It was not too long ago when Zaheer , Yuvi , Gautam and Sehwag, were shown the door by the BCCI selectors citing poor performance and injuries.
It was not too long ago when the ‘fatal four’, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, were shown the door by the BCCI selectors citing poor performance and injuries. But as they say, life does present you with another opportunity and it has worked well for the four men. India’s out of favour senior cricketers, Sehwag, Gambhir and Khan will represent India A in two four-day games against the West Indies A to be held later this month.
The 2011 World Cup hero, Yuvraj Singh will don the blue colour as he gets ready to lead the ODI side against West Indies A, and also India Blue in the Challenger Trophy. So will these men make the cut and once again be seen in India colours?
Many forget that Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan were axed from India’s Test squad earlier this year (Australia series), while Sehwag last played in India Whites way back in March. With the Indian team currently looking towards its future games, their best interests remain in retaining the services of the seniors. While Zaheer and Yuvraj were away in France to work on their fitness, southpaw Gautam Gambhir spent his time in the English County season, representing Essex.
While the trio continues to work on their fitness, anonymity surrounds around the availability of Virender Sehwag. Will he be match-fit? Can he impress the selectors and regain his spot in the test team? Sehwag’s stat is a phenomenal one – In 104 test matches played, he has amassed 8586 runs at an average of 49.34. Will the stats help him bounce back into the squad? There are more questions left to answer.
The Indian team embark on what is one of their most important tours ever – South Africa series. Yes, they play New Zealand but that is no comparison with the current number one test side in the world. MS Dhoni has a young squad with the addition of the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, who is at the twilight of his cricketing career. Can a single Sachin’s experience count for more at the Proteas backyard? The answer is No.
It didn’t take a single Ryan Giggs for Sir Alex Ferguson to win the 20th EPL title for the Manchester United side, but a mixture of youth and experience won them the glory. If Dhoni mixes a bit of youth and experience, it will do him a world of good. South Africa is a different type of ball game (pun intended) for Mahi and he will require all the luck to win a test series in Proteas’ own backyard.
Ahead of the 2013-14 season, the out-of-favour players have a chance to push for international recalls and earn a spot back into the team. But first and foremost – Zaheer, Yuvraj, Gambhir and Sehwag have a ‘score’ to settle.
