You Will Be Missed, Sachin.

Post November 18th, there will be never be the anticipation to see the straight drive that wooed millions. There will never be the masterful upper cut from that massively heavy bat. There won't be TV sets switching off after a top order batsman's dismissal. Yes indeed, cricket will never be the same again. With the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, a whole era (spanning 24 years) will remain a memory. For many of us, most certainly me, passing of this era has been delayed by almost two years. But, a good time this is too. Indian cricket must move on. World of cricket must move on. Tendulkar must move on.

Tendulkar has been, is and will be one of the greatest players to have played cricket. What he has given the game and it's lovers is nothing short of lifetime of happiness, joy and entertainment. The love he has got from the legion of fans in India and abroad throughout his career starting off as a 16 year old, is incomparable. Never again will there be a cricketer who will dominate the imagination of so many millions of fans. He has been the source of India's hopes and aspirations for well over two decades. Up till very recently, he was the most marketable cricketer in the world and the most celebrated sportsman in India. His records, will remain a testament to his longevity, sheer passion for the game and the undying hunger for runs.

To me he will always be the player I have woken up at 5 am to watch him play in Australia and slept at devilish hours to watch him bat in the West Indies. Can't count the number of days I've opted out of school, college, office only to stay at home watch him bat. Countless unproductive days when I have glued on to Cricinfo & Twitter to follow and tweet his batting while at work. As a 7 year old I remember him scoring a half century and picking up Sohail's wicket and ensuring a big Indian victory against Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup. Remember seeing him field in the test match versus England at Madras in 1993. He had scored 163 the previous day. Remember being thrilled for his after he scored his first ODI century against Australia in the Singer World Series at Colombo in 1994. Vividly remember feeling cheated after his dismissal versus Australia in the 1996 World Cup. He was playing brilliantly at 90. He was stumped by Healy off a cleverly bowled wide by Mark Waugh. Was devastated by a similar dismissal against Sri Lanka in the infamous semi final at Calcutta. As a 12 year old, I remember buying a bat with MRF sticker on it and hoping Tendulkar inspired by batting. It never happened, I was always lousy as a batsman. My most memorable Tendulkar moment has got to be being at the stadium and watching him getting his 35th test hundred, going past Sunil Gavaskar. He had been in a lean patch for a year and number 34 to number 35 took almost 365 days.

Coming back to his retirement, I wish BCCI and he chose South Africa to be the venue for his last match. Imagine Tendulkar battling it out with Steyn, best contemporary bowler and scoring 50 odd. Wouldn't that have been more satisfying than this customized opportunity to play it at his home ground? What Tendulkar has epitomized in his 24 year career is fight to the end. Playing for a team that were a bunch of no-gooders, he stood out each time and performed like he belonged here. Nothing came easy for him. He inspired the likes of Jadeja, Dravid, Ganguly, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni and more recently Kohli, Dhawan & Rohit. For me, a fitting farewell for Tendulkar would have been a final test at Durban or Cape Town playing Steyn, Morkel & Philander. While, that's now just a dream, I'd have hoped for some class and subtlety in the celebrations. BCCI, as they are known for have been milking the cash cow that is Sachin Tendulkar to no end in this two test affair against the almost invisible West Indies. (no offence meant to them) Radio stations blaring Sachin Fever every 15 seconds, brands he endorses going OTT with contests, every minister running ahead of the other to gain mileage out of him, almost all senior cricketers; Indian and foreign singing ballads in his praise. I'd have hoped someone left some space for the slightly less important match being played and the fact that it is a big deal for Sachin Tendulkar. It won't be easy for him to leave the game he loves. It will be highly emotional for him too. He would like to go out scoring a possibly a hundred or at least a half century and leave on a high. He has had a tough two years running in test cricket. He'd want to correct that in his last outing.

With the match now having started, lets hope he gives himself and his fans another five days world of happiness. There will never be another Sachin Tendulkar. His legacy will live on. We will be proud to tell our future generations that we watched him play.

India vs Australia Test Series: A Preview

This has to be one of the most under hyped India - Australia series in two decades. India's poor showing versus England in the test series and the whitewash last time they played Australia might be a reason to it. Australia are without Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and their batting doesn't instill the confidence it did 18 months back. Both India and Australia are teams in transition and there is no denying that.

But Australia, even in transition have a confident captain in Micheal Clarke in ominous batting form. A firing opening combination, stable middle order, in form all rounders in Henriques & Maxwell and a strong pace bowling unit. India on the other hand have their struggles beginning right at the top. With Gambhir being dropped and Dhawan, Vijay being included Sehwag will have a new partner to start the innings with. Pujara was in bright form against England and will be expected to hold fort against Australia at no 3. Tendulkar, fresh from a hundred against a strong attack in the Irani Cup will look to pile on runs against the Australians and shut his critics. This series will also indicate how long Tendulkar prolongs his test career. Success in this series could mean Tendulkar could play till India's tour of South Africa to guide a younger side in tough conditions against a tough opposition. But failure here could result in retirement. Kohli will be India's no 5 and will have the task of playing with the lower order. Much expected of him is yet to bear fruit. Dhoni, has been facing enormous criticism for his test batting and captaincy. Outcome of this series will decide if Dhoni will continue to captain the test side or selectors will look for the next captain. Indian bowling without Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav looks bare. Ashwin & Ojha's inability to spin a web around the English batsmen proved they can be dealt with rather easily and aren't penetrative enough even in favourable conditions. Ishant will lead the pace attack and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to debut after impressive ODI performances.

In my opinion India will do well going in with five batsmen, three spinners and two pacers. India's best chance to challenge Australia will be by attacking them with spin. India's line up for the first test in my humble opinion should be: Sehwag, Dhawan, Pujara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Dhoni, Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar, Harbhajan, Ishant, Ojha.

Australia will depend on Warner and Cowan to give them explosive yet steady starts. Hughes will be the more preferred option for no.3 over Khawaja. Hughes' effectiveness against Indian spinners is to be gauged. Clarke & Watson hold the key for Australia in spinning Indian pitches. Matthew Wade, selected over Brad Haddin will have the task of playing with the tail if need be. Henriques, picked over Maxwell for the first test, will take over the all rounder spot vacated by Watson, now playing purely as batsman. Glenn Maxwell will be crucial as the second spinner and a valuable batsman when selected.

Australia will surely have an edge over India with a very strong bowling attack. Siddle, Pattinson & Starc will have taken notes from how Anderson bowled to the Indian batsmen. Indian batsmen won't have good memories of this pace trio who had them hop, jump, duck, fend & edge in faster, bouncier conditions. According to me Starc is the bowler India needs to be most careful of. He is capable of skidding, curving away from and bringing it back to the right hander which is Sehwag, Tendulkar & Kohli's undoing. Pattinson will come at the Indian will all he's got. Good pace, lovely rhythm and good lengths. Siddle is expected to spearhead this attack and is the only bowler who has played in India conditions before. Bowling in Indian conditions will be Lyon's biggest test in his career up till now. If he can emulate some success that Swann & Panesar had against Indian batsmen few months back, Australia will be well served. His experience of these conditions will help. Mitchell Johnson & Ashton Agar will await their chances in the upcoming tests.

Dhoni & Clarke are both in different stages of their captaincy. Dhoni will set out to prove series loss to England at home was an aberration and the Indian team in transition is still good enough to inflict a series defeat against Australia. He also has a point to prove that he is good enough a batsman and wicket keeper to hold his place in the side even if he wasn't the captain. Clarke on the other hand has had a challenging summer at home against South Africa & Sri Lanka and would be looking to win overseas. South Africa inflicted a rare defeat at home on Australia while they easily thrashed Sri Lanka 3-0. Clarke, in contrast with Dhoni has been in phenomenal personal form with the bat. He will be looking to add to his runs tally from 2012.

My call for the series would be a 1-1 draw as neither team seems to have the firepower to outdo the other. India has too feeble a bowling line up to defeat Australia. And Australia, post Hussey & Ponting's retirement will struggle to hand India a series defeat at home. Drawn series would be a success for India while Australia will look to force a win considering how India played against England.

One last word for Duncan Fletcher for whom this might be the last chance to lead India to a win and salvage some pride after an extremely disappointing two years at the top job.

Dhoni's Conundrum

It is a well known fact that some cricketers are good at one form of the game and moderate at others. This is excluding those who excel in all forms of the game. And it is also well known that cricketers take pride in saying that "Test cricket is most important". Some of the best ODI players haven't replicated their ODI successes in tests. Ajay Jadeja & Micheal Bevan are two names right on top of my head. Both were exceptional in their limited overs career, but were found wanting in the test format. Jadeja couldnt handle quality bowling and his temperament was exposed in tests. Bevan's was moderate, but considering his ODI successes, it was always felt he didnt fit the bill in tests. In the opposite spectrum, we have hugely talented and successful Justin Langer who was considered a test specialist. Why? With his attacking nature and strong defense, he could have easily made it to the Australian ODI side, although in his limited ODI career he did only moderately well. And can anyone explain why England won't make Matt Prior a regular in their ODI squad? Dabbling around with Kieswetter and Buttler, they're losing out of Matt Prior's best days as batsman considering his strong show in tests.

Here we are talking about how players get stereotyped as Test specialists or ODI specialists or now lately T20 specialists. Ask David Warner what it took him to get the selectors to take a note of his T20 performances and give him a nod for tests and ODIs. In some cases the stereotyping could be fair too.

Is this stereotype limited to batsmen, bowlers and wicket keepers? Well, yeah. Adam Hollioake only captained England in ODIs while Mike Atherton captained in tests. This way back in mid 90s. This was more to get a young thinker for captain. Now, its slowly becoming common to have split captaincy for different forms of the game, considering there are 3 now. India did too, when Anil Kumble before his retirement, captained in tests and MS Dhoni lead the ODI, T20I sides. But Dhoni soon took over and displayed success in all three forms. But today, after 5 years and 5 months of his assuming limited overs captaincy and 4 years and 3 months since he took over as captain in all three forms, it's easy for a viewer to say which form of the game Dhoni likes to lead and play the most. No marks for guessing! ODIs.

Dhoni; we all know by now won us the inaugural WC T20 in 2007 when the nation was still grieving over the team's insipid first round exit in the 50 over WC earlier the same year. He became an instant hero. This followed by the Indian team's test successes, climb to no. 1 on the ICC Test ranking along with India's continued good run in ODIs, Dhoni was now called, not a tactician or a strategy maker, but a "street smart captain". With victory at the World Cup 2011, he had ensured India had achieved the pinnacle of each of the three formats of the game. That put together with the two consecutive IPL wins for Chennai Super Kings, the team he captains, Dhoni was unquestioned as captain. This stood true till June 2011. Between then and February 2012, Dhoni's reputation as a test captain had taken a mighty beating with 4-0 defeats in England followed by Australia. His street smart captaincy was now replaced by illogical or clueless moves. Players in the team seemed to just go through the motions. Differences between the captain and few players started to come out in the open.

In between all this, Dhoni with an almost different set of personnel fought it out against England in England and lost an ODI series, but with heads held high. A young team had fought hard. But the same England team visited India for 5 match ODI series. Dhoni's men blanked them 5-0. It was again a young side with part timers, swift fielders, big hitters, quick runners. It looked like a different ball game. Dhoni too seemed more interested, enthusiastic and well in the middle of the business. Almost the same team thrashed a resurgent West Indies 4-1 in India. Post the Australian test debacle, India lost the CB Series and Asia Cup. Both had strong performances by youngsters and Dhoni's involvement was felt. Dhoni the batsman flourished too. The same repeated itself when England visited India for a 4 match test series and went back victorious 2-1. Dhoni looked out of ideas in the last three tests after winning the first. Come ODIs against Pakistan and England, Dhoni became India's best batsman and suddenly his tricks started working and his ploys taking shape.

So, it's clear. His style of captaincy is more suited for ODIs. Anything wrong with that? No. Each batsman, bowler and even captain has his own set game that probably is suited for one format or the other. Case of former English opener Nick Knight used to baffle me. He looked every bit world class when he batted in ODIs. But once at the test stage he would struggle immensely.

MS Dhoni, the batsman is more suited for the ODI format more than tests or surprisingly even T20. ODIs allow him the time he needs to push for singles & doubles and flex his muscles whenever required. No doubting his temperament to play in tests or his ability to get going from the word go in T20s, the ease he is at while playing ODIs is evident from how he captains the side and his flurry of runs in the format. Even as captain one would see him less perturbed when opposition batsmen are having a go at the pacers, he'd know its a question of one wicket that would help the team peg back. His use of part timers like Yuvraj, Raina, Rohit Sharma has been interesting and has more often than not proved successful. Dhoni has shown confidence is many a youngster or even a struggling experienced campaigner. His confidence in Ravindra Jadeja is now proving worthwhile. Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin are all beneficiaries of Dhoni's confidence. But compare this with tests. India are currently a victim of massive talent exodus. Dravid followed by Laxman have retired and Tendulkar isn't going to be around for too long. Till all three were in the squad no one could've displaced them. After Kumble's retirement and Harbhajan's massive loss of form, India turned to Zaheer to be the team's bowling spearhead and mentor. Now, Zaheer's coming apart too. All of Dhoni's key personnel are falling apart. All the reason for him to look forlorn and clueless while opposition bowlers and batsmen make merry against India.

India would never want to loose Dhoni the ODI batsman and captain. Test side, going through a transition. Sehwag and Gambhir must be mandated to oversee that. While Dhoni's expertise and clear interest lies in ODIs why force him to lead the test side. There isn't currently another right man for the job.  Dhoni must be mandated to nurture the team for the 2015 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. Hand the test captaincy over to Kohli. He is young, will take time to learn the tricks of the trade. With Dhoni, Sehwag and Gambhir as mentors, Kohli can grow as captain. And Dhoni must give away his Chennai Super Kings captaincy to Raina. What better than grooming another captain for a rainy day?

If Dhoni the batsman and wicket keeper still continues to impress in tests, India couldn't have asked for more.

Rahul Dravid: India's Perpetual Go To Man

If Indian cricket were a school, Dravid is the front bencher who'd raise his hands for everything the teacher asks the class. Still, he would be shadowed by the brighter, smarter, cheekier others. Since he made his ODI debut in Singapore in 1996 and test debut at Lord's in the same year, many questions have been asked of him, which he in his calm demeanour, has answered with a straight bat.

He was, in his initial years in international cricket, dubbed as a test specialist. He couldn't find gaps, couldn't get the quick singles, failed to up the ante when required and didn't have the all round ability to hold his spot in the team. Thus he was dropped for other options, who too didn't do well enough to keep Dravid out for long. The 1999 World Cup was his watershed moment in ODIs. He was the leading run getter in the tournament with a whopping 461 runs, even though India didn't get to the semi finals. His spectacular stand of 318 against Sri Lanka at Taunton with Ganguly is now more famous for the latter's 183. But, not many would remember it was Dravid who started attacking the Lankan spinners. Most memorable is his six over covers off Muralitharan.

He fell off the selectors' radar yet again in 2001 after a string of poor scores in ODIs. In 2002, the then captain, Sourav Ganguly bestowed faith in him and entrusted in him the task of keeping wickets for the team. This was to be a big challenge for Dravid. He was to bat at no. 5, shepherd the youngsters and the tail and keep wickets for 50 overs. A task he did remarkably well. If in school, Dravid would've been asked to prove his all round worth, even though he's terrific at the one thing he did.

His worth became that of an all rounder in the team. The first series he performed this role in was the historic NatWest Trophy in England in 2002 which India won by 2 wickets. He would continue this role till India found a replacement in Parthiv Patel in 2004.

Dravid performed the role of a vice captain under the astute leadership of Ganguly from 2000 to 2005 and lead the team in the captain's absence. Ganguly's personal form began to falter and the mantle of captaincy fell on Dravid amidst controversial circumstances. It was rumoured, Ganguly was ousted due to his closeness with the coach Chappell. In school, he would've been accused of influencing the class teacher to be made the class monitor.

Under his leadership in Greg Chappell's term as coach, India did very well as a ODI side. Dravid's personal form with the bat was golden. Though the team's resentment towards the coach was visible, it spurred on field only in the 2007 World Cup. India crashed out of the tournament in the league stages. Team's differences with the coach surfaced. Dravid soon resigned as captain and soon found himself out of the ODI team for younger, fresher faces. By now, he had scored over 10000 runs in both forms of the game and had guided youngsters like Yuvraj, Kaif, Raina, had record aggregate partnerships with Tendulkar & Ganguly and made a name for himself amongst the legends of the game. All this while, he continued to be the backbone of the Indian test outfit with the nickname 'The Wall'.

Dhoni was made the ODI captain and Kumble the test captain. In a move, many thought was stupid, he was brought back into the ODI team in 2009 for the tri nation cup in Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy in South Africa. India won the former and crashed out in the latter which again resulted in Dravid being dropped.

Just when all seemed rosy for the class, Dravid is roped in to make a difference and he doesn't do too badly in the chances given. He again is subdued for a new face. Frustration for which he never showed on his game. He continued to do his best in every opportunity he got. Played enterprisingly in his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore's march to the finals in 2009.

Yet again, after India's debacle of a test series in England following the highs of the World Cup win (which Dravid wasn't a part of, not even the probables), Dravid was included in the ODI side, seriously injury ravaged and short on confidence. Dravid, by then, had had enough of this see-saw'ing'. He swiftly accepted his inclusion and announced this as his last limited overs series. His action implied he didn't anymore want to be someone whom selectors could toy around with.

One can confidently say he has a lot more to offer to the Indian test side. His three centuries against England in a series no other Indian could manage a three digit score stands proof for that.

An article on Cricinfo talking about Dravid's career and retirement summed it up in it's headline which read, "The misfit who thrived". He thrived and how! Many a young Indian cricketer and youth would find Dravid as the perfect role model. He is probably the epitome of soft spokenness, selflessness and calm demeanour displayed while playing for a cricket crazy nation like ours.

VVS – Most beautiful cliché in Cricket

Every test match India plays, fans expect Sehwag to entertain, Tendulkar to score a hundred, Dravid to provide solidity at the top. What about the other crucial pillar of the Indian team? VVS Laxman. Lately he is expected to do all of the above three; entertain, provide solidity and score a hundred. He is the most ‘taken-for-granted-man’ in Indian cricket.

Post the epic 281 against his favourite bunnies Australia in 2000-01, he has very much become the crisis man for India. The team burrows itself into a hole and Laxman with his master painter like strokes and a saint like composure brings India to safety. Remarkable about this man is the effortless calm he brings to the crease and the fans at critical times. In Dravid’s case, its easily evident he is trying to concentrate hard and battle the demon which doesn’t put us at ease. With Tendulkar, expectations of the zillion hearts are enough to put pressure on him and on us who are watching. Laxman doesn’t look vulnerable in such situations. His confidence is sure to spur on his partner. As wristy as Azharuddin, Laxman's repertoire has a few shots that has opponents, spectators and commentators alike mesmerised. His absolute dream of an on drive, the flick to mid wicket from outside off stump; visuals of these are equal to big successes in life.

His partnership with Gautam Gambhir in 2009 against NZ in Hamilton to save India the test match was phenomenal. Both men stood their ground and refused to budge from the crease till the opposition gave up. Laxman has now made it a habit to play the kind of knock oppositions hate; stick around with the tail and give the total a huge boost. His 4th innings century against Sri Lanka at Galle in the third test to lead India to a series leveling win was a classic example of a mature, responsible innings. His innings of 76 against Australia at Mohali battling through back spasms acquired while fielding was a special innings. The way he influenced Ishant Sharma in the epic chase against Australia was incredible and more recently his fabulous stand with Harbhajan where the latter went on to score his first Test ton and Laxman score a masterful 93.

"Back to the wall" innings was what these innings were once called, but lately they are just known as "Laxman'esque' innings", a huge honour to the man whose initials VVS are often dubbed as being an abbreviation for Very Very Special. He deserve every bit of those praises he has been showered on over the years. He, along with Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly & Sehwag have has given India, its best years in Test cricket.

Indian Cricket since 1996

In a four part series, I plan to break down India's journey since the Wills World Cup 1996 to the eve of the 2011 World Cup due in South Asia next year. My initiation into Cricket was way back in 1992 just when Benson & Hedges Cricket World Cup of 1992 was about to begin. I remember waking up to India losing close games to Australia and England. Remember the India vs Pakistan game which we won where Tendulkar scored a 54 and took a few wickets.

Wills World Cup 1996

But let me here talk about Indian cricket in the last 15 years beginning from the Wills World Cup of 1996 in the sub continent. Lead by Azharuddin, India were one of the fancied teams in the competition being the main hosts. The league phases were breezy with the exception of a blip against Australia where a poor finish cost us the match and of course when Jayasuriya took the game away from us while chasing 271. The quarter final against Pakistan still remains one of the most talked about games in ODI cricket. India out did Pakistan to book a place in the last 4 where Sri Lanka had the last laugh on a slow turner. Sachin Tendulkar announced himself as THE MAN to watch out for in the future scoring 523 runs aided by two centuries. Anil Kumble snapped 15 wickets and was the highest wicket taker of the competition.

1996

Soon after the World Cup we toured England in the series where Dravid & Ganguly made their test debuts. English bowlers had Indians in a web early in the swinging conditions. Tendulkar was the lone ranger scoring a counter attacking hundred against the like of Peter Marin, Dominic Cork, Chris Lewis & Min Patel. Dravid & Ganguly made their debuts in the Second Test at Lords and thus was the beginning of one of the most ruthless middle orders in Test Cricket. Singer Cup in Sri Lanka participated by India, Australia, Zimbabwe & the hosts Sri Lanka was won by the hosts as they continued their fine form from the World Cup. India then beat Australia on a belter in Delhi in the one off test where Nayan Mongia scored a patient 152. India had South Africa on the mat on slow turners at Ahmedabad and Kanpur. Srinath was the star in Ahmedabad where he snared 6 for 21 to skittle out the Proteas for 90 odd in their chase of 110. Azhar was the star of the series, with two centuries, one in Calcutta and one in Kanpur. His ton in Calcutta was complemented by a fine 88 by Kumble but wasnt enough against the efforts of Hudson, Kirsten, Cullinan and Klusener who took 8 for 64 on debut. The three-pronged spin attack lead by Kumble and supported by Srinath were too hot to handle for SA and India went on to win the series 2-1. India had earlier also won the Titan Cup against Australia & South Africa. The series is remembered as the first time when the Ganguly-Tendulkar opening pair was forged.

1997

India's successes were to be short lived. Early next year in 1997 when India toured South Africa for a three test series, India bowled out SA for 235 at Durban on the first day and in return got shot out for 66 & 100. Indian batsmen were exposed to raw pace and some fine use of conditions by the African attack led by Donald, supported by Pollock, McMillan & Klusener. The second test had two heroic performances by Tendulkar & Azhar who scored a ton each but their efforts werent enough for India to avoid another defeat at Cape Town. In the third test at Johannesburg, Dravid century in both innings almost took India to the post. Cullinan's stubborn stand with Klusener & Symcox and rains saved the day for the Proteas. Indian bowling looked partially strong with Srinath & Prasad showing ability to fire on pitches abroad. Kumble was always the potent force we needed at home. But we lacked a back up seamer to support Prasad-Srinath. The Standard Bank Tri Series with Zimbabwe as the third team took place. India as expected reached the finals and in a riveting contest between bat & ball where a meek Dravid clubbed Donald for a mighty six, India lost to SA.

India had yet again in South Africa lost the first match of the series, a trend which was just beginning to set in after their loss to England at Birmingham in the first test.

India then toured the "not so very mighty" West Indies. India was expected to do really well in the Caribbean. Their batting line up looked ominous. But they lost Srinath right before the 5 match series and he was replaced by Abbey Kuruvilla to lead the attack with Prasad. In an otherwise drab series India was in a position to win in the third test at Barbados with 120 to win on the last day. India fell short by 38 runs and was a big blow to their confidence. This series is also remembered for the one where Sidhu scored his only double century at Port of Spain. India also lost the 4 match ODI series 3-1.

Pepsi Independence Cup was held in India participated by India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India beat New Zealand in a game where Tendulkar scored a fine hundred but lost to Sri Lanka and Pakistan and did not even make it to the final. The India-Pakistan encounter at Chennai was the one where Anwar took Indian bowlers to the cleaners and scored the world record individual score of 194. India replied strongly with Dravid scoring his maiden ODI ton but eventually lost.

This was followed by a drab test series against Sri Lanka, where the pitches decided the games' fate. India declared at 537/8. Sri Lanka replied with a record 952/6. Mahanama (215) and Jayasuriya (340) made merry while Rajesh Chauhan, Kumble and Nilesh Kulkarni toiled. Chauhan ended up conceding 278 runs, the maximum by a bowler in a test match. The pitch for the second test was a tad better but the test meandered to a draw. Every top order batsman in either teams scored a century in the series. The ODI series that followed was very keenly competed by both teams but India lost all three matches.

Between two very monotonous India vs Sri Lanka series, India went to Toronto to play Pakistan in the 2nd edition of Sahara Cup. India thrashed Pakistan 4-1 with Sourav Ganguly playing a stellar role in almost every game in the series.

India then played Sri Lanka at home and the result was the same 0-0. The honors were shared in the ODIs too.

1998

After a series of boring India-Sri Lanka matches and a disappointing Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah where India failed to win a single game, India went to Dhaka to play the Independence Cup. Tendulkar was not any more the captain, Azharuddin took back the mantle. Sachin duly obliged the fans with a rollicking 67 off 44 in the shortened match against Pakistan. India dominated the league matches and won the first final, thanks to Tendulkar's terrific 95. India lost the second final after being shot out for 195. In the third final, under overcast conditions and gloomy skies Azhar put Pakistan in. Pakistan scored 314 in 48 overs, as Ijaz Ahmed and Saeed Anwar notched up hundreds. The skies were gloomy and so was India's condition in the game. Sachin and Sourav started slowly in the mammonth chase but caught steam with Indians reaching 71 in 8 overs as Sachin looked like he might walk away with the match. With Sachin's eventual dismissal India began to look down the barrel. But, Ganguly(124) and Robin Singh(84) took charge and took India within touching distance of a win. India began losing wickets in a heap and nine were required of the last over. Kanitkar and Srinath rode their luck and brought the equation down to three off two balls. When Kanitkar lofted Saqlain, over mid-wicket for a boundary, the entire nation erupted in unison. India had won yet another famous battle against Pakistan on the cricket field.

The spring of 1998 was when the Mark Taylor lead Australian team came to India looking to conquer its final frontier. Azharuddin lead India with a settled batting line up and Sachin Tendulkar is sublime form. India conceded first innings lead to Australia in the first test match in Chennai following which in the second innings Tendulkar took Shane Warne to the cleaners scoring a fantastic 155 and setting up a win for India. The second match at Calcutta was routine for India. We put up a huge total and let our spinners run amok the Australian batting. India trounced over Australia by an innings. Australia came back to win the 3rd test at Bangalore inspite of a brilliant 177 by Tendulkar. The test series was followed by Pepsi Cup also involving Zimbabwe. Indian batting was in full bloom with each of India's top order batsman scoring a ton in the series. Ajit Agarkar made his debut in the this series and fast proved to be a potent wicket taken. Australia won the ODI series.

Then came an ODI series no cricket fan can easily forget. The series known for two individual knocks by Tendulkar against Australia. His 143* and 134* arent easily erasable from a cricket fan's memory. Sharjah skies were lit up with some glorious fireworks from the champion. His heroics led India to a stunning victory over the Australians and capped a successful summer for India over them.

India made its trophy cabinets richer in 1998 by winning the Coca Cola Cup in India against Kenya & Bangladesh, Singer Akai Nidahas Trophy involving Sri Lanka & New Zealand and the Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah against Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe. India's Sahara Cup campaign hit rock bottom with the selectors trying to send good teams to both Sahara Cup and clashing Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur. India ended up losing both. 1998 was also a year when India lost the one off test in Zimbabwe exposing its weakness playing tests abroad again. It was also one of the best years for Sachin Tendulkar. He became the highest century maker in ODIs obliterating Desmond Haynes' 17 centuries. The year ended with another defeat on foreign soil for India against New Zealand in a test series. Honours were shared in the ODI series both teams winning 2 games each.

1999

1999 was a landmark year for neighbouring rivals India and Pakistan. Pakistan toured India for a test series in over a decade and a half, led by Wasim Akram. The first test played at Chennai was a closely contested one which Pakistan eventually won by 16 runs despite a hardworking 136 by Tendulkar in the fourth innings. Second test played at Delhi is engraved in gold in Indian cricket for Kumble snared a perfect ten in Pakistan's second innings handing them a defeat of more than 200 runs. India thought they finally found a stable opener in Sadagopan Ramesh. He had a great debut series facing the likes of Akram, Waqar, Saqlain & Mushtaq Ahmed. After sharing honours in the two match test series, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka headed for the Asian Test Championship. The India, Pakistan encounter of the ATC at Kolkata was see-saw Test match at its best. India had Pakistan on the mat at 26 for 6 in the first innings. Pakistan came back into the match with some good lower order batting and some fiery pace bowling by Shoaib Akhtar who accounted for Tendulkar and Dravid off beautiful in swinging yorkers. A second innings 188 by Saeed Anwar and some fine bowling by Pakistan made sure India was shut out of the game. The India vs Sri Lanka match at Colombo was a drab draw with Jayawardena scoring a fine double hundred.

Test championship was followed by two ODI series in India and Sharjah with India and Pakistan joined by Sri Lanka & England. India reached the finals of both tournaments only to end up second best to Pakistan. India dearly missed Tendulkar's services in both tournaments as he was nursing a back injury and was fighting against time to be fit for the World Cup due in May.

The next part will begin with the World Cup 1999 that was played in England and will have analysis of India matches till the beginning of the 2003 World Cup at South Africa.