Former skipper Dravid and ex-chairman of selectors, More believe the seeds of India's 2011 WC win were sown six years ago
Former skipper Dravid and ex-chairman of selectors, More believe the seeds of India's 2011 WC win were sown six years ago
Just as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh were at the crease when India won the 2011 World Cup, the contributions of Sourav Ganguly, John Wright, Rahul Dravid, Kiran More, Dilip Vengsarkar, and even Greg Chappell, who have all played a key role in sowing the seeds for the successful Indian team of the present, were resounding.
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| Just two good: Yuvraj Singh hugs Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the India skipper hit the winning runs against Sri Lanka in the World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. pic/atul kamble |
It can be recalled that the Dhoni-Yuvraj partnership, under the captaincy of Dravid, saw India pull off a record 17 consecutive run-chases in 2005-06.
Yuvraj and Dhoni emerged as flag bearers of the era that saw special efforts to lift fielding standards, running between wickets, and overall fitness levels. Six years later, the immense faith the Indian cricket fraternity showed in the two youngsters is justified.
"I have always enjoyed watching Dhoni bat in limited overs cricket, he never lets the tempo drop during a game. He is the ideal modern day cricketer," Dravid told MiD DAY.
"Also, I am very pleased to see Yuvraj Singh returning to his best. He has always been a special talent. The reason we won this World Cup is because key performers such as these two hit their peaks when it was most required," added the former India skipper.
Asked if he had envisaged the team of 2005-06 to achieve the sort of success it has today, Dravid said: "Why not? We've always had a talented bunch of individuals. Gary (Kirsten), Dhoni and everyone else in the management have done a great job. I'm not surprised."
More, who was chairman of selectors when Dhoni, S Sreesanth, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and Robin Uthappa were given opportunities, said that the team has been on the upswing for more than half a decade.
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"I still remember facing some opposition for picking Dhoni in the side. We tried around 25 cricketers during my era as chairman of selectors. Obviously, Gary, (chief selector) Srikkanth and Co deserve all of it, but there was a positive process we started in 2005," the former India stumper told MiD DAY.
"The fact that so much talent has come up the ranks in the last five years speaks volumes of the quality of players we have in the country today.
"We need to continue with the same processes. Indian cricket is in safe hands. I won't be surprised if we start dominating cricket like Australia did for a long time.
"I am so glad to see that the same pool of players we tried in 2005 are the ones that are shining today. Even the likes of Irfan and Robin are capable of making comebacks soon.
"Maybe, apart from R Ashwin and Virat Kohli, most of these players have been around since those days. They have now matured into top-class cricketers," said More.
