Numero Uno - Do not forget these guys...

India, by virtue of some really good test cricket over the past 10 years, find themselves at the summit of test cricket. A moment worth savoring for the true cricket fan.
There was a lot of hue and cry when the T20 world cup was won. Somehow, i feel that this achievement in test cricket would bring to the team members (and also the fans) greater joy, even though being ranked as the number 1 test team does not bring along with it any trophies. Test cricket has been and continues to be (i want to say that it will continue to be, but with the advent of T20, i'm not so sure) the litmus test for judging cricketing talent.

Having reached the summit, the team should not forget how they got there. Most of the core team members who helped the team get to the top are still around. These men have seen most of the top of the curve will get their due credit and will be talked about by everyone in the coming days (Sachin, Dravid, Sehwag, VVS, Zaheer). There are 2 men who were hugely responsible for this achievement but have since, retired from test cricket. They are ofcourse Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly.

In my first post, i would like to take a different view on the success of India in test match cricket by mentioning a word or 2 of praise on Dada.

The Indian cricket team was known for its strong performances at home even in the '90s. However, its performances away from home was what was preventing it from being categorized as a strong team. So, assuming the same level of performance at home post 2000, the rise in the ranking must be mainly due to the stellar performances away from home during this time.

After Sachin decided to give up captaincy to focus on his game in the late 90s, the squad was in need of a strong captain and here Ganguly must be given his due credit. He might not have had a lot of impact in tests away from home but the ones where he played well are special.

1: The 98 scored in the run chase in Kandy in 2001 helped square the series at 1-1. This was a testing innings since it involved a tricky run chase of 264 against the deadly (in Sri Lanka) combination of Vaas and Murali.

2: The 144 scored in Brisbane in 2002 was very important since it helped keep the series evenly poised. It came with a first innings of 300 plus scored by Australia and India at a tricky 127-4 with Sachin and Dravid both failing in the first innings. We might never know what could have happened, had India been all out with a deficit or, worst still, if they had gone to Adelaide trailing in the series.

3: The 50 in the first innings of the historic win in Johannesberg in 2006 might, at first sight, not look like much. But it was that and more. It was the difference between a score of around 170 and a score of 250. It might not sound like much but i would like to think that the bowlers got a huge psychological boost when they saw that the batsmen had given them something (considering the nature of the track) substantial to bowl at. And how they did..

4: Most important fact that we should remember is that when he gave up captaincy, Saurav Ganguly was the most successful test captain for India.