Who are the next best things?
Apart from Rahul Dravid, the rest of India's batsmen have endured a torrid tour of England so far
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Apart from Rahul Dravid, the rest of India's batsmen have endured a torrid tour of England so far. Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are all past 35, and while the young batsmen have failed to inspire much confidence in England the Sunday Express asks the question: who will replace India’s once-in-a-generation cricketers? To understand what the future holds, the team spoke to to the men who were responsible for giving the likes of Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid their first Test caps.
Akash Lal (North Zone representative on the selection panel that picked Sachin Tendulkar): Domestic cricket must still be given the highest priority. If I had to pick someone to replace the top order, I would look for correctness of play. When Sachin was picked he was technically very assured. Nowadays I am aghast to see that we are facing the same traditional problems against the ball leaving the off stump, and the rising delivery. I personally think that Rohit Sharma has been given a rough deal by the selectors. He first got a chance in Australia and he performed really well on surfaces that were really difficult to bat on. I think the selectors have forgotten about him.
Ajit Wadekar (The chairman of selectors when Harbhajan Singh made his debut for India in 1998): For now with Harbhajan struggling the way he is, the selectors should definitely go for R Ashwin. Ashwin has shown his class and temperament with the ball every time he’s gotten a chance. I don’t agree with people who tag him as a limited-overs specialist. Ashwin possesses a very deceptive action and always looks focussed on improving himself with every outing. He never seems short of ideas, and I am sure that he will be a valuable addition to the Indian Test team. I think the selectors should draft him into the Test set-up right away.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo