Knocking the Doors - 8 most anticipated comebacks of Indian cricket - 2013

Sports and injuries goes hand-in-hand and history is replete of instances where injuries have been gruelling and sometimes have even drawn curtains on the flourishing careers of the sports athletes. One of the most difficult times of a cricketer's career is to make a comeback- a successful one. If you are talking about making a comeback to the Indian cricket team, it makes it even more harder. 

Indian cricket team driven by the animated captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and inspiring efforts from the youngsters have been scripting glorious pages in the chronicles of Indian cricket. To make a comeback in such a team is a daunting chore. Nevertheless, I acquaint you with the personalities of Indian cricket, all set to stage a roaring return to the international cricket. 

Leading the list of cricketers all set to take a crack at team India again is Yuvraj Singh.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh :  The stylish and dashing left hander from Punjab looks in the best shape of his post cancer recovery career. The Punjab da Puttar returned to India on 24th August after a six week long fitness camp in Brive la Gaillarde, France. The all new fitter and slimmer Yuvi's training in the land of human rights had more emphasis on flexibility and agility, much in line with Dhoni's  and selectors outline for team India. With an experience of over 282 ODI's and tag of Man-of-the-tournament of 2011 world cup, Yuvi is all set for an explosive comeback to the Indian cricket.

Zaheer Khan : The spearhead of Indian pace attack for over a decade now, Zaheer Khan's career got plagued by injuries. It was in december last year against England when Zaheer left the field with a strained right hamstring. Since then, he has been finding it difficult to cope with the injuries. Zak's last ODI appearance was against Sri Lanka on August 4, 2012. Zaheer completed his six-week training camp in France alongside Yuvraj Singh and looks sharper than ever. He has eyed Challenger Trophy, the curtain raiser for 2013-2014 domestic season to prove his fitness. A comeback is definitely on cards and will add the much needed experience to the Indian bowling attack.

Zaheer Khan

                              

Virender Sehwag : Off late, The Sultan of Multan has been finding it difficult for a place in the Indian team. Sehwag, one of the greatest openers in the history of Indian cricket, last played for India in a test match against Australia in March 2013. Viru was dropped following his dismal performances stretched over a period of time. The only Indian player to score triple century(twice) in test matches struggled with his footwork as his form deteriorated.

The likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma faring well for the opening wicket has made Sehwag's comeback even more difficult. Viru's claim to fame was his aggressive, explosive and destructive style of batting that would send shivers down the spine of the teams with best bowling attacks. With 23 Test centuries and 15 ODI centuries under his belt, this flamboyant opener from Delhi will make his way back to the Indian team as soon as he finds his lost rhythm. 

Gautam Gambhir : Gautam Gambhir has been out of the Indian cricket team since January 2013. Gambhir formed an essential part of Indian batting line up as he faced the new ball alongside Virender Sehwag. Gambhir and Sehwag formed one of the best opening pair for India as they average over 60.59 at home only to be bettered by Greenidge and Haynes (65.44) and Mike Atherton and Graham Gooch (63.66). The Delhi-duo unarguably formed the best opening pair of contemporary cricket. One can never forget his invaluable 97 in the world cup final against Sri Lanka. But like Viru, Gauti too succumbed to errors in his footwork. Poor shot selection and heavy feet forced his ouster from the team. Gambhir has been working very hard on his footwork and his decision to play for Essex in the county highlights his undying hunger for a comeback to team India. 

Gautam Gambhir

                                       

Irfan Pathan : Out from the Indian cricket team for over a year now, left arm fast medium swing bowler Irfan Pathan is aiming to rejoin the Men-in-Blue. Pathan last played for India in an ODI against Sri Lanka on 4th August,2012. His exceptional ability to swing the bowl evoked comparisons with the Pakistan's great Wasim Akram, regarded as one of the finest left arm pace-men of all time. His batting potential, identified by Greg Chappell, rose him to the No.2 spot in the ICC test rankings for allrounders which eventually led critics to compare him with the legendary Kapil Dev, former Indian pace-bowling allrounder.

Irfan Pathan

Since 2006, Pathan has been making fitful appearances for team India owing to the decline in his form. Pathan was a part of India's champion winning squad in June but didn't play a single game. He was ruled of the team's immediate tour to West Indies due to a hamstring injury. Pathan was training at NCA to sort out all fitness related issues. An admirer of Wasim Akram, Kapil Dev and V.V.S Laxman, Irfan Pathan is all geared up for Ranji Trophy and local tournaments in Hyderabad to make it to the playing XI of team India. 

Harbhajan Singh : "The Turbanator" hasn't played for India since March 2013.  India's most successful off-spinner went off the cards following a stint of hapless performances with the ball both in test cricket and ODI's. Relatively better performances by Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin juddered the cemented place of Harbhajan in team India. His wicket taking capability, accuracy and precision went missing. But Bhajji worked hard on his bowling and bagged 24 wickets for Mumbai Indians in the latest edition of IPL. People call him a "fighter to the core" for a reason.

Similar to his aspiring colleagues from team India, Harbhajan Singh is targeting the domestic season to stage a hollering comeback into the team India. Over 400 wickets in test cricket and 259 wickets in ODIs makes Bhajji a true force to reckon with. His comeback would surely strengthen the Indian spin attack.

Wasim Jaffer : " Old is Gold' and so is "Wasim Jaffer for team India". I wonder if it's the consistency and performance of  a cricketer or the age that matters the most for selectors to blue-ribbon a player. Wasim Jaffer, by far, has been the most consistent performer at the domestic level. He surpassed Amol Muzumdar to become the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy. His accomplishments call for a deserving test spot.

Very much in conscious is the fact that the young guns are firing for team India. But, when it comes to Test cricket, I fear these guns would run out of ammunition. With Sehwag and Gambhir struggling with form Jaffer's comeback to the test cricket would possibly fuel much required stability at top of the order. 

Varun Aaron : Varun Aaron is a rare talent for Indian cricket. He made headlines as he hit 153 kph during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Gujarat. In a country esurient of genuine quick bowlers, Aaron can consistently bowl in excess of 140 kph with adequate control.

                                           

Aaron suffered an early setback to his career as he developed lower-back stress fracture before India's tour of Australia in December 2011. Before being blighted by the injury, Aaron instilled great promise into the selectors by showcasing his abilities in a rather short stint at international that lasted for only 1 test and 4 ODI appearances. In March, Aaron underwent surgery on the L5 disc in his lower back and was given a six-month recovery time. Post recovery Aaron has been training and bowling with a rather short run-up at NCA. His comeback to the international cricket is anticipated. 

Young Blood Has It All...

Indian cricket is on the pinnacle of its success and much of its blossom can be owed to the dynamic captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a bunch of young lads, who have grown in their stature by accomplishing achievements that no other cricketers of same generation were able to accomplish.

They changed the face of Indian cricket forever. The need for more youngsters in the team was realized by Saurav Ganguly, under whose captaincy names like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan emerged. But then team India always had seats reserved for the ageing fabulous four (Saurav, Sachin, Dravid and Laxman).  There was a wealthy chance given to players who didn't perform. As the time marched on, the lack of agility and flexibility became more and more visible.

 

The captaincy shifted hands and the young lad from Ranchi (whose long cascading hair once drew praise from the then Pakistani President General Parvez Musharraf) was presented with the gigantic task of leading team India. Soon it was apparent that things were inclined to change.  Leading team India was no meager task yet Dhoni took no time to prove his mettle. He didn't invest in the risk of losing matches by sitting down players with inconsistent performances. The budding cricketers used this opportunity to shine above the horizon just in line with Dhoni to turn his dream of winning the 2011 world cup into a praise-worthy reality.

 The move quickly uncovered the abundance of talent available at domestic level in youngsters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and few young lads who gradually became the core part of team India. This was the reincarnation of Indian cricket; young and prolific form yet mighty and unshaken in its potential. Even as this transformation drew some criticism, Dhoni maintained his stance.

The transformation paid off as India made history by winning the inaugural edition of Twenty20 world cup and then scripted history by defeating Australia in their homeland in the Common Wealth Bank Series. It was made clear by the selectors that experience is no more a criteria and one has to perform on a consistent basis to cement his place in the team. The mantra worked as every youngster became more focused in seizing every opportunity at their disposal.

The likes of Dhawans, Rainas, Kohlis and Jadejas soon emerged. The team India which had two or three good fielders in the squad soon became a team where everyone would dive to stop in a single. An athletic bunch of youngsters soon earned recognition as the best fielders in the world. The standards were now on par with the most acclaimed teams around the globe including England, Australia and South Africa. One must also appreciate the efforts of BCCI in improving the infrastructure that eventually lead to the raise in standards.

In Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Shamra, India found successors for the flamboyant opening pair of Sehwag and Gambhir. Kohli and Pujara could always be shuffled for number three and number four spots in the batting list. There’s much of reliability on Kohli, Pujara, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, who strengthen the middle order. One can only be a fool to exclude the Captain Cool, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, finest of batsmen and unarguably the greatest finisher in the world of cricket.

The bowling department is just as good as the batting with the experienced Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Bhuvanesh Kumar has been the find of the season for team India with Umesh Yadav on the reserve. India has world class spinners in Ravichandra Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja with his successful bowling stint ends the search for the fifth bowler.

For now, everything looks green for team India with the bench being warmed up by the names that include Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Kartik, Murali Vijay, Amit Mishra, Manoj Tiwari, Shami Ahmed and Parvez Rasool, the talent of whom have already been glimpsed to the world.

Team India in its current composition stands tall with a learned past, a remarkable present and possibly a lustrous future.