Mumbai, India (BBN)-Not in too distant past, it was impossible to imagine an India XI without Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.
All four had made a significant contribution to the triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign, and three of them helped India reach the pinnacle in Test rankings, reports The India Today.
But time waits for none. It is no secret that the four stalwarts are way past their prime now.
Poor fitness and form have ensured that, forget about staking the claim for a Team India spot, they don’t set the field ablaze even in domestic cricket or the Indian Premier League.
The national selectors stopped considering them a long while ago but, in the light of their service to Indian cricket, it would be a travesty to let them walk into the sunset just like that.
It seems that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is thinking on these lines.
It is toying with the idea of sending Sehwag, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Yuvraj for a farewell series in Bangladesh next month.
If a section of BCCI has its way, it will provide the players an opportunity to call time on their illustrious careers wearing the India shirt.
A senior BCCI official told MAIL TODAY that while it is too early to confirm whether the quartet will go to Bangladesh, talks have been going on to give them a sendoff that their services to Indian cricket deserve.
“What they have done for Team India in the past decade will be hard to match. But as is the case with every sport, time does catch up with you. So we are thinking about giving them an opportunity to go to Bangladesh and sign off on a high…. Some people may term it an emotional decision, but so what? But yes, the idea needs the approval of national selectors,” he said.
The squad is to be selected on May 20 in Mumbai. The tour starts with the Test in Fatullah on June 10 and ends with a day-night ODI in Mirpur on June 24.
Interestingly, Bangladesh tours generally feature the future stars of Indian cricket or the benchwarmers as the seniors generally choose to skip the series.
But it could turn out to be an interesting tour – featuring a Test and three ODIs – if the fading stars are indeed picked.
Asked if the stalwarts will be selected for the entire series, the BCCI official said: “That would depend on the selectors.
It could very well be that some of the players are picked just for the Test match while the others are picked for the ODI series.”
The prevailing feeling in the Board seems to be that India, irrespective of the team it sends, will be too strong for Bangladesh.
A virtual ‘A’ team sent to the neighbouring country last year came back after making a clean sweep.
But Bangladesh have made significant improvement since then.
They made it to the quarter-finals of this year’s World Cup, at the expense of England, and blanked Pakistan 3-0 in an ODI series recently.
They may fancy their chances on home soil, especially if Indians are not at full strength. The likes of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza will be licking their lips in anticipation of a big scalp.
Incidentally, while the chances of a national recall seemed remote for Sehwag, Harbhajan and Zaheer, Yuvraj was hopeful of making a comeback using IPL as a platform.
But the Player of the Tournament at the 2011 World Cup, who hit six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad at the 2007 ICC World T20, has managed just 237 runs in 13 games for Delhi Daredevils.
Sehwag also has been a pale shadow of the bowlers’ nightmare he once was.
The veteran has scored just 99 runs in eight games and was dropped in a few matches by the struggling Kings XI Punjab.
Having last played for India in a Test against Australia in March 2013, Sehwag – the only Indian with two Test triple hundreds – would relish the opportunity to take international bowlers to the cleaners one last time.
SPLENDID RECORD
Zaheer is one of the best pace bowlers India has produced, and could make the ball ‘talk’ in his prime. But injuries have been his major concern for several years now. He opted out of the first few IPL games this season citing fitness issues, but has been more than useful since he came back into the side.
In fact, he was instrumental in Delhi beating Chennai Super Kings last week.
Harbhajan too has been a dependable bowler for Mumbai Indians and used the long handle to good effect in the ongoing IPL.
The Turbanator, who formed one of the greatest spin combinations with Anil Kumble and made a bunny out of Australian legend Ricky Ponting, would enjoy the spin-friendly Bangladesh wickets if given one final chance.
