India’s Younger Generation

Give them time, I say. M. Vijay threw away good starts, as did S. Badrinath, but they both looked solid enough to merit places in the squad. I’m still unsure how the team will accommodate them as time goes on; I’d rather not have a situation where Dravid and Laxman are missing again at the same time.

Perhaps if Laxman moves up to No. 3 when Dravid eventually retires (he’s 37 now), that will give the younger ‘uns space to breathe in the middle order, nuzzled among the likes of Tendulkar and Dhoni. But these newbies will have to answer a generational challenge that few have matched before. Across the world, we will soon see the end of Kallis, Ponting, Dravid, Tendulkar. Is this the end of the batting wave? Will bowlers finally have their time on the pitch?