Indian Cricket Team Profile

The Indian Cricket Team is the official cricket team of India. Cricket is not just a game but a religion in India, with millions of Indian fans at home and abroad praying for the success of the Indian Cricket Team. The Indian Cricket Team is one of the strongest and most challenging cricket teams in the world, rated at par with teams like Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan. The Indian cricket team is the highest paid (in terms of sponsorships) sports team in the world. 

India has produced several outstanding cricketers of the world, who have become legends of the game itself. Among Indian cricketing legends include the names of players like Vijay Merchant, CK Naidu, Lala Amarnath, Erapalli Prasanna, Vinoo Mankad, Farokh Engineer, BS Chandrasekhar, Bishen Singh Bedi, Gundappa Viswanath, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Mohammed Azharuddin, Anil Kumble, and the world's most popular living cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who's also a part of the India's ICC World Cup 2007 squad. 

The India Cricket Team has participated in all the ICC Cricket World Cups since 1975. India won the 1983 World Cup, beating the then World Champions West Indies in a low socring final match. The team reached to the World Cup semi-finals in 1987 and 1996, and were runners-up in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa. 

The India cricket team has been rated as one of the favorite contenders to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies. India is placed in Group B of the ICC World Cup 2007 groupings, along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda. The team will start its World Cup 2007 campaign against Bangladesh on March 17, 2007 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Indian Cricket Team
The Indian cricket team is an international cricket team representing India. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the cricket governing body in India. The Indian Cricket Team is currently the highest paid sports team in the world (in terms of sponsorship).


Debuting as Test cricket team at Lord's, England on 25 June 1932, the Indian cricket team became the sixth Test playing team. For nearly fifty years, India was weaker than most of the other Test cricket teams, such as Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 matches it played during this period.

The team gained strength near the end of the 50-year period with the emergence of players such as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and the Indian spin quartet. The Indian team has continued to be highly ranked since then in both Test cricket and One-day Internationals. The team won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 and was runners-up in 2003. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who hold numerous cricketing world records. As of November 2006, the team is ranked fourth in the ICC Test Championship and in sixth place in the ICC ODI Championship In December 2006, it played and won its first ever Twenty20 international in South Africa, becoming the most recent Test team to play 20-20 cricket.

Team Colors

When playing one-day cricket, the Indian cricket team has in recent years worn a sky blue shirt and pants. At present, the shirt also contains a diagonal tricolour design which reflects the Flag of India and the name of their main sponsor, Sahara. The one-day cap is also sky blue with the BCCI logo on the front, with a similar tricolour design on the brim of the cap.

With the advent of the World Series Cup in the 1970s, each team was to don a primary and secondary colour on their uniforms. The Indian team elected to wear light-blue as their primary colour and yellow as their secondary colour. Even during the 1999 Cricket World Cup the secondary colour on the Indian cricket team's clothing has been yellow. However this has since been removed and replaced with the tricolour. However, in the past the Indian ODI outfits were changed to different shades of blue, mostly darker than the current, and the team donned dark blue during 1992, the current sky blue colour is more similar to that worn in the World Series Cup.

When playing first-class cricket, in addition to their cricket whites, Indian fielders sometimes wear a sunhat, which is dark blue and has a wide brim, with the BCCI logo in the middle of the front of the hat. Helmets are coloured similarly. Some players sport the Indian flag on their helmet. The current kit sponsor for the Indian team is Nike, Inc..

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar

By popular vote, the greatest batsman in the world today, Sachin Tendulkar has the cricketing world at his feet. The adulation he commands world over is unsurpassed, perhaps since the days of Don Bradman, to whom of course he has been compared, by no less than the great man himself. While he may not end with a Test career average of 99.94, there is little doubt that based on his vigorous style of batsmanship and his insatiable appetite for runs and big scores, he is the most complete batsman since Vivian Richards. In many ways though he has surpassed even that outstanding West Indian batsman. 

When Tendulkar is on song, there is no more majestic sight in the cricketing world. The spectators at the stadium are on their feet cheering while all over the world, TV audiences are glued to the screen. He has scored heavily on all kinds of wickets the world over, in conditions which lesser mortals have not been able to master and against bowlers whom other batsmen have found it difficult to score off. Immensely gifted and blessed with an impeccable technique, Tendulkar's batting is a dream, combining timing, elegance and power. Mentally very strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge - as he showed when mowing down Shane Warne in India in 1998. Captain during two short stints, Tendulkar has made it clear that he would prefer to concentrate on his batting and indeed, he seems to be getting better with every passing year. Scoring two double centuries in successive seasons and being the first to cross the 10,000 run barrier in ODIs is clear proof of this. The best thing from the fans' point of view - if not the bowler's - is that the entertainment, courtesy Tendulkar, is still at the intermission stage. Long may  
`The King' continue to regale his willing subjects! 

While his batting ranks him among the best in the world, he is also a part-time bowler and has played a crucial role as a leg spinner or a medium pace bowler who tends to break partnerships. He has more than a hundred wickets in ODIs and 35 in tests, though his bowling averages are above 40. He continues to perform well under the massive weight of expectation of hundreds of millions of cricket followers, in India and around the world, and most recently was named Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.Incidentally, Sachin is the first batsman to be declared run out by third umpire in 1992 in South Africa. 
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar Statistics
Some remarkable achievements of his career are: 
* 4th highest tally of runs in test cricket (10,134) at an outstanding average of 57.25 (highest among those who have scored over 8,500 test runs) as of March 2005 
* Most runs (over 13642) and centuries (38) in one-day internationals 
* Only person to have scored over 11,000 ODI runs and over 25 ODI centuries as of April 28, 2005 
* Highest ODI batting average among Indian batsmen and among all batsmen who have scored over 7,500 ODI runs (as of April 3, 2005) 
* Most Number of Man of the Matches in one-day internationals 
* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs in ODIs as of April 2005 
* Most Number of Runs in World Cup Cricket History 
* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs 
* Has equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 test centuries. 
* Among those who have played over 100 test matches, he is the only one with a batting average above 55. 
* Only second Indian to cross 10,000 runs in Test matches. 
* He has the most centuries in ODI cricket against Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. 
* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings. 
* To go with this he has 34 hundreds in Test cricket at an average of 57. An average above 50 distinguishes a batsman as an all time great. 
* Highest individual score in ODIs among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999) 
*1994: Arjuna Award Receipient for achievements in Cricket 
*1997: Tendulkar was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year 
*1997/98: India's highest sporting honour - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 
*1999: Padma Shri - India's civilian medal of recognition 
*2008: Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award. 
*In August 2003, Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the "Greatest Sportsman" of the country in the sport 
personalities category in the Best of India poll conducted by Zee News. 
*In November 2006, Time magazine named Tendulkar as one of the Asian Heroes. 
*In December 2006, he was named "Sports person of the Year" 
The current India Poised campaign run by The Times of India has nominated him as the Face of New India next to the likes of 
Amartya Sen and Mahatma Gandhi among others

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Full name Mahendra Singh Dhoni 
Born July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Bihar 
Current age 24 years 100 days 
Major teams India, Jharkhand 
Also known as Mahi 
Batting style Right-hand bat 
Fielding position Wicketkeeper

The spectacular arrival of Virender Sehwag was bound to inspire others to bat with the same mindset. But the odds of a clone emerging from the backwaters of Jharkhand, whose state side has consistently scraped the bottom, was highly remote. That was until Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived. He can be swashbuckling with the bat and secure with the wicketkeeping gloves. His neck-length hair adds to his dash. Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded - a rapid hundred which helped East Zone clinch the Deodhar Trophy and an audacious 60 in the Duleep Trophy final. But it was with his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that he established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks. In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, he cracked a dazzling 148 and for a while even put Sehwag in the shade

Dhoni on top of the world 
London, April 20 
Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni today became the world’s top batsman in one-day rankings with a phenomenal average of 52.76 and an awesome strike-rate of 103.Dhoni, who was placed second behind Ricky Ponting before the two-match one-day series against Pakistan, displaced the Australian captain from the top spot after his fine knock of 59 in the second match in Abu Dhabi.The 24-year-old Jharkhand player, who made his ODI debut in December, 2004, has made a remarkably rapid rise with his statistics providing compelling support for his position on top of the ODI charts released by the ICC today. 
Since making his debut, Dhoni has played in 42 matches and has scored two hundreds and eight fifties. 
Dhoni is one of three India batsmen in the top 10 places with captain Rahul Dravid ninth (up two places) and Yuvraj Singh (10th) also featuring

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh
Born: 12 December 1981, Chandigarh 
Major Teams: Punjab, India. 
Known As: Yuvraj Singh 
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium

Profile:
At 19, Yuvraj is already an all rounder who has proven himself. One need look no further than his performance in the domestic youth competitions and in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. In the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy in the 1999-2000 season, Yuvraj made 358 against Bihar. Any batsman who has the ability to play an innings of that length is bound to be a force to reckon with. Following that performance up with what was an extremely successful World Cup in Sri Lanka, Yuvraj caught the eye of many a cricket pundit. He was named player of the series for scoring heavily through the World Cup, including a tremendous half century that came off just 20 balls in the semifinals against Australia. 

A tall, well-built lad, Yuvraj Singh strikes the ball very hard. Although critics feel that he is uncomfortable and imbalanced driving off the front foot, this does not reflect in his performance so far. A useful left arm spinner, Yuvraj sometimes refrains from bowling because of a recurring back strain that has threatened to put him out of action more than once. Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh represented India in one Test match against New Zealand in 1981. A good fielder inside the circle, Yuvraj is regarded by many as an exciting One-Day prospect 

ODI Debut: India v Kenya at Nairobi (Gymk), ICC KnockOut, 2000/01

  ------------------ 6 - 6 - 6 - 6 - 6 - 6 ----------------- 
Yuvraj hits six sixes in an over against England 
DURBAN, September 19. 2007: Yuvraj Singh smashed fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over as India piled up 218-4 in a must-win match against England in the Twenty20 world championships on Wednesday.  

ball-by-ball commentary ......... 
18.1 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, that's out the ground, super shot over cow corner and it just kept going up.  

18.2 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, now that really is sweet, no more than a dismissive flick off his legs, swatting a fly, and the ball arcs deep into the crowd beyond backward square leg. The dodgy TV measurement says that's 111 yards but as it landed outside the ground how do they know? They guess that's how.  

18.3 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, he's hitting them everywhere, he steps to leg and smashes the ball over extra cover and it keeps on traveling. The fireworks start on top of the scoreboard and they've been going off in the middle for some time.  

18.4 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, Shiver me timbers! Broad goes round the wicket, bowls a filthy wide full toss and Yuvraj steers it over backward point and it clears the rope again.  

18.5 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, down on one knee and larruped over midwicket, that one was more nine iron, it went into the night sky and dropped with a thud in the jubilant crowd. England have a team meeting.  

Broad looks quizzical and miserable. Can he, can Yuvraj do it. Broad looks like a man who knows he is about to be mauled again.  

18.6 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, and he has, Yuvraj leans back and smacks that over wide mid-on. It was the maximum from the moment it left that bat and the crowd was roaring as it flew.  
  

The left-hander's feat in the 19th over gave him the fastest 50 in the tournament off just 12 balls, eight deliveries less than what Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful achieved against the West Indies.  

Yuvraj finished with 58 off 16 balls with seven sixes and three boundaries as India set England a formidable target of 11 runs an over at a Kingsmead stadium overflowing with joyous Indian fans. 

India, who lost their first match to New Zealand, must beat England and South Africa on Thursday to stay in contention for the semi-finals from group E.  

New Zealand and South Africa top the group with two wins each, while England have already been knocked out of the semi-final race after losing their first two matches.  

Yuvraj's blistering knock came after openers Virender Sehwag and Gambhir set the platform with a 136-run stand by the 15th over.  

Sehwag made 68 off 52 balls with three sixes and four boundaries. His Delhi team-mate Gambhir hit 58 off 41 balls with seven fours and a six.  

Gambhir began the run glut in the fifth over by smashing Broad over the mid-wicket fence for the first six of the innings.  

Sehwag welcomed Dimitri Mascarenhas into the attack by slicing a six over point and cut Chris Tremlett over third man for his second big shot.  

Sehwag's third six was over point against England captain Paul Collingwood in the 10th over, two balls after Mascarenhas floored a skier at third man.  

Tremlett broke the partnership in the 15th over when he bowled Sehwag as the batsman went for a wild heave.  

Two more wickets fell in the next two overs as Darren Maddy had Gambhir caught at short third man and Tremlett bowled Robin Uthappa in his fourth and final over.

Rudra Pratap Singh

Full name Rudra Pratap Singh 
Born December 6, 1985 
Major teams India, India A, India Under-19s, Rajasthan Cricket Association President's XI, Uttar Pradesh 
Batting style Right-hand bat 
Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium 

Rudra Pratap Singh first made the headlines in the under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004, taking eight wickets at 24.75 apiece. Later that year he joined the long line of Indian left-arm seamers who have made an instant impact in the domestic season, taking 34 wickets in six Ranji Trophy games, the joint-highest for the season. During the World Cup, Singh also showed that he could bowl effectively at the death, and his contributions that season helped Uttar Pradesh win the league phase of the Ranji one-day tournament in the Central Zone.

Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble

Born: 17 October 1970, Bangalore 
Major Teams: Karnataka, Northamptonshire, India, Leicestershire. 
Known As: Anil Kumble 
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Leg Break Googly 
  
Profile:
India's main strike bowler of the 90s, Anil Kumble has taken upon the role of both stock bowler and shock bowler for many years now. Like his illustrious predecessor BS Chandrasekhar, he has frequently proved to be a match winner, especially on Indian wickets. On a turning track, Kumble can be pretty unplayable as he mixes his bag of tricks to bamboozle the batsman. Kumble has never been a big spinner of the ball but his accuracy and his enormous variety make him a difficult bowler to handle. Kumble came into the side as a relatively unknown 19-year-old on the tour of England in 1990, was promptly forgotten for a couple of years and was back in the team on the basis of an outstanding Irani Trophy performance in 1992-93. Subsequently on the tour of South Africa he really came of age, a major turning point being his bag of six for 53 in the second Test at Johennesburg. 

Less than a month after his 37th birthday, he received the ultimate honour when he was named India's Test captain for the home series against Pakistan. He went on to win the series, the first home triumph against Pakistan in 27 years, before playing a big role in holding the side together during the controversial series in Australia. He was also India's leading wicket-taker with 20 in the four Tests.  

His form, however, slipped during the tour of Sri Lanka and there were calls for him to quit after a wicketless performance in the Bangalore Test against Australia. A shoulder injury added fuel to the fire and an upset Kumble reacted sharply, saying that he had it in him to continue for a while longer. However, he changed his mind during the Delhi Test and announced his retirement, fittingly at his favourite venue. He finished his career as the third-highest Test wicket-taker (619), behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. 

Kumble announces retirement 

Anil Kumble bowled his last ball for India as the third Test with Australia ended in a draw. 
The India skipper announced his retirement before calling a halt to India's second innings on 208 for five, a lead of 244. 
That left a possible 23 overs remaining in the day and Kumble came out to bowl four wicketless overs before the captains shook hands. 
VVS Laxman had backed up his first innings double hundred with a an unbeaten half-century in the second earlier on the fifth day. 
Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson raised faint hopes of a dramatic Australian victory with a wicket apiece in the morning session, but that prospect was ground into the dust at the Feroz Shah Kotla. 
Gautam Gambhir (36) and Sachin Tendulkar (47) kept India afloat until Laxman (57 not out) and Sourav Ganguly (32 not out) led India to their declaration total deep into the final session. 
That left Australia with the improbable task of chasing 245 for victory and Kumble opened proceedings with the new ball. 
Matthew Hayden (16 not out) and Simon Katich (14 not out), however, denied the prolific leg-spinner a final hurrah as they reached 31 for no loss when stumps were drawn after eight overs had been bowled. 
Kumble shook hands with his team-mates, both Australian batsman and the umpires at the end and was carried around the ground on the shoulders of his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni for one last farewell at the Kotla, a venue which had brought him immense success. 
The result means India take a 1-0 lead into the fourth and final Test at Nagpur, which starts on Friday, but Australia have a chance to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy should they win there.
Test Debut: India v England at Manchester, 2nd Test, 1990 
ODI Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Australasia Cup, 1989/90 

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan 

Full Name: Irfan Khan Pathan  
Born: 27 October 1984, Baroda, Gujarat  
Major Teams: Baroda, India.  

Batting Style: Left Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast 
Irfan Pathan Jnr - his namesake is also a left-arm seamer for Baroda - is India’s youngest pace-bowling hope. At 18, he has already established himself as part of arguably the most incisive pace trio in the country, alongside Zaheer Khan and Rakesh Patel; served consistently as spearhead of the national under-19 team; and finds himself regularly selected for the India A team. Tall, and well filled out for his age, Irfan does most of his work off the seam at a useful pace off a side-on action, and his left-handedness marks him out a natural danger to the right-hander. Like Zaheer, one of his two idols – Wasim Akram, naturally, is the other – Irfan has refined his raw ability at the Dennis Lillee-assisted MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. In another two years, this boy could be a star
Historic hat-trick for Pathan 
India left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan (5-61) took a hat-trick in the first over, the first bowler to do so in the Test cricket history in first over of the third and final Test against Pakistan on Sunday. Pathan had Salman Butt caught at first slip by Rahul Dravid with a sharp outswinger, trapped captain Younis Khan LBW with a sharp inswinger and bowled Mohammad Yousuf with another big inswinger to leave Pakistan reeling on nought for three. Pathan took wickets with his fourth, fifth and sixth balls to complete the 36th hat-trick in Test cricket history. 
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is the only other India bowler to take a Test hat-trick, against Australia at Kolkatta in 2000-01. The 21-year-old Pathan had his victims beaten by the swing as well as seam movement extracted from the pitch. The left-armer is the 33rd bowler to record this feat in Test cricket. It is the 36th occasion that a bowler had taken three wickets off successive balls in the longer version of the game. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, Australians Hugh Trumble and Jimmy Matthews have taken two hat-tricks in Test cricket. 
Irfan Pathan's hometown -- Baroda -- erupted with joy when the local lad became only the second Indian to claim a Test hat-trick on Sunday. "Pathan has really done us proud and I wish him all the best and hope he takes more and more wickets and sets greater targets and achieves more," selection committee chairman and secretary of Baroda Cricket Association Kiran More said.  
Pathan's mother Shamimbanoo said that all family members, relatives and friends were very happy that he got this achievement on Pakistani soil and "as Indians we feel proud for it". She added: "Irfan has really made all Indians proud and that makes us happy." Shamimbanoo said that Irfan used to be in touch with them regularly and "we were very confident that he would get us on his own and caught us by surprise". 
Mehbubkhan, Irfan's father, said that the entire family were praying to Allah that their son achieved something great which would ramain in everyone's memory forever. His sister Shagufa said: "After his failure in getting wickets in Lahore and Faislabad tests on dead pitches, we all were sure about his sucess in Karachi Test." Pathan's local coach Mehndi Shaikh said that the paceman had bowled with a lot of heart and soul and "I am very happy and glad that he showed both maturity and fire during his spell".

He has taken 5 wickets in an innings six times in Test cricket, and once in one-day internationals, against Zimbabwe in the 2005 Videocon Tri-Series. His spell in the final match against Pakistan in the 2004 tour was arguably his best performance in ODI cricket. His trademark weapon is an inswinger which darts into a right-hand batsman, and he also has the ability to reverse swing the old ball. In the ODI format, Pathan has been particularly impressive, frequently giving India early breakthroughs. He now consistently ranks in or near the top 10 of the LG ICC cricket ratings. 

He is developing into an all-rounder, as part of a reallocation of responsibilities under the new Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell. Chappell has identified potential in Pathan's batting. Pathan has recently been used as both an opener and a top order batsman in late 2005 in one-day cricket, making 83 runs at more than a run a ball against Sri Lanka in a Test match. He also proved his enhanced batting skills by scoring 82 and 93 against Sri Lanka, opening the batting in the December 2005 New Delhi Test, when regular opener Virender Sehwag was hospitalised with illness. He scores primarily in front of the wicket, his main strength being his ability to drive. He has shown his batting strength against Pakistan (India's traditional rival) by hitting 90 in the second Test in Faisalabad (21-25 January, 2006).

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag

Born: 20 October 1978, Delhi 
Major Teams: Delhi, India. 
Known As: Virender Shewag 
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break 
  
Profile:
A hard hitting batsman and a more than useful off spinner, Virender Shewag made a disastrous debut against Pakistan at Mohali in the Pepsi Cup. After having got out for a single he was hammered for 35 runs in the three overs that he bowled. He was then short listed among the 19 probables for the 1999 World Cup in England but did not make the final squad. Shewag has been a mainstay in the Delhi Ranji Trophy team since the 1998-99 season. A powerful hitter of the ball, he aggregated 745 runs during the 1998-99 Ranji Trophy season with three centuries and followed it up with 674 runs in the 1999-2000 edition of the competition. 

Shewag made a strong comeback to the Indian team during the Australia tour of India in 2000-01. In the first one-dayer at Bangalore, Shewag helped himself to a quick half century before scalping three crucial wickets to play a leading role in India's victory. Man of the match in the first one-dayer, Shewag was forced to miss the rest of the series with a fractured finger. But the last has not been heard of this stout hearted Delhi all rounder. 

ODI Debut: India v Pakistan at Mohali, Pepsi Cup, 1998/99

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Born: 8 July 1972, Calcutta 
Major Teams: Bengal, India, Lancashire. 
Known As: Sourav Ganguly 
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium

  Saurav Ganguly, the Prince of Calcutta has a fan following of millions and that is justified 
  considering the number of winning knocks he has played for India. His batting is the perfect 
  blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed 
  batsmanship. He is also a superb/ perfect timer of the ball. The manner in which he steps out 
  and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot. 
  He is one of the most aggressive Captain India has ever had and has emerged as one thekey 
  components of the Indian team. His ability to play shots on the off side is special because there 
  are very few players who can hit the ball in that area as crisply as he does. He is an aggressive 
  left-handed batsman and is also an effective (right-handed) medium pace bowler. He tarted his 
  international career as a 19 year old during the tour to Australia in 1991-92 where both his ability 
  and attitude was questioned. His recall for the 1996 tour to England was severely criticised as 
  one of the evils of India's "quota" system. But he answered that in style by not only scoring 
  centuries in his first two Test innings but also capturing vital wickets to bag the Man of the 
  series award. Still he was considered fit only for the Test matches because of his inability to 
  play onside strokes. He worked on that problem and became a household name in India after the 
  Sahara Cup in Toronto where he won several matches for India against Pakistan. Besides 
  several superlative batting performance (including 75* in 75 balls), he exploited the conditions to 
  return some excellent bowling figures (including 5-16). He is often criticised for his running 
  between the wickets and if he works on that, the way he has worked on his leg-side then he will 
  definitely become a formidable force in the World of Cricket
His batting is the perfect blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed batsmanship. With superb timing he almost caresses the ball to the boundary. But when the mood gets to him - particularly in the one day game - his batting can be a murderous assault on the bowlers and a delight to the spectators. The manner in which he steps out and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot. 

But then Sourav Ganguly is not just strokes and class and powerful batting. He has a sound temperament and the ability to rise to the big occasion. Only a person who is mentally strong could have responded in the manner he did to widespread criticism to his selection for the tour of England in 1996. When he first went as a teenager to Australia in 1991-92 he was far from ready for the big time, despite his manifold gifts. By the time of his comeback, a mixture of talent and hard work had made Ganguly capable of the dream feat with which he launched his Test career. Since then, it has been impossible to envisage an Indian team in both forms of the game without him. On the strength of his figures and undoubted class, he has taken his place as among the `Big Three' of the Indian batting order. Few would deny him his place as probably the greatest Indian left hander of all time. And in the last year, he has also proved himself to be a tough, no nonsense captain. A record of four wins and only one defeat in his first six Test matches as captain - including a memorable series triumph over the formidable Aussies - augurs well for him as a leader. 

Test Debut: India v England at Lord's, 2nd Test, 1996 
ODI Debut: India v West Indies at Brisbane, World Series, 1991/92

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid
Born: 11 January 1973, Indore 
Major Teams: Karnataka, India, Kent. 
Known As: Rahul Dravid 
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break

Profile:
  Rahul has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical
  proficiency & stylish strokes. His strokes are so perfect technically that he is considered as
  the "wall" of the Indian Team. His batting style was regarded slow for the ODI’s initially but with
  his imaginative placing of the ball & innovative strokes he made himself as an integral part of
  the Indian team for both Tests as well as ODI’s. His temperament for both the versions of the
  game is exemplary and has earned him respect from all the other players. The Indian Vice
  Captain has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. . He was verily the batsman
  of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named
  as Wisden cricketer of the year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade. His
  good and innocent looks make him very popular among the girls.

Dravid named World Player of Year 
India batsman Rahul Dravid has been named World Player of the Year at the inaugural International Cricket Council (ICC) awards. He was chosen by a 50-strong panel of former cricketing greats, national captains, umpires and referees. "It is quite unbelievable, I am really proud," said Dravid, who was also named Test Player of the Year. "I am so happy to be recognised by some really great people." 
The batsman, who has also turned his hand to wicketkeeping in the one-day game, received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for being the best player in both forms of the game in the year to July 31, 2004. 
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was chosen as One-Day International Player of the Year to top off a memorable week for the 26-year-old after his partner gave birth to a baby girl. 
"If someone had said three years ago you would be getting One-Day Player of the Year I wouldn't have believed them," said Flintoff, who beat off competition from Australians Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist and India's Sachin Tendulkar. "It has been a special week. I am pinching myself."

 

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir
Born: 14 October 1981, Delhi 
Major Teams: Delhi, India. 
Known As: Gautam Gambhir 
ODI Debut: India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, TVS Cup, 2003  
As a 17-year-old stripling in 2000, Gautam Gambhir's attacking strokeplay at the top of the order for Delhi set tongues wagging in India not least in the ranks of the opposition. Fast-bowler bullies have paid the price for mistaking Gambhir's slight build and shy demeanour for signs of meekness. His compact footwork, high bat-speed and a brashly youthful approach befuddled bowlers more than once as cautious defence was replaced by the aerial route over point. His success took him close to the Indian side when Zimbabwe toured early in 2002. He had pasted successive double-centuries one for Delhi and another for the Board Presidents’ XI against the tourists and seemed to be a shoo-in as Shiv Sunder Das’s opening partner. But the selectors persisted instead with the band-aid solution of Deep Dasgupta. Gutted but determined, Gambhir soldiered on, pressing his case with particular urgency in the West Indies with the Indian A side early in 2003. And when several senior players asked to be rested after the World Cup, Gambhir was summoned from the wings into the national squad for the TVS Cup in Dhaka. 

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

Full name Shanthakumaran Sreesanth 
Born February 6, 1983, Kothamangalam, Kerala 
Current age 23 years 18 days 
Major teams India, Kerala, Kerala Under-19s 
Also known as Gopu 
Batting style Right-hand bat 
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium 

For three seasons, S Sreesanth was hardly anything more than an answer to a trivia question - who is the only Kerala bowler to have taken a Ranji Trophy hat-trick ? His rise, though, was rapid, and since he played for a weak side, unnoticed. Not too many bowlers get selected for the Duleep Trophy in their first season, like Sreesanth did in 2002-03 after snapping up 22 wickets in his first seven games. His progress was halted owing to a hamstring injury in the following year, but he returned stronger, with a more side-on action and increased pace and a superb display in the Challenger Trophy, in 2005, propelled him to the national squad for the Sri Lanka series.

With so much cricket played these days it is often difficult to keep track of who is who and what they are doing. In a new weekly feature Cricinfo will take a look at one player who is making the news, whether at the highest level or an aspiring talent, and tell you what they are all about. This week, it's the turn of India's new star, S Sreesanth  
When India's new-found left-arm pace attack let it all slip after a rollicking start in the third Test against Pakistan at Karachi, the fans were crying out for variety. Sreesanth, always in the reckoning for the one-dayers following an impressive start against Sri Lanka last year, broke the monotony, rolling his right arm and bagging six wickets in the series, four of which were snared in a Karachi pitch which looked as dead as the 'dead rubber' encounter. His pace, coupled with his studious demeanour may be far from frightening. Neither is his gentle delivery stride. What is rather disconcerting for the batsman, however, is his ability to swing the ball late and generate sudden movement off the pitch. The frequent dropped catches by his colleagues at Multan notwithstanding, at Karachi Sreesanth had announced his arrival.  

He represents the new breed of Indian cricketers who hail from far-flung regions, which in the past have been given the cold shoulder as far as talent-spotting is concerned. Incidentally, Kerala, his homestate, is revered for its sporting culture and has produced several Olympian athletes but has sadly had a dearth of international-quality cricketers. Sreesanth was to change all that. Early on, he took to legspin, modelling his action on Anil Kumble. However, his pace and penchant for slipping the frequent yorker compelled him to take up fast bowling, encouraged by his elder brother. When his predecessor from Kerala, Tinu Yohanan earned a selection to the National Cricket Academy in 2000, Sreesanth worked harder at his craft, making it to the MRF Pace foundation in Chennai. Success followed almost immediately, making his first-class debut in the 2002-03 domestic season, bagging 22 wickets in just seven matches and meriting a selection in the Duleep Trophy squad in the same season. 

November 2002 - Ranji Trophy debut against Goa 
March 2003 - Duleep Trophy debut for South Zone 
October 2003 - Plays tour match against visting New Zealand team. Bowls 12 economical overs and takes the wicket of Craig McMillan. Suffers hamstring pull. 
November 2004 - Takes a hat-trick against Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, the first by a Kerala cricketer. 
October 1 2005 - Irani Trophy debut. 
October 13 2005 - Wins the Man-of-the-Series award in the Challenger Trophy with 7 wickets, the joint highest wicket taker with Murali Kartik. 
October 25 2005 - ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Nagpur. Takes 2 wickets 
February 19 2006 - Takes best bowling figures in ODIs - 4 for 58 against Pakistan at Karachi.

Sreesanth is an accomplished dancer and was once a national break-dance champion while in the eighth grade. His favourite entertainer is....well Michael Jackson. His folks back home wouldn't have been surprised to see him shake a leg after taking a wicket in Karachi. In an interview to reporters he said, "People recognise me. When I was on stage, I used to do all silly things to be in the limelight. I love dancing."  
  

Sreesanth's talents and ability were recognised in other sports as well, namely, football, table tennis and hockey. Though hailing from the south, Sreesanth speaks Hindi with a distinct North Indian twang. Hindi aside, he also speaks Malayalam, English and Tamil. He is also a student of psychology and an avid reader.  
  

Known for his guts and spontaneity, once as a student, Sreesanth couldn't resist the urge to meet Sachin Tendulkar. Stopped by a security guard, he managed to bluff his way in, saying that Tendulkar had paid for his scholarship. Little did he know that few years later, he would grab Sachin's wicket to earn national selection.  

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh
Born: 3 July 1980, Jullundur 
Major Teams: Punjab, India. 
Known As: Harbhajan Singh 
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat 
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break

Profile: 
Harbhajan's elevation to the Indian cap in 1998 was a major surprise to the world because the 18-year-old was relatively unknown outside Punjab. An attacking spinner in the classical mould, he has not yet established himself in the side. The fact that he has not fully enjoyed the confidence of the selectors is one reason for this but his action being deemed suspect by the ICC has also stalled his progress. A stint with former England off spinner Fred Titmus seemed to have done him some good. The one quality that Harbhajan Singh is well known for is that he is a fighter to the core. For a purveyor of slow off spinners, his attitude is aggressive. He is back among the probables for the series against Australia - the opponents against whom he made his Test debut three years before - it is to be hoped that his best results could lie ahead since he has youth on his side. 

Harbhajan Singh's road to glory has not been an easy one. The 20-year-old off-spinner from Jullunder has been plagued by allegations of a jerk in his bowling action and insinuations of him having attitude problems. After almost losing his job with employers Indian Airlines and being saddened immensely by the death of his father, Harbhajan was reborn as a cricketer. Training doubly hard, the fiery youngster readied himself for the touring Australians. In the absence of ace legspinner Anil Kumble, India were desperately on the look out for a strike bowler. Bowling with a high arm action, extracting good bounce and considerable turn on good Test match wickets, Harbhajan Singh destroyed the Aussies by scalping 32 wickets in the three Test series. Harbhajan's performance had outdone the previous best wicket tally for an Indian in a Test series against Australia, beating legendary left arm spinner Bishen Singh Bedi's haul of 31 wickets in 1977-78 in Australia. What makes the feat especially commendable is the fact that Harbhajan notched up his wickets in three Tests as against Bedi's five. The most special moment in the series for Harbhajan was undoubtedly the hat-trick he snared in the first innings of the second Test at Kolkata when he dismissed Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne off successive deliveries. In the three Tests, Harbhajan returned figures of 4/132, 13/196 and 15/217, thereby leading India to a famous 2-1 victory. 

In the course of the series, Harbhajan was constantly aggressive, giving back in good measure any on field chatter he got from the Aussies. With the bat too Harbhajan struck some lusty blows, earning kudos from teammates, scribes and selectors alike. The arrival of Harbhajan at the international stage as a force to reckon with has been a whiff of fresh air for Indian cricket. India were struggling in the bowling department and Harbhajan has answered the call handsomely. 

Test Debut: India v Australia at Bangalore, 3rd Test, 1997/98 
ODI Debut: India v New Zealand at Sharjah, Coca-Cola Cup, 1997/98

Delhi ODI: Harbhajan's bhangra rocks 
New Delhi, March 28, 2006 
After the humiliating Mumbai Test defeat, there was a vociferous clamour to get the Indian team rid of its two 'burdens' - Sehwag and Harbhajan. 

Ishant Sharma

India 
Player profile 
Full name Ishant Sharma 
Born September 2, 1988, Delhi  
Major teams India, Delhi, India Red, North Zone 
Playing role Bowler 
Batting style Right-hand bat 
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

With a physique and attitude that is reminiscent of a young Javagal Srinath, Ishant Sharma shot into prominence during the 2007-08 Test series in Australia. Standing at 6'4", his rhythmic, high-arm action allowed him to bowl at around 135-140 kph. For one who started serious cricket at 14, his rise was rapid and he made his Ranji Trophy debut at 18. An injury to Munaf Patel provided him an opening during India's tour of Bangladesh in May 2007 but it was in Australia where he caught the attention, prompting Steve Waugh to call him the next best thing in Indian cricket. He showed he could move the ball both ways and his probing spell in the second innings in Perth, where he set-up Ricky Ponting, was the stuff of folklore. Siddhartha Vaidyanathan January 2008

Ishant Sharma (born September 2, 1988, in Delhi, India), is an Indian cricketer, more specifically a fast-medium pace bowler at pace around 140 km/h (87 mph). He has a high delivery action and is able to swing the ball in both directions. Sharma was called up to join the Indian national cricket team for the 2006–07 Test series in South Africa at the age of 18, though he did not play for his country in the series. However, after receiving the call-up and organising travel arrangements, it was decided to not send for Sharma after all. In May 2007, he was called as a replacement for fast bowler Munaf Patel, for his national side for the second test against Bangladesh, where he has bowled 3 overs so far, bowling one maiden and only conceding five runs, without taking a wicket.

Sharma plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and has taken 19 wickets in four first class games, including a five-wicket haul against Baroda on the opening day of a match Delhi drew after failing to bowl Baroda out on the fourth day. He has earned the nickname 'Lambu', which refers to his lean but tall build, measuring 6'4" (192 cm). 

Sharma toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006 and Pakistan in 2006–07. He has played three youth Tests and six youth One-day Internationals for India, and is yet to lose a match for them. 

In May 2007 ,he was selected in the Test Cricket team for the Bangladesh tour, and then the tour of England in July- August. 
During Pakistan's tour of India in December 2007, Sharma picked up 5 wickets during the third test in Bangalore.

In January 2008 Sharma was called up to the Indian side once again to replace an injured Zaheer Khan in the second test of India's series against Australia at the SCG. Sharma started the first day of the match strongly and was involved in a controversial decision from Steve Bucknor when Andrew Symonds clearly nicked the ball to keeper MS Dhoni off Sharma's bowling but was given not out. On the fourth day of the third test in Perth he bowled an exceptional spell to Australia's captain Ricky Ponting that resulted in his wicket and helped India claim victory. The following test played in adelaide on australia day he picked up two wickets. he also appeared in the twenty-twenty match vs australia scoring 3 runs but not getting a wicket.