Amongst the four stalwarts of the Indian batting lineup, former Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly, was dropped from the Rest of India squad for the upcoming Irani Trophy. However, Tendulkar and Kumble would be part of the Test squad.

It is interesting to listen to the comments of experts on the future of Indian cricket once the Big Four finally hang up their pads and gloves. The opinion is more or less the same – they are all icons and have served the cause of Indian cricket for so long. Therefore, it does not seem nice to drop them or tell them bluntly that ‘you are no longer wanted’. The decision has to be taken by the players themselves.


The harm that this is causing to Indian cricket would be irreparable because the youngsters who are rearing to go continue to lose out on actual match practice and keep aging every day. When they are recalled into the team in short spells, they try their best to deliver but, when they fail, they are summarily dismissed.

This is a topsy-turvy logic of team selection. The seniors have had their day – they have been on the field for ages and have had to sit out only in case of injuries or illness. The whole concept has to change. Axe the seniors and induct new blood – let them get used to real cricket. Let them face the fiery speed of real pace bowling, let them build up stamina to be on the field for the whole day groveling for runs, let them face the on-field sledging and learn the art of counter attack. Unless the seniors relinquish their ambitions of adding a few more runs to their existing enormous totals, Indian Test cricket will not come of age.