Sunil Manohar Gavaskar Explodes as India conquers West Indies :
West Indies during those days wasn't the place for a 5 ft 5 inch guy to make a debut. They boasted of pace bowlers who were hunting in packs. Although the West Indian attack of Gavaskar's first series wasn't that devestating compared to some other attacks they've had, it was a formidable. Gavaskar, made his debut in the second test at Port-of-Spain in Trinidad. And what a debut it was, Sunny made 65 & 67* as India, led by Ajit Wadekar beat the West Indian cricket team for the first time in Carribean Soil. Gavaskar was in awesome form all through out the series with 774 runs in 8 innings at an average of 154.80 with 4 hundreds and 3 fifties. It included 124 and 220 in the last test at Port-of-Spain again. Gavaskar ended his career with 10,122 test runs at an average of 51.12 in 125 tests with 34 hundreds and 45 fifties. His record of 34 test hundreds stood untill 2005, before deservedly overtaken by Sachin Tendulkar. Sunny, inspired more and more kids to take up to batting. His most famous follower is none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Known as Little Master, Sunny did master the art of batting and did take batting to another level.
Kapil Leads his devils to World Cup Success in 1983:
1975 World Cup Final: Australia vs Westindies, Australian team that included Dennis Lillie, Jeff Thompson, Rodney Marsh and Greg Chappel lead by Ian Chappel was beaten with minimum fuss. 1979 World Cup Final: England vs West Indies. England were hammered badly. 1983 final, somehow Kapil Dev lead his team to the finals. But up against them was, you guessed it, the mighty Windies team lead by Clive Lloyd. A hattrick of World Cups for West Indies?? Off course it looked like that when India finished their batting. 183 all out. Blown away by Westindian Pace Battery. With a batting line up of Grreenidge, Haynes, Richards, Lloyd, Gomes, Bachchas and Dujon ahead of him, Malcolm Marshall was begging the team management to allow him to go out for shopping. Most fans turned off their Radio Sets. Almost everybody resigned to the fate except Kapil and his Devils. In 52 overs of Inspired and Intelligent bowling and fielding effort, India bowled out West Indies for 140 and lifted their most significant world trophy todate. The portrait of Kapil holding the trophy aloft in Lord's pavalion became a household item in India. Kapil, who hails from a modest background in Haryana, inspired many poor, not so gifted youngsters to become cricketers. He is the only true all-rounder produced by India, and untill overtaken by Courtney Walsh, he held the world record for Highest Number of Wickets in Test Cricket with 434 scalps.
Sachin: Little Master version 2
Off course, Sachin is Little Master version 2. He also hails from Mumbai as Sunny Gavaskar. He also is a complete batsman. His height is also the same as SMG. But Sachin made his debut as a baby. Yes, he was just 16 then. In an exibhition match Pakistan legend Abdul Kadhir did ask Sachin, "What are you doing here baby" or something in that lines. Reply was, three sixers in one over. Gavaskar and Kapil brought General Public towards cricket. But Sachin made cricket a cult in India. Anything less than a 100 from his bat was considered a failure. He continues to revel even today. Cricinfo says "Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses, anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will. Tendulkar's considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear from his adoring but somewhat unreasonable followers, who have been prone to regard anything less than a hundred as a failure. The aura may have dimmed, if only slightly, as the years on the international circuit have taken their toll on the body, but Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world." With 12, 773 test runs with 42 hundreds at 54.58, and 16,684 one day runs with 43 hundreds at 44.37, Sachin has scaled almost every batting record that is available. (stats as of 09 May, 2009). And the image of him celebrating a hundred would be etched in the memories of all who follow cricket.
Sehwag: Say WhackSehwag idolized his batting on Sachin. His major breakthrough also came as a replacement of his Idol, when he smacked a memorable 69 ball 100 vs Newzealand in a One Day Match at Colombo. Eversince, despite some minor hiccups here and there, Sehwag hasn't looked back. Despite a 100 on test Debut in South Africa, Sehwag was not considered a permanent fixture in Indian test team, especially in the middle order because of his Audacity. Sehwag was asked to open in a test match in England, and there started a career that changed the face of test match opening. Asked to open the innings in Tests on the tour of England in 2002, Sehwag proved an instant hit, cracking an 80 and a 100 in the first two matches. Regularly thereafter, he kept conjuring pivotal innings at the top of the order, none as significant as India's first 300 (which he bought up, characteristically, with a six), at Multan against Pakistan in early 2004. He became only the second batsman in test history, after Sir.Don Bradman and Brian Lara, to score two triple centuries in test cricket when he smacked a strong South African attack to all corners of the ground at Chennai Chepauk on his way to a blistering 319. His triple was brought up off Just 278 balls, a world record. This "freak" continues to entertain crowds all around the world.
M.S. Dhoni: The Macho Man
This article about MS, sums it up nicely: "The spectacular arrival of Virender Sehwag was bound to inspire others to bat with the same mindset. But the odds of a clone emerging from the backwaters of Jharkhand, whose state side has consistently scraped the bottom, was highly remote. That was until Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived. He can be swashbuckling with the bat and secure with the wicketkeeping gloves. His neck-length hair adds to his dash. Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded. With his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that he established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks. In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, he cracked a dazzling 148 - putting even Sehwag in the shade - and followed that up with a colossal 183 not out at Jaipur against Sri Lanka in November, when he broke Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs. He made an instant impact on the Test level too, pounding 148 at Faisalabad, in only his fifth Test. He was elevated to the vice-captaincy of the one-day squad for the tour of England and Ireland in 2007 and, soon after, was appointed captain of the Twenty20 squad for the World Championship in South Africa. A heady title triumph marked him out as a leader for the future and was handed over the reins of the one-day side in September 2007 after Rahul Dravid decided to step down as captain. It didn't take too long for him to enhance his reputation, claiming India's first tri-series triumph in Australia. He captained Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, losing out to Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in a tense final. As a stop-gap Test captain, he was credited with leading India to their biggest ever win in terms of runs (320), against Australia in Mohali."
Giving due respect to legends like Pataudi, Wadekar, Azhar, Dada, Jumbo and Dravid, I feel these are the 5 faces that gave Indian cricket the Glow they've got now.
Sources used: www.cricinfo.com
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