A Master, a Wall and a Tiger- India's Big 3 under the spotlight

Profiles / Paul Moon / 16 October 2007 / Leave a Comment

Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Betfair. Pablo looks at the incredible achievements of India's trio of Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkar

India approach their seventh ODI Match against Australia on Wednesday having already lost the series 4-1. They will look forward again to their core three; Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly to restore some lost pride to the most passionate cricket public in the world. They are currently trading at 2.74 (real value with the series already won?) with Betfair whilst Australia are 1.54.

These three have formed one of the most influential trios of batsmen ever to have played together in the international game. But just how have they fared as individuals and how successful were they in each of their spells as captain?

Sachin Tendulkar (34) has been one of the finest batmen in cricket history and surely ranks in the top three of all time! Affectionately known as The Little Master he was born in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). When the right handed bat had failed to become a fast bowler it was Dennis Lillee who told him to concentrate on his batting and that simple sentence gave birth to a truly brilliant star.

He was never designed to be a captain and after two short spells with mutterings of discontent he finally resigned for Ganguly to take over in 2000.

His statistics make incredible reading and too numerable to explain! He has played 140 Test Matches at an average of 54.92 including 37 centuries and 45 fifties (note the high conversion rate). In 400 ODI Matches he averages 44.21 with 41 centuries and 84 fifties. Even these figures do not tell the whole story of how gifted he is...

Rahul Dravid (34) has been the mainstay of Indian cricket for nearly 12 years and boasts the highest batting average in Indian history. 'The Wall', nicknamed because of his early defensive style, was born near Bangalore. Given his style he has been involved in more century partnerships than any other cricketer in the history of the game. A surprise is that he is the first batsman to be involved in two 300 run partnerships in ODI Cricket! He is currently the highest rated Indian batsman in the ICC Test rankings.

This right-hander has played 112 Test Matches at an average of 56.50 including 24 centuries and 48 fifties. In 326 ODI Matches he averages 40.20 with 12 centuries and 81 fifties. He is unique in that his average is higher abroad than when batting at home.

He has been quite successful as a captain but will probably be best remembered for declaring whilst Tendulkar was 194 not out with 16 overs left in the day's play. Ouch!

Statistically in his five-year reign The Bengal Tiger Sourav Ganguly (35) was the best ever captain. He won 21 Test Matches and 7 of those were overseas. This left-handed bat was very different from any other captain in Indian history. Born in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) to immensely wealthy parents, he does not need cricket and this would contribute to his aggressive and confident behaviour. He has been credited to having motivation skills, especially with younger players whilst being disrespectful to the older and more senior players and coaches. See Greg Chappell (he claimed that Sourav was not mentally or physically fit to lead the Indian side).

While he achieved considerable success as captain his individual performances suffered. He has played 96 Test Matches at an average of 41.21 including 13 centuries and 29 fifties. In 302 ODI Matches he averages 41.43 with an amazing 22 centuries and 71 fifties. He has also taken ODI 100 catches.

Due to their age it is obvious the batting cornerstone of Indian Cricket is in the winter of its life and it will take some replacing. They also contain two better skippers than the current incumbent so this conundrum is going to take some solving. You have to think that India will go backward before going forward.