Bagapath's Greatest XI

[smalishah84]

that pic of paddles is the worst I have seen

[benchmark00]

Tell me more about this cow, baggy.

[kyear2]

Tell me more about this cow, baggy.

Was wondering about that myself.

Looking forward to your list Bagapath, already surprised at the omission of either Ambrose, McGrath or Marshall though understand the reason behind Garners' inclusion.

Keep them coming.

[smalishah84]

I think Marshall will take his place along with Shane Warne

[ankitj]

McGrath is similar to Hadlee, and Ambrose to Garner. So I guess Marshall will be the natural choice for 3rd pacer. It's actually quite an unusual choice to pick Garner and overlook McGrath and Ambrose. But bagapath explains it well.

[Flem274*]

It's a favourite eleven ffs, not the best eleven he can think of.

[Furball]

McGrath is similar to Hadlee, and Ambrose to Garner. So I guess Marshall will be the natural choice for 3rd pacer. It's actually quite an unusual choice to pick Garner and overlook McGrath and Ambrose. But bagapath explains it well.

Not really. Burgey's another one who speaks very highly of Garner IIRC.

[ankitj]

It's a favourite eleven ffs, not the best eleven he can think of.

I know mate. I'm not saying he has made any wrong choice there.

[The Battlers Prince]

Love the big bird call. He was a great bowler and I'm happy to see you've chosen him. Should be a good side coming IMO

[Hooksey]

Love the big bird call. He was a great bowler and I'm happy to see you've chosen him. Should be a good side coming IMO

I had the good fortune to meet Joel Garner in a pub years ago and he was gracious enough to have a chat with me for probably 15 minutes. Ripping bloke.

[Hooksey]

I am going for a 4-man strong bowling attack with one spinner. So my attack has to be clearly defined unlike a 5-man attack that can have a bit more flexibility. I can’t simply select 4 of the best bowlers from the era and congratulate myself. I need to have a plan....

Ah! I just remembered it was Botham who once said that Garner would be the first fast bowler in his team. Wonder if you were influenced by that gentleman....

Will Ian Botham be captain??

[bagapath]

Tell me more about this cow, baggy.

well... her name was lakshmi (luck-sh-me) ... she was a white beast and had some jersey blood in her.... our annual trips to the rural veterinary hospital across the river to get a local bull to mate with her pretty much shaped my take on love, ***, family and, in general, life in solar system... in short, we had to encourage the bull to be nice to her and then cajole her to comply with him and then ... don't ask me more.... i remember her delivering five male calves in nine years before deciding to retire from public life... till then she gave us 3 litres of milk in the morning and 2 in the evening... we would let the calf drink the rest...

lakshmi was tied up in our backyard by the well, not too far from the bathroom which was in a separate block in the garden cut off from the house... and in the village, if you are a kid and if you want to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you will see the ghosts of all your ancestors blocking your way from the house to the loo... sometimes, when i had to had to go... i would stare into the darkness extending from our doorstep to the loo, take a deep breath and run straight to the bathroom and slam the door shut in flat three seconds... with lakshmi giving you silent company from 20 meters away, and reassuring you with her heavy breathing and shuffling of legs, i would somehow manage to pee quickly and rush to the water tank for a quick wash and run right back into the house... i am eternally thankful to her for just being there during those tense moments...

the milkman who thought his dad looked like Benaud was, like me and most South Indians, a dark skinned guy. his dad's skin tone was closer to clive lloyd's than richie's. and the old man was bucktoothed and bald. i don't know why his son thought he looked like an australian leg spinner.

[Jono]

Edit: beaten

[bagapath]

My fourth selection is my No. 4 in the batting order Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.



I believe the no.4 position should belong to the most technically sound batsman in the team. Well, the openers have to face the new ball and deal with the swing and bounce. And no.3 is considered, and rightly so, to be the most difficult position to bat in for he walks in when the bowler has just seen blood. But No.4 has its own significance. For my money, I would say the batsman who walks in after the fall of the second wicket will not just have to consolidate (like a no.3 is expected to do most of the time) but dictate terms through quick and bulk scoring, for it is his contribution that broadly defines the total ultimately. He will have to be adept at playing spin, for sure. Because it is around the same time of his arrival, the opposition's tweaker would be at his most menacing. We need a player who can step out, nullify spin and hit over the top or go back in the crease and defend with soft hands dropping the ball away from close in fielders. We need someone who can nudge singles and twos regularly and at the same time find gaps for boundaries every three overs. If the second new ball gets taken while he is still at the crease, he should be able to survive that with three slips waiting for him to make a mistake. Javed Miandad is the one I would have gone for if this team were chosen before 1997. But luckily for India, and for world cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has excelled in this position and made it his own.

As my idol Laxman Sivaramakrishnan would scream "Look at this!"


Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 6s Ct
198 327 33 15837 248* 53.86 51 67 69 115

We all know his stats. We all know his great knocks; and his famous battles. For me, his consistency around the globe (40+ average in all test playing nations) and against all opposition (42+ average against everyone) for 22 years clinch the deal. He scores against everyone, everywhere, and he scores fast. I can take him to Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka... anywhere... and expect him to succeed in all conditions. I don't think that can be said about anyone else except Bradman. The God of Indian Cricket may not be my most favorite cricketer in the team, there are seven more above him, but he certainly is a prize catch.

[benchmark00]

well... her name was lakshmi (luck-sh-me) ... she was a white beast and had some jersey blood in her.... our annual trips to the rural veterinary hospital across the river to get a local bull to mate with her pretty much shaped my take on love, ***, family and, in general, life in solar system... in short, we had to encourage the bull to be nice to her and then cajole her to comply with him and then ... don't ask me more.... i remember her delivering five male calves in nine years before deciding to retire from public life... till then she gave us 3 litres of milk in the morning and 2 in the evening... we would let the calf drink the rest...

lakshmi was tied up in our backyard by the well, not too far from the bathroom which was in a separate block in the garden cut off from the house... and in the village, if you are a kid and if you want to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you will see the ghosts of all your ancestors blocking your way from the house to the loo... sometimes, when i had to had to go... i would stare into the darkness extending from our doorstep to the loo, take a deep breath and run straight to the bathroom and slam the door shut in flat three seconds... with lakshmi giving you silent company from 20 meters away, and reassuring you with her heavy breathing and shuffling of legs, i would somehow manage to pee quickly and rush to the water tank for a quick wash and run right back into the house... i am eternally thankful to her for just being there during those tense moments...

the milkman who thought his dad looked like Benaud was, like me and most South Indians, a dark skinned guy. his dad's skin tone was closer to clive lloyd's than richie's. and the old man was bucktoothed and bald. i don't know why his son thought he looked like an australian leg spinner.

Five stars.