Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
Nineties was definitely not the most impressive decade for Indian cricket. After a couple of captaincy stints each by Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar, India badly needed a stable leader.
Sourav Ganguly took charge of the Indian cricket team just two months into the new millennium. India were going through a lean patch then and had just return from Australia totally outplayed. But, Ganguly's aggressive captaincy brought a sea-change in the attitude of the young Indian side.
He changed the image of the Indian captain and the result was a series of notable triumphs in Tests and ODIs. His bold and no nonsense approach meant that the Indian team took on the toughest opposition on level terms and matched them in all departments of the game.
Under his leadership the Indian team notched up notable Test victories in England, Australia, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka besides registering a historic series triumph in Pakistan. The record in ODIs was no less impressive - a magnificent triumph in the NatWest Trophy in England in 2002, the sharing of the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka later the same year, an unexpected berth in the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa, finishing runners up in the Champions Trophy in Nairobi in 2000.
But perhaps the finest feat was the Test series victory against Australia in 2001 - arguably the greatest ever triumph at home - a contest in which Ganguly matched Steve Waugh in tactical skill on the field and mental strength off it.
If he emerged as the most successful Indian captain - winning 21 of his record 49 Tests - as a batsman he continued to contribute consistently fitting in admirably in the lustrous middle order before retiring in 2008.
In Image: Sourav Ganguly jubilates as he lifts the Natwest Trophy
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
Sachin Tendulkar continued to pile up the runs and centuries in both forms of the game. His hunger for success is undiminished even after he has completed 20 years of international cricket in November 2009.
By this time, he was well ahead of the field in the run getter's list and century maker's list in both Tests and ODIs setting marks that could well stand the test of time. He continued to play a leading role in shaping Indian cricket's destiny - whether it was Test triumphs in England, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and at home or whether it was the many notable victories in ODIs including a berth in the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa.
In that competition, Tendulkar set the record for most number of runs in a single World Cup (673); he is also the leading run getter after playing in the tournament five times (1796).
Even with the rise of many young stars, Tendulkar, who is nearer to 37 than 36, remains the backbone of Indian cricket team continuing to contribute handsomely. His zest and keenness for the game is no less than when he made his debut as a 16-year-old in Pakistan.
In Image: Sachin Tendulkar reacts during a training session on November 15, 2009, the day he completed 20 years in international cricket.
Whenever there were signs that 'The Wall' was finally crumbling, Rahul Dravid would come up with a performance that underlined his class, skill, experience and durability.
He was still the technician supreme, the selfless cricketer ready to don any role in the team's cause. Five double centuries - the most by an Indian batsman along with Virender Sehwag - underlined his ability to play long innings, unwavering in his concentration and determination.
If at home his record was dependable, in abroad it was spectacular as he helped shape notable triumphs in England, Australia, West Indies and Pakistan. He also remained an integral part of the ODI squad crossing the 10,000 run mark as he did in Tests.
At his peak in 2006, his career average was approaching 59 and even though there has been a dip since then he firmly remains the best bet at the pivotal position of No 3. As captain he led India to Test series victories in West Indies and England and their maiden Test wins in Pakistan and South Africa though the debacle in the 2007 World Cup dented his image as a leader somewhat.
In Image: Dravid is perfection personified as he square drives.0
At the start of 2000 the stylist from Hyderabad remained a fringe player not really established in the side. That changed at Sydney in January when he slammed a spectacular 167 in a losing cause. And at Kolkata a year later he became an integral part of India's famed middle order. His 376-run partnership with Rahul Dravid and his monumental 281 - then the highest score by an Indian in Tests - not only turned the Test on its head it also paved the way for a notable series triumph.
Suddenly VVS Laxman became the most talked about cricketer in the land and through the decade his elegant batting, consistent scores and a special ability to rescue the team from crises saw him firmly entrenched in the lustrous line up. He was particularly good against strong opposition his admirable record against Australia - including three 300-plus partnerships - certifying this.
He was also a regular member of the ODI squad running up a commendable record till a dodgy knee made him a little slow in the field leading to his ouster. At 35, he still has a lot to contribute to Indian cricket.
In Image: VVS Laxman during his epic innings of 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens on 14 March 2001.
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
The lustrous quartet of Indian batting became a quintet early in the decade with the advent of Virender Sehwag. The amazing aspect of his breezy batting was that despite it having an element of risk he still managed to average 50 - at the peak of his powers the figure touched 56.
He made a century on Test debut in South Africa at No 6, was soon promoted to open the innings and has stayed there. The first Indian to get a Test triple hundred, he has since made it two joining Don Bradman and Brian Lara as the only other players to achieve the feat.
There have been three other double hundreds and apart from a short while when he was dropped when he was woefully short of runs he has been a regular in the longer version of the game. Of course, there is no chance of dropping him in the shorter versions of the game.
In fifty-overs version or Twenty20, Sehwag is a law unto himself doing pretty much what he likes with the bowling. He has a strike rate of over 100 in ODIs and his useful off spin bowling is a bonus. As a stand-in captain, he has enjoyed his share of success.
In Image: Virender Sehwag celebrates after scoring his triple century during the second day of the first Test match between Pakistan and Indian in Multan, 29 March 2004.
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
India's most successful bowler and the third highest wicket taker in Tests Anil Kumble started the decade already established as the leading strike bowler in the team. And despite strong competition from Harbhajan Singh he remained No 1 till his retirement in 2008.
With a haul of 619 wickets he is comfortably perched at the top and his enduring image as India's biggest match winner remains unshaken. He bowled the team to numerous victories both at home and abroad finishing with 35 five wicket hauls and eight ten wicket hauls.
A blood and guts cricketer typified by his bowling with a fractured jaw and heavily bandaged head in the West Indies in 2002 - and picking up the wicket of Brian Lara to boot - Kumble retained his aggression till the end, a quality he also brought to the fore during his brief reign as Indian captain.
The leading Indian wicket taker in ODIs with 337 scalps Kumble scripted many notable victories too in the shorter version of the game before retiring in 2007.
In Image: Indian cricketers carry Anil Kumble as they bid him farewell during the last day of the third Test match between India and Australia at Feroj Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi on November 2, 2008.
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
At the start of the decade Harbhajan Singh had played only a handful of Tests and was just another promising spin bowler. He became a leading light overnight when in the absence of the injured Anil Kumble he shouldered the responsibility of spin spearhead admirably finishing with 32 wickets in the three Tests against Australia in 2001.
He became the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick in Tests. He achieved star status and has never really looked back and along with Anil Kumble formed a destructive spin force in the best Indian traditions.
On his own, Harbhajan emerged as a top class off-spinner with a lot of variation, guile and turn. An aggressive bowler Harbhajan has overdone the aggression on the field at times and has been pulled up by the match referee on several occasions.
But it cannot be denied that he is a skillful bowler and towards the end of the decade, following the retirement of Kumble, he has shouldered the additional responsibility admirably in all forms of the game as over 300 wickets in Tests and more than 200 wickets in ODIs will confirm.
In Image: Harbhjan Singh celebrates after claiming Shane Warne's wicket to complete a hat-trick at Eden Gardens on 11
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
He burst into the scene at the start of the decade with an electrifying knock of 84 against Australia at Nairobi and has never looked back. Indeed, the immensely gifted Yuvraj Singh has gone from strength to strength and his feats in the shorter versions of the game are part of Indian cricketing folklore.
His classically aggressive left handed batsmanship has helped script many notable Indian victories and when he is on song there can be few better sights on a cricket field. Yuvraj has the ability to decimate any bowling, to break the bowler's morale.
His most remarkable feat has been the six sixes in an over from Chris Broad during India's victorious campaign in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.
He has fitted in admirably into a famous middle order as figures of 7000 runs, 12 hundreds and a strike rate of almost 90 will underline. Despite opportunities he has not yet cemented his place in the Test side but with the retirement of Sourav Ganguly the door is open for Yuvraj to step in and repeat the success he has enjoyed in Fifty50 and Twenty20.
In Image: Yuvraj Singh slams his sixth six in one over, off Stuart Broad in Durban, 19 September 2007.
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
He entered the scene like a whiff of fresh air. His aggressive batting and superb work behind the stumps were appreciate by one and all but more than all this it was the personality of MS Dhoni that caught the eye.
The inimitable jaunty walk to the crease, the perennial smile, a unique wristy flick shot that saw the ball land in the stands and his long, flowing mane all became talking points and within a very short time he was the new cricketing icon vying with Sachin Tendulkar when it came to endorsements and marketing deals.
He was fully deserving of all this for somehow Dhoni was different - in his batting, in his interaction with the media and fans and in his general demeanor. He was a crowd puller and soon made his mark in both Tests and ODIs hitting breezy hundreds in both forms of the game.
Then Twenty20 became the craze and Dhoni embraced cricket's newest and shortest format in the best possible way - leading India to victory in the inaugural World Cup in South Africa.
The fifty-over format and Test captaincy was only a matter of time and he showed remarkable results in both leading India to victory in the CB Series in Australia in 2008 and at the time of writing he is still to lose a Test as captain.
In Image: Mahendra Singh Dhoni hold the trophy after winning Twenty20 World Cup in Johannesburg, 24 September 2007.
Top ten Indian cricketers of the decade
He made his mark first in the Champions Trophy in Nairobi in 2000 and though he has had his ups and downs, Zaheer Khan has been India's best pace bowling hope in the first decade of the new millennium.
He has been beset by injuries, has had his attitude questioned but has taken all this in his stride and has emerged stronger. Right now he is at the peak of his powers and has deservedly became only the third Indian fast bowler after Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath to take more than 200 wickets in Tests.
The left arm pace spearhead has beaten back strong competition from an army of young contenders and he is the bowler the Indian team looks to for the early breakthroughs and for polishing off the tail - the true hallmarks of the good fast bowler.
A skillful and intelligent bowler Zaheer makes good use of the yorker and the bouncer, has a deceptive slower delivery and has the stamina to bowl for long spells.
He was at his best during the victorious campaign in England in 2007, when he finished with 18 wickets in the three Tests - the most by an Indian bowler in a series in England. He pulled in his weight in the shorter versions of the game too.
In Image:Zaheer Khan jubilates after taking a wicket against Australia at the Gabba cricket ground in Brisbane, 05 December 2003.
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