India's World Cup Highs - II

India and Pakistan met for the second time in World Cups at the quarter final stage of the 1996 edition. The match was played at Bangalore. There wasn't an inch the two teams could give one another. Wasim Akram, the Pakistani captain backed out of the match at the last moment citing back problems. Aamer Sohail was named the stand in captain. India led by Azharuddin looked good, they had played well in the group stages. Their star batsman Tendulkar was in prime touch and the middle order was scoring too.

 India won the toss and elected to bat. India had an unusually sedate start despite Tendulkar's presence at the crease. He was kept in check by Waqar and Aaqib Javed. India never scored at an alarming rate though Sidhu played well for his fine 93. India would never have reach 287 in their 50 overs but for some clinical slogging by Ajay Jadeja. He thrashed Waqar for 40 runs in his last two overs and scored a brutal 45 off 25 balls. India's total looked good for a win but Pakistani openers had different ideas. Sohail and Anwar come out all guns blazing adding 84 in the first 10 overs. Anwar was dismissed soon after.The most talked about moment of the match is the visual of Sohail challenging Venkatesh Prasad after scoring a boundary off him and the bowler uprooting his off stump. Soon after Sohail dismissal, Pakistan capitulated. With some contributions from the middle order, Pakistan reached 248. India romped home by 39 runs. 

Pakistani players went home to some rioting fans pelting stones at Wasim Akram's house for his absence from match and India went into the semi finals setting up their second showdown against Sri Lanka, the eventual Cup winners. 

India's World Cup Highs - I

This blog will come up with 5 of India's best World Cup moments since 1992 from here on till the beginning of the ICC World Cup 2011. Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992 in Australia and New Zealand was the first World Cup I watched as a 7 year old.

The 1992 World Cup down under wasnt the best campaign for India. Led by Azharuddin, we had already lost our first two games against England and Australia in closely fought games and the third game against Sri Lanka at Mackay had got rained out. India really needed a win to have a shot at the semi final slot. India's fourth game was against arch rivals Pakistan at Sydney. Pakistan, captained by Imran Khan, too hadnt had the brightest of starts to the World Cup. This was India and Pakistan's first ever encounter in a World Cup game. It was a tense game. It happened in the foreground as political tensions brewed between the two nations.

India batted first and put up a fighting total of 216 thanks to contributions from Jadeja, Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Kapil Dev. Tendulkar scored a fine 54 and was the only one to cross 50 for India. Pakistan's target of 217 wasnt steep but the pressure of expectations were immense. Both teams didnt give each other an inch. Fine bowling by Indians coupled with some nervous batting by Pakistanis resulting in a convincing India win. Barring Aamir Sohail (62) and Javed Miandad (40), no batsman could handle pressure. India registered its first win and Pakistan received a jolt to their World Cup dreams, which they eventually won.

This match was only the beginning of India Pakistan encounters in World Cups. The teams met in the next three consecutive World Cups, all of which India have won.

Australia's Next Captain Conundrum

How many full time captains each test playing nation has had in the last decade?
Pakistan - 8, Sri Lanka - 5, England - 5, West Indies - 6, South Africa - 4, India - 5, Australia & New Zealand - 2. Unlike other teams, with the exception of New Zealad, Australia has seen the least number of captaincy changes in the last decade. While New Zealand has had Stephen Fleming & Daniel Vettorri leading the team, Australia has had only two full time captains in this period; Steve Waugh & Ricky Ponting. Adam Gilchrist, Mike Hussey & Micheal Clarke have filled in for them in interims. Australia for that matter, since 1970 have had a long term captain. Starting with Ian Chappell, followed by a short stint of Graham Yallop, Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes, Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh & now Ricky Ponting have upheld the mantle of Australian captaincy.

Australia now are in a transition phase after the retirement of Langer, Hayden, Warne, McGrath, Martyn and Gilchrist. Ricky Ponting too isn't getting younger, his batting form isn't getting any better, his success rate diminishing and retirement thoughts surely would have entered his mind. But the selectors have quite a dilemma ahead of them. The two main contenders for Australia captaincy are Micheal Clarke & Mike Hussey. The latter's age (35) might work against him, but Clarke's form with bat is a crisis in itself.  Not doubting Clarke's talent as a batsman and a fine fielder and utility spinner. But his vulnerability to short balls has been exposed by bowlers around the world. And he surely isn't in the league of all the ex Australia test captains. Mike Hussey sure does seem to have the charisma and is a well respected senior in the team. His title of Mr.Cricket too augurs well for a future Australia captain, but for his age.

If I was an Australian cricket selector, I wouldnt even look towards Clarke. I would either opt for a bowler captain in Mitchell Johnson, already a senior in the team and will ensure he stays focussed for the team benefit or hand it over to Mike Hussey or Brad Haddin for a short period of two years and ensure either of Cameron White or Callum Ferguson trained under them as vice captains. I feel Callum Ferguson is someone with enormous potential and is a player to watch out for in the future.

Author of this post also writes on http://www.isport.in/

India's African Safari

Till not so long ago India, not-so-proudly held the tag of "poor tourists". And in that period, till 2007, amongst other countries, India toured South Africa four times and played 12 test matches; won 1, lost 6 and drew 5. A record that doesn't really befit a team which sits atop the Test rankings.

South African pitches offers Indian batsmen what they arent too comfortable with; the twin troubles of Pace & Bounce. Indian batsmen have traditionally suffered at the hands of South African bowlers in these pitches assisting pace and bounce. Even the mighty Sachin Tendulkar has looked a mere mortal in South African conditions. With three centuries in 12 test matches, South African bowlers have offered him the least to get away with in their backyard. Even Dravid, Laxman & Sehwag havent struck gold against the Proteas. But things might be slightly different this time around. India have a settled opening combination in Gambhir & Sehwag for the first time in all their tours to SA. A middle order which has three legends. A wicket keeper batsman & captain who can more than just bat. Two promising youngsters, Raina & Pujara, battling for the sixth batsman spot. Its Steyn, Morne Morkel & the less known Lonwabo Tsotsobe they'd need to negotiate. Paul Harris, the Protean spinning option shouldnt pose much of a threat to the Indian batting line up.

Indian bowlers though have been slightly more successful than their bat wielding team mates. Prasad & Srinath were a deadly combo during the 1996-97 tour. Sreesanth was lethal & Zaheer supported him well in the 2006-07 tour. But what these bowlers lacked was support from rest of the bowlers and batsmen. The pressure exerted by Prasad & Srinath was usually undone by the third seamer who let the Proteas counter attack and take runs before the pair came back to hunt. India this time has Zaheer in prime form, Ishant and Sreesanth finding rhythm and Harbhajan not in the wiliest of phases. But Sreesanth is a mercurial bowlers and can find rhythm in one good spell and once he does he can be dangerous. Zaheer will bank getting his bunny Graeme Smith cheaply consistently. Trouble is when they run into the Protean middle order, next only to Indian middle order if not equal. AB de Villiers, Kallis & Amla are all in sublime form and are determined to go into the World Cup with victory against India.

This series will be watched by all cricket enthusiasts for its between the two most successful teams in recent times. With the one sidedness of The Ashes, the significance of India versus South Africa has increased multi folds in the context of the game. India has no reason to not feel confident about their chances. They have achieved success in the bounciest wicket in the world at WACA, Perth against Australia in 2008. To do well and achieve success here will be the best preparation India could ask for before the World Cup and a perfect adieu to Tendulkar, Laxman & Dravid who have traveled thrice to South Africa without achieving a series win and quite certainly are playing their last series in South Africa.

Author of this post also writes on http://www.isport.in/

Indian Cricket since 1996 - Part 2

World Cup 1999 to World Cup 2003 eve

Pepsi World Cup 1999 in England

India headed for the World Cup with a good team and an experienced captain in Azharuddin. India began its campaign unsuccessfully with a defeat against South Africa, but hit a great low by losing to Zimbabwe in the next game falling prey to some extremely indisciplined bowling, terrible running between the wickets and Tendulkar’s absence from the team. This defeat made the next three group games must win for India. And they did just that. Ganguly & Dravid put up big hundreds to amass a score of 373 for 6 against Sri Lanka. In the super sixes, India faced eventual winners, Australia and lost convincingly despite a fighting hundred by Jadeja and a desperate partnership with Robin Singh. India faced Pakistan in the most awaited clash of the World Cup at a time when the two countries were engaged in a war back home. It was touted to be a high adrenaline match with tempers flaring. But it wasn’t to be, India trounced Pakistan in a relatively low scoring match where Indian bowlers came up trumps. India’s semi final hopes were dashed even before they played their last super six game against New Zealand owing to some funny calculation system adopted by ICC. India lost the match against New Zealand, and thus ended their campaign, where though lot was promised, not much was delivered. Dravid, Ganguly & Srinath were India’s stars from the World Cup. Dravid remained the highest scorers of the tournament.

1999

The unsuccessful World Cup campaign was dealt with severely by the BCCI and Azharuddin was sacked as captain & dropped from the team and Tendulkar was reinstated. Robin Singh was overlooked for he was the oldest member of the team at 36 and selectors looked at nurturing younger talent. India toured Sri Lanka for a tri series involving Australia. Indians played below par in the series and didn’t reach the finals despite Tendulkar’s century in severe back pain in a crucial match. Their next campaign was the Singapore Challenge against Zimbabwe & West Indies. India was crushed by Ricardo Powell who carted bowlers to all corners of the ground in the finals and we eventually lost.  Next up India won the DMC Cup, 2-1, played against West Indies at Toronto as Indian government refused to allow the team to play Pakistan even in a neutral venue due to political tensions. The team here was lead by Ganguly in Tendulkar and Jadeja’s absence. Ajay Jadeja was at the helm for the LG Cup held in Nairobi. India played the round robin games like real champions with unknown faces like Sunil Joshi and Vijay Bharadwaj making valuable contributions. But it was in the finals that India realised how inept we were at handling pressure.

After a more or less disappointing ODI season, India faced New Zealand at home in a three match test series. India won the series 1-0 on perfect featherbeds and dust bowls. The series would only be remembered for Tendulkar's first double century in the second test at Ahmedabad. In the ODI series that followed, India defeated New Zealand 3-2 in games most of which were high scoring. Tendulkar came up with his highest ODI score, 186* and India posted it highest ODI total 376.

This was followed by one of the most disappointing tours India has even been on, the tour down under. India’s morale wasn’t helped by the then secretary of BCCI predicting a 3-0 whitewash. It came true though. Australia blanked India 3-0 in the test series. Indians weren’t allowed to dominate a single session of play in the entire duration of the series. The only high points for India from the series were Tendulkar superb century at Melbourne, Laxman stunning 167 in an attempt to save the Sydney test and of course Tendulkar being adjudged Man of the Series despite his team’s loss. The test series loss affected the psyche of the players and the ODI series involving the hosts and Pakistan was no different. India only managed one win in the 8 matches they played in the series.

2000

South Africa toured India with a strong resolve to avenge their defeat in 1996. Hansie Cronje had put together a strong team, with a terrific batting line up and an equally strong bowling attack. India, for the first time in 13 years lost a home test series. South Africa defeated India 2-0. India had Tendulkar and Azharuddin scoring hundreds, but for South Africa it was their bowling which never let Indians dominate. Allan Donald was at his best, supported by Shaun Pollock and Nicky Boje. In the ODIs that followed India defeated South Africa 3-2 in the five match series. Sachin Tendulkar informed the BCCI that he would like to step down as the captain after the ODI series following two series defeats. The decision was shocking, but seemed to be in the best interest of the team as India really needed him as a batsman. Sourav Ganguly was soon handed over the mantle of captaincy of the Indian cricket team. His first two assignment as a captain were forgettable. The Coca Cola Cup at Sharjah against Pakistan and South Africa and the Asia Cup in Sharjah. India failed to reach the final in both and managed two wins both put together.

All was well with the world of cricket till Hansie Cronje decided to make a confession, a confession that was going to rock Cricket and scar the game.  Cronje, the maverick South African captain, pleaded guilty of accepting money to underperform. Not once, not twice, but on a number of times. This was going to open a can of worms. He would himself be banned for life by the CSA and his co-offenders Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Williams were handed suspensions. But for India, the can of worms was hurtful. Mohammed Azharuddin, one of the most respected figures in Cricket was banned for life for alleged involvement in the match fixing scandal, so were Ajay Sharma, former India cricketer and a Delhi Ranji player and Manoj Prabhakar. Five year suspensions were handed to current Indian cricketers Ajay Jadeja for alleged closeness with one of the bookies and Nayan Mongia who along with Prabhakar were accused to throwing a match against West Indies in 1994 by purposely batting slow. Indian Cricket stood jolted by two of their cult cricketers being suspended, one for lifetime and the other for 5 years.

With the appointment of former Kiwi opener John Wright and having got some time off the game to put behind the events that unfolded, India looked for some change of fortunes in the ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi, Kenya. India wasn’t rated too highly and weren’t expected do too well. India brushed aside Kenya to set a date with Australia in the quarterfinals. A match that will be remembered for Tendulkar sledging McGrath and charging down the track to hit him over long off. A mini collapse saw debutant Yuvraj Singh battling a lone battle. He scored a magnificent 84 off 81 balls as India toppled top ranked Aussies. Zaheer produced a peach of an inswinging yorker to see off Steve Waugh. Thus two warriors who would take India to the next generation were born. India defeated South Africa in the semi finals in  a clinical performance and met New Zealand in the finals. New Zealand had defeated the much favoured Pakistan in the semis and looked good as did India. India started confidently and looked to bat the Kiwis out of the game, but Chris Cairns had different ideas. He choked runs and Indian panicked. Lost wickets in a heap and could only manage a modest 264. Cairns again came to the Kiwi rescue and scored a brilliant hundred to break a million Indian hearts. India still took a lot of heart and positives from the tournament after coming back almost from the dead.

A disappointing three nation tournament in Sharjah against Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe followed. Indian batting hit rock bottom against Sri Lanka being dismissed for 54 on a senile Sharjah pitch. India also aided Muralitharan in getting his career best figures of 7/30 in one of the matches. India was one of the most vocal supporters of Bangadesh in getting their Test berth. Bangadesh also invited India to play the inaugural match in Dhaka. A workmanlike century by Captain Aminul Islam, a solid batting performance by Bangladesh & a fine all round effort by Sunil Joshi were the highlights of an otherwise dull game which India won by 9 wickets. India was then toured by Zimbabwe for two test and five one dayers. India won the first of two test and Zimbabwe managed to draw the second. Andy Flower was Zimbabwe hero scoring a mammoth 544 runs in two test matches that included a fantastic 232 not out at Nagpur. India thrashed Zimbabwe 4-1 in the one day series.

2001

India began preparing to host Australia for a three test match series. Australia had by then conquered everything they laid sight on. India was their “Last Frontier”. Indian batting looked strong but the bowling, feeble. Anil Kumble had been sidelined by a shoulder injury, and playing against Australia, India missed its frontline spinner. Harbhajan Singh who last played for India in 1999 was recalled into the team. The first test at Mumbai went as expected. Accurate Australian bowling had India in tatters in both innings and the visitors romped home by 10 wickets. Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and another test recall VVS Laxman were the only positives from the match. Before the second test at Kolkata, Indian selectors scrutinized spinning options from all over the country to support Harbhajan. Australia started the 2^nd test on the right note, scoring around 400 runs on the first day. A Harbhajan hat trick in the last hour of play on the 1^st day jolted the Aussie march but when India came on to bat, the Aussie scored looked Himalayan. Replying to Australia’s 448, India was skittled out of for a measly 174 and were expectedly asked to follow on. Ganguly, in one of the moves that makes him one of the best to have lead India ever, sent Laxman one drop instead of Dravid who seemed to struggle a bit. Laxman looked in ominous touch. He and Dravid put on a gargantuan partnership of 361 taking India to safety. Laxman scored a phenomenal 281 and was ably supported by Dravid who scored 180. Putting Australia into bat in the 2^nd half of 1^st session of play on the 5^th day chasing 260, India struck gold with picking wickets early and at regular intervals. Hayden was the only confident looking Aussie. Harbhajan snared another 6 wickets and Australia succumbed to defeat in what could be described as one of the best Test matches of recent times. India had well and truly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The third test at Chennai too was keenly competed. After a Hayden double century, a century by Tendulkar and another Harbhajan special with the ball, India were left to chase 126 on the final day. In the bid to score the runs quickly, India began to lose wickets in a heap. Harbhajan & Dighe displayed composure and took India to a fabulous 2 wicket win.  This series has gone down in the history of the game as one of the best competed.

India’s next assignment was a two test series in Zimbabwe followed by a tri series involving West Indies. India won the first test but on a bouncy, seaming track in the second test India lost the plot and the game. The series stood drawn 1-1 and India were embarrassed by the result. The ODI series was won by West Indies after defeating India in the finals. This was followed by a tough tour of Sri Lanka where India had to deal with total absence of Tendulkar owing to a back injury. The series saw the Indians play around with the batting order with only Ganguly remaining constant. This is also the series where Virender Sehwag emerged as an opener for India. His blazing 108 against New Zealand gave India a place in the finals they was eventually lost. The test series will be remembered for Muralitharan magic delivery to remove Indian opener Sadagopan Ramesh, bowling him with a delivery that pitched way down leg stump. After losing the first test convincingly, India pulled back the second at Kandy, but lost the third test by an innings. 

India’s tour of South Africa will be remembered for two major events. One, the debut of Virender Sehwag who scored a magnificent ton his first test alongside Tendulkar who scored blazing ton to take India to safety and two the Mike Denness issue where the match referee accused Indians of over appealing suspending Sehwag for a match and accusing Tendulkar of ball tampering in the  second test. The issue was blown out of proportion by the BCCI and ensured change of match referee in the 3^rd test. After losing the first test and drawing the second, India played South Africa in an unofficial third test for India refused to play the test when Sehwag’s suspension wasn’t revoked. The tri series involving the two teams and Kenya was won by South Africa. India reached its low point when they lost to Kenya in one of the league matches. The final between India and South Africa was a one sided affair where accurate bowling by the hosts had the Indian batting hopping on a placid track at Durban. South Africa won the series and left India with some thinking to do.

2002

England toured India with a team less than full strength. But lead by shrewd Nasser Hussain, it showed it didn’t lack character and will to fight. After losing the first test in Mohali, they drew the next two tests. Hussain got Giles to bowl outside the leg stump to Tendulkar to curtail his run and frustrate him. Giles did succeed in getting the maestro out stumped by persevering bowling the same line. The ODI series that followed was again well competed in by England. After conceding a lead of 3-1 to India, England came back to square the series, 3-3.

India toured West Indies in the summer of 2002 hoping to change fortunes from their previous Caribbean tour in 1997. First test was a drawn after fine performances by Chanderpaul & Hooper for West Indies and a fine hundred by Laxman for India after which rain took over. India won the second test at Port of Spain but lost the third. The 4th match was a high scoring draw. Anil Kumble's dedication towards the game was at the fore when he came on to bowl after a Merv Dillon delivery broke his jaw while batting. He not only bowled but picked the wicket of Brian Lara. The hosts wrapped up the series with a fine win in the fifth test. West Indies gave a terrific account of themselves with brilliant performances by Chanderpaul, Hooper & Dillon.

India's tour of England in late summer was monumental for reasons more than one. India won the Natwest Trophy triangular series and also drew the test series 1-1. The Natwest final win is considered amongst India's best till date. The way the two youngsters, Yuvraj & Kaif took India to the finishing line was remarkable. A win became a distant dream when the India was at 140 for 5 in 23 overs. Yuvraj, Ganguly & Tendulkar had a wonderful series with the bat. The Test series saw the rise of Indian batting line which after losing the first test at Lord's played exceedingly well in the next three to win the third test at Headingly by an innings and salvage a drawn series. Dravid was in sublime form with two centuries and Sehwag, Tendulkar, Ganguly & Agarkar chipped in with a century each.

The Champions Trophy of 2002 boosted India's confidence going into the 2003 World Cup. India played with great flair and excellent camaraderie and eased through Zimbabwe, England to meet South Africa in the semi finals. In a chase of 262, Proteas were easing at 194 for 1 when Gibbs retired hurt after scoring 116. The rest of the team fell like pack of cards to lose the game by 10 runs. India met Sri Lanka in two rain curtailed finals and the trophy was shared. India seemed to have found its combination for the World Cup.

India convincingly beat the touring West Indies 2-0 in the test series and the ODI series was looked at as an opportunity to tinker with the team composition. India tried out many combinations and in a high scoring series West Indies outran India 4-3. India, before the World Cup made a trip to New Zealand for a two test and seven ODI series. In typical seaming, bowler friendly wickets India lost to the hosts 2-0 in a low scoring test series and 5-2 in the ODI series. India bowling was flourishing but the batting seemed to have taken a battering with the exception of Sehwag who scored two centuries in the ODIs. Ganguly was apologetic with his team's performance. These pitches seemed to India like how spin minefields seem like to visiting tourists in India. He though had no reason to be too apologetic about. India had done exceedingly well over the last 12 months and one off series wouldnt affect their World Cup preparations much.

Sourav Ganguly over the last year and a half had done world a good for the Indian team. Test wins in West Indies and England, the Natwest Series win, shared trophy at the ICC Champions Trophy; he had proved to be one of the best captains in recent times. Not only that, the team respected him as a leader and he showed confidence in youngsters in the team. Yuvraj, Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Zaheer, Nehra, Harbhajan, Parthiv Patel were all players who bloomed under his captaincy. He showed confidence in Rahul Dravid by bringing him back into the ODI team and made him wear the wicket keeping gloves so he could have the luxury of playing an extra batsman. India were well on their way towards a great World Cup campaign lead by Ganguly, under the guidance of coach John Wright.

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.

A Few Good Men

I have wondered a lot as to who could the best captain in cricket ever? Answers have ranged from Mike Brearley to Don Bradman to Douglas Jardine to Ian Chappell, Kapil Dev to Imran Khan, Clive Lloyd to Arjuna Ranatunga, Hansie Cronje to Steve Waugh, or Allan Border and Sourav Ganguly. Not having had the fortune of witnessing and following cricket before the 1990s, I set out to name five Best Captains from the last two decades. This is the time when cricket evolved hugely and captains unlike earlier days had to lead the team in three versions of the game. Captaincy can be graded on various bases, most crucial being statistics (success) and the captain's impact on and importance in the team. 1992 Benson & Hedges Cup saw most teams captained by the senior statesman in the team, most of who retired immediately after the tournament. Australia by Allan Border, New Zealand by Martin Crowe, England by Graham Gooch, Pakistan by Imran Khan, Zimbabwe by Dave Houghton, South Africa by Kepler Wessels. Captains of the Indian (Azharuddin), Sri Lankan (Ranatunga) & West Indian (Richardson) teams carried on to lead their teams in the next World Cup too. Then began a new era where the captains were younger and more dynamic.

Amongst the new heap Hansie Cronje stood tall. He bred a young, inexperienced team into a world beating side. Players like Rhodes, Donald, McMillan, Richardson, Kirsten stood by their captain their respect for them was evident. He got exactly what he wanted off his team. Minus the match fixing scandal, Hansie Cronje could have been considered amongst the best captains of all time. Gibbs in a recent interview when asked about why he agreed to Cronje to throw a match, said, “Hansie also had this power over us, so we couldn't say no.” which I think is a tribute to the man for the respect the team had for him.

Arjuna Ranatunga, the stockily built southpaw also an inspirational captain stood by his player, Muralitharan, then just a new spin bowler in the team when he was called for “chucking” in Australia. He staged a walk out and lodged a protest. Sri Lankans took Murali being called a “chucker” as an insult. Arjuna, the crafty captain he was, directed all their energies to the World Cup in 1996. His every experiment worked. Making Jayasuriya, then just a spinner and a lower order batsman open with wicket keeper Kaluwitharana lengthened their batting line up and ensured they batted deep. The team played like a dream. They didn’t lose a single game and took home the World Cup. He took a team that stood second from last in the 1992 World Cup to world champions four years later.

An ideal captain is supposed to be impartial yet be friendly with the team. Communication is said to be one of the most important traits of a good captain. Thats where Mohammed Azharuddin lacked for India. During his reign as India captain, there were jokes around when was the last time he spoke to his players casually off field. And communication and aggression is where Sourav Ganguly excelled in comparison to his predecessors. He led by example and forged a fabulous coach-captain relationship with John Wright and took India to some remarkable wins at home and overseas. He lead the team to test wins in Pakistan and drew in England & Australia; something none of the Indian captains in the past have achieved. The NatWest Trophy 2002 win and series win over Australia at home are considered his best achievements. Sourav Ganguly is credited hugely for breeding the current generation of senior players in the Indian team today, the likes of Zaheer, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Sehwag etc flourished under his leadership. Succeeding him, Rahul Dravid had a torrid time handling the team and coach Greg Chappell.

Steve Waugh imbibed a strong team from Mark Taylor when he took over as test captain in 1998-99. His team already had champions like Warne, McGrath, Mark Waugh, Martyn, Gilchrist etc. He task was to put his resources in place. He did just that and the results were for us to see. The 1999 World Cup, 16 consecutive tests and complete domination till he held the throne was what he achieved. He gave a new life to Hayden who went on to be counted amongst the best opening batsmen the game has seen.

Nasser Hussain for England & Stephen Fleming for New Zealand were inspirational captains for their sides. Their teams respected them and enjoyed reasonable success under their captaincy. But longitude of their success was what was missing. Fleming’s success though can be attributed to four Kiwi players who were more or less instrumental in giving them those wins; Asle, Vettori, Cairns & Bond. Hussain on the other hand was a shrewd captain who didn’t enjoy as much success but was an astute strategy maker and carried them out with perfection. His strategy to have Giles bowl outside leg stump to dry up Tendulkar’s runs to dismiss him was a masterstroke as it did succeed.

Amongst the modern captains Dhoni, Smith & Ponting have gained maximum success. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's journey as a captain began with a bang when India lifted the inaugural World T20 Cup in 2007. No doubt the team under his leadership is enjoying the best of Tendulkar, Dravid & Laxman’s final burst before they hang their boots. But this in no way is discrediting the man for his astute captaincy and execution. His decisions have worked more often than not; he is a calm customer on the field but he does have the aggression and the killer punch required to succeed in pressure. Under him India is no more a brittle team that cracks under pressure. Unlike previous Indian teams, Dhoni's team thrives under testing circumstances.

Ricky Ponting took over from where Steve Waugh left. Australia, in his initial years at the post were reigning on top of the cricketing world. With the 2003 & 2007 World Cup wins, having conquered the final frontier (victory on Indian soil) and consistent domination of best teams, Aussies were rendered unbeatable. But Ponting started losing his top men to age and fatigue. McGrath, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Martyn retired. Brett Lee’s injuries got the better of him. And Ponting began leading a young side. Australia’s struggles had begun so had Ponting’s. His form dipped and his team started losing regularly. Two away Ashes losses, two defeats to India in India are all signs of Aussie domination and Ponting’s leadership on wane.

Graeme Smith at 23, took over captaincy when no one else volunteered. He was named captain after South Africa’s very disappointing World Cup 2003 campaign at home under Shaun Pollock’s leadership. He gained the respect of members of the squad. From a team so known for choking, he transformed South Africa into a team that stayed at the no. 1 position in test and ODIs for a considerable while. His team has a realistic chance of winning the World Cup next year. He has developed a fantastic team with a powerful batting line up and a threatening bowling attack. New comers like Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla have prospered under his leadership.

West Indies has seen over 8 captains since 1992. This also has been the period of West Indies' downfall as a cricketing side. Since 2000 West Indies have constantly been in the bottom 3 of the ICC rankings. Much of this could be attributed to how the game is administered at home, but the captains too haven't been able to elicit the best out of his players.

Pakistan has had the most number of captains, 14, amongst all test playing nations in the last two decades. Wasim Akram & Inzamam Ul Haq's captaincy could be called the most successful for team. They reached the World Cup finals in 1999 and beat India in their backyard under Akram. Inzamam's team was resolute with strong batsmen, good all rounders and fine pace bowlers until the 2007 World Cup when the world came apart for the Pakistani when their coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room. Pakistan's campaign ended prematurely and their team went into a tizzy.

These two decades proved great batsmen and bowlers do not necessarily make a great captain. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Sanath Jayasuriya, Courtney Walsh, Kevin Pietersen stand as examples.

With an eye each on success and his impact on the team, I arrive at my top 5 best captains in the last two decades. My list is: Steve Waugh, Graeme Smith, Sourav Ganguly, Hansie Cronje & Arjuna Ranatunga in the same order.

Smith, Ganguly, Cronje, Ranatunga were all instrumental in rebuilding their teams after turmoils or bad form. They lead their teams to successes in pressure situations and formed admirable combinations with coaches they worked with the longest; Smith-Arthur, Ganguly-Wright, Cronje-Woolmer & Ranatunga-Whatmore. Steve Waugh is on the list purely for the long victory run his team had under his leadership, the respect his team had for him and for the grace he retired with after realizing he is past his prime and its time for the youth to take over.

Definition of a good captain might have definitely changed over the years but I still have my hopes with the likes of Dhoni, Sangakkara, Clarke, Vettori etc to continue to the tradition of fabulous cricket in the future.