Going soon

From Ravi Kumar Putcha, Trivandrum, India
The end of an era beckons. What has undoubtedly been the golden era of batsmanship in Indian cricket - and, to a lesser extent, test batting in its generation - seems to be heading towards retirement. While one can only hope that the old firm of Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly will continue to be around for some more time, and will continue to provide the same joy that they have done in different situations, in virtually all test-playing nations and against a wide variety of bowling attacks, it looks as if that old English usage - the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak(ening) - appears to hold true for these four great batsmen.

If they were to retire at the end of the current test series, they would have amassed close to 35000 test runs between them, 90+ test centuries, close to 450 test catches - and loads of memories.

Whether it was Tendulkar's defining innings - when he came returned to England from India, in the middle of devastating personal setback following the death of his father, or Dravid's lead role at the Adelaide test win in 2003, Laxman's astonishing 281 at Kolkata, and Ganguly's less acknowledged but equally vital 144 at Brisbane in 2003, these four giants of Indian batting have given it their all, and more for the cause of Indian cricket.

Just as equally likely to call it a day will be the man who made the transition from a bespectacled, much ridiculed slow bowler to the person who now sits at #3 in the all time wicket standings in world cricket. Anil Kumble will probably continue to baffle commentators and fans alike, as they struggle to decide if he is a leg spinner, a googly bowler or a slow medium bowler. What none of them will dispute, though, is that like his four contemporaries, Kumble has done much to raise the bar for wannabe Anil Kumbles who will follow.

One can only hope that when they do decide to call it a day, Indian cricket and its followers will have the grace to thank them for their deeds, which have played no small role in India going as high as #2 in the ICC test standings. And one can just as fervently hope that their example has done enough to inspire a whole new breed of young cricketers who can step into their boots and deliver just as well.