One last time, perhaps

One last time, perhaps
The Famous Five of Indian cricket had a forgettable first season of the Indian Premier League. They for sure, will be taking the field this time to prove a point. The job won’t be easy, but never ever write them off

Diganta Guha
The Famous Five of Indian cricket had a forgettable first season of the Indian Premier League. They for sure, will be taking the field this time to prove a point. The job won’t be easy, but never ever write them offDiganta GuhaSachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble — these names are taken with reverence in the cricketing world. Together they have taken Indian cricket to new heights and have been a formidable part of what you call Team India. Ganguly and Kumble have already quit international cricket and Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar are approaching the twilight zone in their careers. Though it’s too early to predict, the Indian Premier League next year might not see some of them in action, which all the more makes IPL II in South Africa, a very special one not only for these cricketers, but also for their die-hard fans. The last IPL saw these veterans not living up to the expectations. Can they turn the tables this time? Yes, there’s a lot at stake for them.

SOURAV GANGULY: The Tiger roared pretty late last time. His match-winning knock against Kings XI Punjab was inconsequential as his Kolkata Knight Riders had already failed to make it to the last four. Controversies fuelled by rumours of his falling out with team owner Shah Rukh Khan and coach John Buchanan hogged the limelight as KKR bit the dust. Dropped from the Indian ODI squad, the former Indian skipper did have a message to convey to the selectors. However, he shone only in flashes. Having hung up his boots from international cricket, we can expect some fireworks from a tension-free Ganguly. With KKR having first announced that there would be no fixed captain for this year only to revoke it later, IPL II will be the ideal platform for Ganguly to show that the Behala Tiger can still roar. Or else, Buchanan will be after his head. SRK may have stepped in this time to reinstate Dada as the captain (though the official confirmation hasn’t been made yet), but if Ganguly fails this time, then Buchanan will have SRK’s support. Let’s wait and watch. IPL I Matches:13; Innings: 13; Runs: 349; Average: 29.08; Strike Rate: 113.68; Wickets: 6

ANIL KUMBLE: Can a 39-year-old face the rigours of T20 cricket? Age has caught up and he is no longer playing for the country. But Kumble is a fighter as we all know. And it is this fighting spirit that kept him going for almost twenty years at the international level. Coming to IPL, Kumble was far from impressive last year that had his critics writing his cricketing epitaph. His team Bangalore Royal Challengers didn’t make any significant impact either. But it might be a different ball game this time. Yes, he is not getting younger, but this soft-spoken gentleman knows how to bounce back. Can he still give young guns a run for their money? We are watching. IPL I Matches: 10; Wickets: 7; Economy Rate: 7.93

SACHIN TENDULKAR: Unlike Dravid and Laxman, Tendulkar is very much part of the ODI scheme of things. However, frequent injuries are putting a question mark on his fitness. Whether he himself opted out of the Indian T20 squads against Sri Lanka and New Zealand is a question yet not answered. But Tendulkar is class apart — a hundred in the Hamilton Test proves he is still around. Injury ruled him out of most of the IPL I matches, and the second season will be a challenge for the Little Master. Not only will his fitness skills be tested, he will also have to make up for the dismal show of his Mumbai Indians last year. IPL I Matches: 7; Innings: 7; Runs: 188; Average: 31.33; Strike Rate: 106.21

RAHUL DRAVID: The Wall is no longer the skipper of the Bangalore Royal Challengers. With Englishman Kevin Pietersen replacing him, BRC owner Vijay Mallya has had the last laugh. We all know that Dravid is not really on good terms with Mallya and a point had come last year when the former had almost resigned due to serious differences with his team owner. Mallya on his part was upset with Dravid for not selecting the right team. Now, that Dravid has been replaced as captain, what does this leave him with? Can he take it? Dravid didn’t have an outstanding IPL 1. Though he did manage over 350 runs, the agility required to survive in T20 cricket was missing. Dravid indeed has a job in hand. He has to live up to his reputation and prove that he is still a force to reckon with, if at all he plays all the matches. With Pietersen in charge now, it remains to be seen how the two get along. IPL I Matches: 14; Innings: 14; Runs: 371; Average: 28.53; Strike Rate: 124.49

VVS LAXMAN: It’s been a long time since the stylish Hyderabadi has played a one-day international for his country, forget T20. His fitness and fielding were put to test and Laxman found himself out of then India captain Ganguly’s scheme of things so far as ODIs were concerned. It’s an old story that Laxman still nurses that wound. When he was made captain of the Deccan Chargers in IPl, 2008, eyebrows were raised especially because he was preferred over former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist. Laxman played only six matches and missed the rest due to injury. There were rumours that some of his teammates weren’t happy with him (Shahid Afridi went on record stating that he was not the right man for the job). Unfortunately, Laxman has been relieved of the responsibility this year much to his dislike. IPL II will be an acid test for our Very Very Special Laxman who has a unique knack of standing tall when the chips are down. Go ahead Laxman!IPL I Matches: 6; Innings: 6; Runs: 155; Average: 31; Strike Rate: 117.42

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