NEXT FAB 4 OF INDIAN CRICKET

     When ganguly , one of the fab four of Indian cricket , yuvraj looked the only person to replace the southpaw. But the years have gone by and India is now oozing with talented youngsters. The youngistan has done a commendable job in limited overs cricket and are now on the back of the senior pros of test cricket
for a test berth , which also brings out the best out of seniors.

     Virat kohli, Rohit sharma , Suresh raina and Yuvraj singh, who have taken India to a great level in one day cricket, will form the India's next fab four of test cricket. They will be challenged by cheteshwar pujara, manoj tiwary and badrinath. but these four are expected to be the next middle order of India's batting in the future.

     Virat kohli is in phenomenal form for the past two years during which he was the highest run getter in ODIs and has never looked since he made his debut. He is the best of the four at the moment. having made the no.3 spot in one day team as his own he looks deserving enough to take the same spot in test team as well. Although he has not made a mark in the limited opportunities got till now he has shown tremendous temperament in his knocks in limted overs cricket which can surely help him in test arena.

     Rohit sharma is a player who has impressed one and all right from the time he played a great knock in CB series final in Australia. The comment of Indian coach "It is very unfortunate that you have still not played a Test match" tells how he is rated as by everyone in the world. He missed the test cap just by a whisker last year when he got injured just an hour before the match started was a big disappointment for him. The man of the series award in the recently concluded India-west indies series is a proof of him playing under pressure and giving out the best.

     Suresh raina another player like virat kohli who has done exceedingly well in limited overs cricket will form the next back bone of Indian batting line up. A century on test debut against sri lanka two seasons back was a perfect start to his test career. A player with aggression and smartness on field will be of great asset to the team. he has been consistent in limited overs.

     Yuvraj Singh , the hero of two world cup winning teams , completes the fab four. Having faced a lot of criticism from different quarters of the world for not extending his great one day record into tests yet this man has ability to be part of the Indian test setup for few more years. He is a great finisher and his bowling supplements  his batting skills in giving the important break through s. After recovering from the lung tumor he will be again in contention for the 6Th spot which is up for grabs.

     These players will form a great fielding unit which is also an integral part of cricket. these players playing along with the seniors in the team and rubbing shoulders with them will give them the necessary experience and inputs of the test cricket. with few more test matches under their belt before the big 3 retire will help them stand in better shape to take on the test reins from the seniors. 

The SWASHBUCKLER SEHWAG !!!!!

       The man who first stated that 200 is possible in one day cricket has done it but he is not the first to do so. yet it doesn't take anything away from an innings of lifetime. and as many say once a thing gets started it doesn't take long to doing on it on regular basis as it took just two years to break the master tendulkar's, record for highest individual score in odis. sehwag hammered windies to get to the second double hundred of ODIs by scoring 219 off 149 deliveries including 25 fours and 7 sixes.

                   
      Before the match started there was a lot of talk about him not in best of touches and not giving the good starts to the innings but it was just a matter of time before the great match winner was in his elements. he was into his own from the start of the innings hitting roach to six in third over of the day and that was good enough indication that he was out there for something special.

       He was in a demolition and murderous mood right from the start itself as he hit 4 sixes in his first 50 runs and one of them over long on got him to his fifty. he was scoring at brisk pace as he got his next fifty runs in just 29 balls and got to his hundred in his trademark style with a boundary. he along with gambhir gave india their best start in ODIs after 22 long innings. After losing gambhir right after his century he continued the run riot along with raina as they continued the windies agony scoring at will and often stealing and taking quick singles on offer. He also reached 8000 odi runs in the process before scoring the double ton again in his own style by cutting russell to the point boundary.

      As the match progressed the crowd at Indore and the world watched in amazement as he thrashed the windies bowlers to all parts of the ground with his elegant sixes, deft touches, slices , square cuts etc and became India's highest individual run scorer in both forms of the game tests(319) and odis.

      For someone who was criticized that he is a good test batsman than in limited overs cricket by looking at his records but he simply works on a simple formula "if its in his zone he will go for it" without looking at the scoreboard and the situation. Thursday afternoon he came out firing on all cylinders and guided India to its fourth total in excess of 400 and also lead from the front as captain as he put India well on course for a series win. he was ably supported by his fellow partners , gambhir and raina, who were also running short of form , as they build good partnerships with him and in the process scored a fifty each.

      This innings of his has come at the right time for Indian team as they have a big test ahead of them in the form of tour down under. this will give him lots of confidence going to Australia as nothing is better than having runs under your belt before an important tour. lets hope to see many more innings of such kind from the dangerous batsman in today's cricketing world.