Time up for the seniors

It can be undoubtedly said that the Sri Lankans took away the 1st day honours in the deciding test. Much was said about the pitch, with its green top, which could assist swing bowling, but it appeared to me as a belter of a track, after all the Sri Lankans also know about their batting limitations and India's newly developed skills in fast bowling.

The famed middle order once again were not just upto the mark. The debutant bowler Dammika Prasad had done his homework, in producing that kind of deliveries, for which Dravid and Tendulkar are the most vulnerable. The delivery, which comes in to the batsman and straightens after pitching has been daunting these two batting prodigies for ages together. And they both succumbed to the same delivery. Once the top order was cleaned up, Ajantha Mendis had a roll over on the Indian middle order, which has never looked so vulnerable.


Is it time for a whole sale revamp for the Indian test team as well? There isn't just any camaraderie in the team. This team is just a collection of raw individual talents, which hasn't fired as a cohesive unit in the recent past. The so called fab five are brought in only for the test series and taken away for the other formats of the game.

As history has taught us, cricket is a team game. Individual blocks of raw talent isn't just enough to be a great team. The team needs to work as a cohesive unit. The cohesion, which is seen in the team led by Dhoni is not just there in the one led by Kumble. This team can always be a team most feared by Australia, as they can only cause upsets every now and then. But could never be a team to exhibit consistent winning performances.

One last word to the fab five. They should learn from the Australians how to call it a day, when they are at the peak of their career. They would be doing a huge disgrace to themselves, if they are forcefully removed from all forms of the game. They have held the Indian team on their shoulders for a long time and have given India great victories at Kolkatta, Adelaide, Perth, Trent Bridge, Headingley, Barbodas, Port Of Spain, Johannesburg etc. Now they should have a graceful exit from the game. It is time up to hang their boots.