now as we have a lot match-winning fast bowlers but even when we have the likes of Virat, Rohit, Pujara, Rahane there is something lacking in the batting. Maybe that’s the formula India is looking overseas to win matches and series like never before.

Let’s see which of our childhood heroes Virat Kohli would have wanted in his current Test side:

1. Virender Sehwag

Often regarded as one of the most attacking batsmen of all time and the only opener to score a Test triple hundred for India, Sehwag’s best quality was his control over the bowler’s mind. The fact that he didn’t care about his wicket and used to attack from the first ball of a Test match added a lot of pressure on opposition bowlers. This style suits Virat Kohli’s captaincy a lot and like the Indian skipper said, “Drawing a game is the last option.”

This ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ is remembered for his exceptional Test performances which include his 2 triple centuries, 23 hundred, trying to go for a six when he was playing at 293 and many more such memories. That was the charisma Sehwag had throughout his career. The thing that goes against him is that a batsman who has a career average of almost 50, averages just 30 when he bats in second innings. Also, his average drops the to mid-20s when he travelled to South Africa, England and New Zealand.

India has Rohit and Agarwal opening the batting in Tests with Prithvi Shaw waiting in the pipeline. Agarwal was arguably the most successful opener in Tests last year but Rohit is still taking baby steps in Test cricket. A character like Sehwag would add a lot more value along with solid Mayank Agarwal. But the question stays that whether the limited-overs vice-captain too good a player to underestimate.

2. Sourav Ganguly

The captain of the Test side back then, ‘Dada’ was famous for his aggressive style and phenomenal stroke play on the offside. Since his debut, he was known for his counter-attack in the middle order but during the latter part of his career, he was more of a captain. Ganguly. When he revived his career after the departure of Greg Chappell from Indian cricket, he played some responsible innings and became a solid pillar in the middle order.

But with Virat leading the team in an exceptional manner, Ganguly as a leader can’t fit in. But how much The Bengal Tiger will is worth if we take the captain out of him? Sourav’s Test records as a batsman were never poor, his career average of 40 almost stays the same when he travels, bats in second or even bats overseas. But is 40 enough for him to displace Ajinkya Rahane, the Test vice-captain and one the most successful batsmen away from home in recent years?

The question is whether Ganguly was a serious match-winner in Tests or not. The left-hander is one the greatest ODI openers in the history of cricket with over 10,000 runs under his belt, but his Test credentials were never good enough.

The current BCCI president has won only 6 men of the match awards in his 113 Test matches which are below par for a Test batsman, the surprising number is that he only won a single Man of the Series award in last ten years of his career. Ganguly is regarded as one of the best captains India ever had but ‘A flower no longer remains a flower without its fragrance’.

3. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is often regarded as The best batsman of the modern era or even ‘God of Cricket’. His numbers, his average is beyond our imagination, over 15,000 Test runs which are highest in Test Cricket, an average of above 50 throughout his career and the impact he had on the mind of the opposition team is out of the world. Sachin batted at no.4 in his entire Test career, the place where the best batsman of the team usually bats. But does this make his case confirmed for a place in current Test side?

Virat Kohli, the captain of the current team is often regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world at the moment. He bats at no.4 for India too, he averages 59 while batting at no. 4 with 7 double hundreds in 103 innings he has played there. We might find a balance by adjusting Kohli at no. 5 but Delhi lad’s figures at no. 5 are below par as per his standards, he averages 43 there.

The Master Blaster’s career average of more than 40 in second innings and in all overseas countries which only add metal to his case and with 51 Test centuries, you will never find a loophole in somewhat perfect Test career. I don’t want to be a part of the debate which compares both of them as both are giants of different eras. Is it appropriate to displace the captain for Sachin Tendulkar to walk in this side remains a question.

4. Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid has played the highest no. of balls in Test Cricket. Getting him out is so difficult that Steve Waugh once said, “Try to take his wicket in the first 15 minutes. If you can’t then only try to take the remaining wickets.” Often called ‘The Wall’, is considered as one of the greatest batsmen that ever walked on the Cricket field. Last month ‘Wisden Cricket’ conducted a poll to decide the best Test batsman of India in last 50 years and Dravid won against Tendulkar in the last face-off.

Dravid was the anchor of the star-studded lineup, he was the guy who always performed whenever the team was strangled. Cheteshwar Pujara has been awarded the same role in Virat’s captaincy. Pujara bats at no. 3 like ‘Jammy’ and his concentration with determination to take the team out of trouble is one of the best in the current era. Dravid himself once said, “Cheteshwar Pujara is the last of a breed of batsmen.”

But the problem doesn’t solve here, Pujara averages 20 in West Indies and New Zealand and 30 in South Africa and England. A no.3 batsman with an excellent technique like the Saurashtra lad should do good in all conditions but there is something lacking there. If Dravid comes in the side instead of Pujara that will make the team line up stronger and superior as out of his average of 30 in South Africa his average never drops below 40 in any swinging conditions. Dravid has actually made a strong case at no. 3 here.

5. VVS Laxman

Last but not the least, the most underrated childhood hero of our time. When I asked my Dad what is the full form of VVS in Laxman’s name just after the Kolkata Test in 2001, he replied ‘Very very special’. I was five-year-old and I believed. Laxman became a household name and a hero after his 281 against Australia in 2001, which is often regarded as the best innings of this century and that slang of VVS became popular. But still while talking about these heroes we mention him in the end.

Laxman delivered whenever the team demanded, in any situation, in any conditions, at any number. Still, the first person to sit out of the team was always Laxman. Laxman didn’t score as many runs as Dravid or Tendulkar but he won us as many matches as them.

He wasn’t given many opportunities at his favourite no. of 3 and four but he still managed to average 48 at 5 and 6. His average never dropped under 34 in any country but the coolest thing about him was that he averages more in second innings, almost 50 which makes a great difference between winning and losing the match.

The best and the unique quality that he had was that he was so good while playing with the tail. It’s an art and Laxman was a master of it, Laxman made almost 19% of his total runs while playing with the tail and he averaged above 30 while playing with them.

That means Laxman used to give extra 30 runs to the team out of nowhere. The impact of these numbers can be understood by the fact that the great Dravid and Tendulkar scored 6% and 5% of their runs with tail respectively with an average of below 20.

Also, why India needs such a batsman can be answered by the fact that India under Kohli averages 12 between no. 8 to no.11 whenever they travel to SENA countries. What if there is a Laxman like a pillar with them, which can guide them and play along. Those extra 50 runs might win us matches as all our Tests in SENA countries are fairly balanced.

Conclusion:

Tendulkar who is ‘God’ of Cricket and Laxman who is very special make a very strong case for themselves as compared to the Born Leader Ganguly and ever aggressive Sehwag, but it is Rahul Dravid who should make it back. He has been the biggest reason for Dada’s side to win matches around the globe and with him in the team, the team would have the assurance of having a technically sound player who can perform in any condition. Don’t forget his slip catching, with which India has suffered a lot in this ‘Fearless era’.