Cricket is one of India’s most played and watched sports. Indians have been playing cricket for over three centuries now, with it’s origin in India being traced back to 1725 when visiting sailors played matches. This English sport soon became a favorite amongst the natives. In 1911, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala took an unofficial team to tour England. Largely due to his efforts, India was admitted to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1929. On 25 June, 1932 India made her debut in test cricket at Lords.
Over the years, India has seen many cricketers both on the domestic and international front fighting hard for their teams, but only a few of them stand out. These cricketers with their talent, hard work, and unbelievable records can easily be called some of the finest players the game has seen. Bringing these players from the different generations together would form India’s Dream Team.
India’s Dream Test Team in batting order –
1) Sunil Gavaskar - His record says it all. The first batsman in test cricket history to reach 10,000 runs. He scored 13 test centuries against the West Indies, a team that has produced some of the fastest bowlers of all times, and has a total of 34 centuries to his name.
2) Ravi Shastri - A player who is said to have made the most of his limited talent, and a very useful left arm spinner. He is picked ahead of some other openers because of his all-round abilities.
3) Rahul Dravid - “The wall”, as his name suggests is one of India’s most solid batsmen, with a great overseas record. Along with Sunil Gavaskar, he is unarguably one of India’s most technically sound batsmen ever.
4) Sachin Tendulkar - A genius, and child prodigy. He received one of the greatest compliments when Sir Donald Bradman said they batted alike. He is one of the finest batsmen in cricketing history. With 11,150 runs, any world team would be incomplete without him.
5) Gundappa Vishwanath - One the most elegant batsmen the game has ever seen. With his style and grace he made batting look artistic and poetic.
6) Dilip Vengsarkar - Picked ahead of Mohinder Amarnath and Mohamed Azharuddin, to add solidity to the batting and is a very consistent run getter.
7) Kapil Dev, (captain) - One of the greatest all-rounders the game has produced. He has taken half his test wickets in home conditions which were not conducive to fast bowling, undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.
8) Syed Kirmani - A terrific wicket keeper, who made wicket keeping look so easy. He is also a very useful lower order batsman.
9) Anil Kumble - The first Indian bowler ever to have taken 500 test wickets, indeed an outstanding achievement. He is very dangerous in home conditions and became a match winner under overseas conditions in the later half of his career. India’s bowling attack would be incomplete without him.
10) Javagal Srinath - A great fast bowler, who won many test matches for India single handedly both, at home and away.
11) Bishen Singh Bedi/ E.R.Prasanna - Both great bowlers who made spin bowling look so easy, and had many batsmen dance to their tunes. Prasanna could be picked ahead of Bedi because Shastri could bowl left arm spin if needed.
12) Mohamed Azharuddin – the twelfth man – On his day was a pleasure to watch. He made batting look effortless and was a brilliant fielder at any position.
India’s Dream One-day team in batting order –
1) Sourav Ganguly - With 13385 runs in one-day cricket to his name, he has had a remarkable one-day career. One of the sweetest timers of the ball, he is a useful bowler in conducive conditions.
2) Sachin Tendulkar - With 15962 runs in one-day cricket – his record says it all. He has the most number of centuries in one-day and test cricket. It is impossible to think of an Indian cricket team without the “Little Master”.
3) Rahul Dravid - One of India’s most solid players, is an asset if India loses early wickets. He is capable of steadily batting through the innings and scoring runs.
4) Mohamed Azharuddin - Has a brilliant one-day record. He is the ideal person to have in the middle overs, and is an excellent fielder too.
5) Yuvraj Singh - A terrific striker of the ball, he is a match winner and another excellent fielder.
6) Ajay Jadeja - A one-day specialist, is an exceptional finisher of the match.
7) Kapil Dev (captain) - The greatest all-rounder India has produced. He would have been a nightmare to batsmen in present day cricket with power-plays.
8) M.S.Dhoni (wicket-keeper) - An explosive batsman who can bat at any number.
9) Manoj Prabhakar - A very good swing bowler, could bowl very well with an old ball as well. He was also a master of the reverse swing.
10) Anil Kumble – very miserly and hard to get away with.
11) Zaheer Khan - picked ahead of some other bowlers because he adds variety to the attack, and can bowl at anytime of the innings.
12) Harbhajan Singh – twelfth man –A very good off-spinner in both forms of the game.
An Indian team that comprised of the above players would be a nightmare to any country. These players are easily some of the finest the game has ever seen and have been a real treat to watch, and this would be my ideal dream team.
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Sharanya says, "I am a recent graduate with a Bachelors degree in Sport and Recreation Management. It is my dream to one day run a Sports Event Management Company in India. Sports have always been a passion to me and I have played tennis at a national and international level, and studied on a tennis scholarship in America. Besides this, I'm a complete dog lover! Along with my Sports Event Management Company, I want to open a kennel for dogs on the streets, to care for them, love them, and serve them."
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