Ponting - Rebuilding ahead for India

[Salamuddin]

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ausvind/content/current/story/333891.html

Agree fully with Ponting here....biggest challenge ahead for India is keep competitive even though they're gonna lose their fab five (Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, KUmble) over the 2 years or so.

Personally think India need to start phasing out these seniors slowly starting this year itself.
I reckon the five have probably all taken India as far as they're going to ....if India want to be a team that consistenly wins and genuinely challenges for the world no.1, its gonna be generation next that achieves that...NOT these guys.
Their contribution to Indian cricket has been enormous but the future of Indian cricket does not rest with them.

Ganguly for mine is probably the first who should go. He only averaged 29 here in Australia, is probably the wakest of the batsmen in the five and I find it hard to believe India wouldn't be able to find a better player than him.

 

[Salamuddin]

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ausvind/content/current/story/333891.html

Agree fully with Ponting here....biggest challenge ahead for India is keep competitive even though they're gonna lose their fab five (Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, KUmble) over the 2 years or so.

Personally think India need to start phasing out these seniors slowly starting this year itself.
I reckon the five have probably all taken India as far as they're going to ....if India want to be a team that consistenly wins and genuinely challenges for the world no.1, its gonna be generation next that achieves that...NOT these guys.
Their contribution to Indian cricket has been enormous but the future of Indian cricket does not rest with them.

Ganguly for mine is probably the first who should go. He only averaged 29 here in Australia, is probably the wakest of the batsmen in the five and I find it hard to believe India wouldn't be able to find a better player than him.

Always felt that Ganguly was overrated as a test player - the fact he only averaged 29 doesn't surprise me agreat deal - considering the only runs he has made at test level have been against weak to moderate bowling attacks.

 

[Tony]

Australia seems good at bringing guys through the one day side, I dont know maybe to keep them interested. Alot of young guys in the Indian CBS side for the one dayers coming up. Doesnt always work (Yuvraj Singh - so far but we'll see) but they would have reason to have some optimism I'd say.

Right about Ganguly I'd say

 

[Salamuddin]

I have alot of respect for Ganguly as a captin and he was a brilliant one day player but he's reasonable at best at test level, no more.

 

[Salamuddin]

I'm quite looking forward to seeing India's generation next in the tri-series particulalry Suresh Raina, who has huge wraps from Greg Chappell

 

[alternative]

Start with Tendulkar IMO, not Ganguly please.

 

[sideshowtim]

I think this is a good time to mention that Ponting has handled the exodus of some of the finest players cricket has seen very well. A 2-0 win against Sri Lanka and a 2-1 win against India is an excellent achivement after losing such magnificent players. Well done Punter.

 

[Richard]

When Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly and Kumble retire (could be at least another year for the lot of them) then worry about it. No sense fretting about what hasn't happened yet, you won't make things any better.

The challenge will arrive when it arrives, and it must be taken-up by those responsible. Not before.

 

[silentstriker]

I think this is a good time to mention that Ponting has handled the exodus of some of the finest players cricket has seen very well. A 2-0 win against Sri Lanka and a 2-1 win against India is an excellent achivement after losing such magnificent players. Well done Punter.

I think its been the Australian domestic system that has handled it very well. Ponting has been good, but nothing more.

 

[Jono]

It hardly takes a genius to realise that replacing three all-time greats, and two very good test class batsman is going to be tough for India.

 

[Prince EWS]

I think this is a good time to mention that Ponting has handled the exodus of some of the finest players cricket has seen very well. A 2-0 win against Sri Lanka and a 2-1 win against India is an excellent achivement after losing such magnificent players. Well done Punter.

 

[Nishant]

It is completely true to say that india now need to move towards the next generation and i also agree that we need to lose players one by one and not all of them in a hurry...kinda lyk how the aussies did. Losing the Fab Five would almost destroy india in the test arena. The problem for india is that they definitely had players that they have groomed over many years, such as Yuvraj....but he was nt able to convert oned ay form into test form.
I reckon, its more important to test certain players out in the ODI format first, see if they're any good and them allow the transition into the test arena.

As for rebuilding, india will have to do a lot of that...and it might take some time TBH

 

[Manee]

(Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, KUmble)

Bad misconception. Laxman is 33 years old and has more than two years left in him. Laxman at three can help usher a young Indian middle order into the new era.

 

[Woodster]

India must be prepared for when these players do call it a day. It is difficult to suggest when they will go, but preparations need to advance (maybe by experimenting with the younger players in the ODI's, however not all good Test players play ODI's) gradually.

 

[kanga_kid]

india have left it far too late, they should have been blooding some young guys into the side when greg chappell was in charge. but instead he was criticised for trying. and later sacked. shows the very narrow minded eyes the BCCI have. Dravid is done and should have been given the flick prior to the australian test series, gangully has had his carrer and maybe its time to think about the team and not himself for once in his life. tendulkar has a couple of years left, he is still getting the job done in brilliant fashon, by far the best indian pllayer again this series. laxman has a few years also to elp out the new guard. hope they come good, it is a difficult situation they are in , and im sure india have a few young keen batsmen up there sleave.

 

[Richard]

india have left it far too late, they should have been blooding some young guys into the side when greg chappell was in charge. but instead he was criticised for trying. and later sacked. shows the very narrow minded eyes the BCCI have.

 

[Burgey]

I think Ricky might be a bit premature in saying Australia have handled the transition really well after the retirements. It's still very early days.

 

[Top_Cat]

I think Ricky might be a bit premature in saying Australia have handled the transition really well after the retirements. It's still very early days.

Maybe so but the Aussie team lost three regulars after last season and 1200+ test wickets between them. They could have absolutely crumbled against India but they didn't. Battering SL probably helped a little.

Still, the real Test will be next home season. If Australia lose in India, people will say it was expected. If they struggle next home summer against NZ and SA, then there will be panic no doubt.

 

[Matt79]

Australia need to hope Lee and Clark follow the McGrath system of growing old gracefully, not the Gillespie system of turning 31 and falling to pieces. And we need to find a damned spinner. Then there's a decent chance that in a couple of years we'll look back and say we negotiated this successfully.

I think for India the big challenge will be finding top order players who can succeed like Sachin and Dravid away from home. Hopefully Laxman can step up and take on the leadership of the order for the next few years - although despite his good form against Australia it needs to be remembered that he's always played better against the Aussies than anyone almost, so its entirely possible he won't sustain the form of the series just gone... The Indian team look to be pretty well stocked to have a solid, at the least, bowling attack in the years to come, although a top-flight spinner after Kumble is a question mark at the moment.

 

[Richard]

Hopefully Laxman can step up and take on the leadership of the order for the next few years - although despite his good form against Australia it needs to be remembered that he's always played better against the Aussies than anyone almost, so its entirely possible he won't sustain the form of the series just gone...

That's just not true, though, I grow so tired of saying it. Laxman has had great success against other sides too. He did brilliantly in his previous series before this one.