India selectors must back youngsters now

India's once powerful middle-order is not the same anymore and some of the stars look "careworn". Suresh Menon writes in DNA that Suresh Raina's successful Test debut proves to the selectors that the successors are ready to be groomed and there is no need to delay their inception anymore.

The foursome of Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly and Tendulkar played together in a record 86 Tests; add Laxman to that list, and the world record is still theirs, with 65 Tests. Bring Sehwag into the equation, and that lot has played 36 Tests together. These are impressive figures, and speak of a settled team over a long period. They speak of remarkable skill and consistency in all conditions, against all opponents.

These are marks the next generation will be aiming at. It would be unfair to expect a whole new ready-made bunch to slip into the shoes of the masters. Over the next year or two, the Indian team will be in transition, the famed batting line-up reduced to figures in record books. We should have got to know their replacements by now. This is how teams evolve — some players making it through long-term planning and others taking a short cut in an emergency.