Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh were instrumental in India's World Cup win of 2011. © kareem
Yuvraj Singh - Man of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup at home.
Virender Sehwag- 175 in the opening match in 2011 and arguably the best impact player of his generation.
Gautam Gambhir - 97 in the final in 2011
Zaheer Khan - 3 straight maidens in the final in 2011 and key to India's away wins between 2006-2010.
Harbhajan Singh - Key role in the T-20 World Cup in 2007 and in the 2011 World Cup.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 - Each of them dropped.
So, is it the end of an era? Is it the end of the road for each of these legends who have given so much to the sport in India? Is it time to write them off or can they still make a comeback to the Indian team in the future? Are the selectors wrong in ignoring them for the World Cup or have they gone strictly by current form and these men don't deserve to make the cut?
Frankly, the selectors can't be faulted for ignoring them for none of them have done much in domestic cricket in recent times to make the cut. Yet, given who they are and what they have achieved in the past, it takes some doing to drop them all. Each of them are match winners and will forever remain legends of Indian cricket.
It is important to state clearly that despite being dropped, no one will ever doubt their contribution to the game. Each of them have played a hand in the Indian win in World Cup 2011 and never can we ignore their contribution to the larger cause of Indian cricket. In fact, Yuvraj's six sixes, Gambhir's 97 in the final against Sri Lanka or Sehwag's 175 in the opening match against Bangladesh will always be part of Indian crickets folklore. Zaheer will forever rank as the best Indian fast bowler (second only to Kapil Dev perhaps) who propelled the country to the number 1 ranking in Tests and Harbhajan, the first Indian to take a Test hat-trick, almost single handedly beat Steve Waugh's world champions in 2001.
Yet, every good thing has to come to an end. While we believe in saying never say never in sport, each of them may have played their last for India. It is time to pass on the baton, for some of them at least, and look back at careers which should always make proud of their achievements.
Zaheer, 35, is perhaps the one who has the least chance of making a comeback. If the selectors have ignored him for Australia and the World Cup, it is more than likely that they are looking beyond him, even for the immediate future.
Harbhajan, on the other hand, is still very much in contention. He has played domestic cricket consistently and one good season can bring him back in reckoning. Yes, he will miss the World Cup, but to write him off, will perhaps be foolhardy. Also, that he has bowled well in the IPL means he still has a chance of making it back to the T-20 team at some point. Question is, can he keep the motivation going? Will he have the drive in himself to leave this disappointment behind and keep performing? For if he does, there is cricket left in Bhajji to be able to make it back. Or so we think.
For Sehwag, however, it does seem to be the end of the road as far as the Indian team is concerned. Arguably India's biggest match winner for a period and without doubt the best impact player of his generation, Viru is one who we will continue to miss for the longest time. His simple philosophy- if the ball is there to be hit I will hit it, was just incredible to see. And as India takes field in Australia, it is impossible to forget his 195 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2003-4 or the 150 plus at the Adelaide Oval in 2007-08. In 2003-04 it was Viru who was to a large extent responsible for blunting Australia's new ball attack and setting it up for the middle order. While he will be sorely missed and reminisced, the fact is, he seemed a shadow of his past self in more recent performances. Was it because of the eyesight that his hand eye coordination suffered or was it just that he did not have much left in the tank? Problem is, only Viru knows the answers to these questions.
Finally to Gambhir. Part of the Indian team to England earlier this year, Gautam does have years left in him. Question is, can he regain form and push Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma? A genuine fighter, only the foolish will suggest that it is all over for Gautam.
Finally, it is time again to state that each of these men, whether they make it back or not, will forever remain legends who have given us all great joy in doing what they have done for Indian cricket. World Cup 2015 will miss them.
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