Retired but not tired….yet!
Well, the ongoing Indian Premier League has once again (for the umpteenth time) showcased the legends of the game gracing the shortest format of the game and how.
For starters, Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist has not just shepherded his team to victory in the second edition of the tournament, he has single-handedly ensured that his performance on the field motivated his team to give their best. Gilly has been instrumental in his team’s superb show in the third edition not just with the willow but behind the stumps. From marshalling his resources to deliver optimum performance every time on the field to maintaining a cool head in the most adverse conditions, Gilly has showed those who said that Twenty20 required young legs.
Well, he may not wanted for his country and might have been unceremoniously sacked out of the Australian team in 2009 but avant-garde Andrew Symonds has shown everyone why he is still the best bet in any format of the game, winning game for the defending champions single-handedly.
And that’s not all!!!!!! Sourav Ganguly too has had his last hurrah in 2008 but his catch to dismiss Mumbai Indians’ Saurabh Tiwary on Monday night at the Brabourne Stadium proved yet again that when it comes to a fight, the southpaw was more than game. Another legend who is not part of the Indian Twenty20 squad is Rahul Dravid. He may have scored over 10,000 runs in both ODIs and Tests but is not given his due in the shortest format of the game. He too pulled off a blinder at Brabourne And his impeccable throw to shatter Matthew Hayden’s stumps in the Tuesday tie did show the glimpses of the brilliance the Bengaluru boy is famous for.
Agreed! The duo mentioned may not have set the world on fire with the bat in Twenty20 but the basic premise of mixing experience and youth has been the case with most teams for some years now, it’s high time the Indian selectors gave a massive thought before the Twenty20 action shifts to the Caribbean this year in May. No, it’s not to bring Dada or Dravid back into the squad but the premise of having someone as legendary as Sachin Tendulkar must not be ruled out. Tendulkar may have just played a solitary T20 game for his country, but a role of mentor for this young brigade that will leave for the West Indies to participate in the Worlds can’t ruled out.
At Tendulkar’s stage, he must be given the leverage to choose which format he plays but his very presence in the dressing room not just lifts the morale of his side but can bring in an out-of-the-box approach in this Indian side. The lesser said about legends like Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, the better. Both have been champion bowlers for their sides for years in succession, but the way the two have led their sides is stuff of the legends. If the two legends were busy captaining the sides, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden was way too busy smashing the cherry-hurlers with his Mongoose bat and boy, did that piece of animal mean business or what?
