Yen for eleven

The Indian cricket team has moved on from inconsistent performances to carve a niche at the top. The transformation from individual excellence to collective strength has made the world sit upu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

TEN years ago, individuals in Team India were dishing out memorable performances but when it came to teamwork, they failed. To be more precise, in the month of December, Sachin Tendulkar lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a wondrous hundred with Swiss-watch like timing, supreme technique and clinical strokeplay. Yet, India ended up losing their second Test of the three-match series. It was the same old story in the New Year's Test in Sydney where VVS Laxman's 167 signalled the start of his love affair with Australian pitches.


TEAM OF THE DECADE: The Indian Test squad celebrates their
World No 1 status after winning the third and final Test against Sri Lanka
at the Brabourne Stadium earlier this month. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE

English summer
Earlier, in the English summer of 1999, Mohammed Azharuddin's team enjoyed or endured u00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0093 whichever way you look at itu00a0- a 50:50 World Cup. After losing the first two games to South Africa and their neighbours Zimbabwe, India picked themselves up to win three games on the trot against Kenya, Sri Lanka and England. In between losses to Australia and New Zealand, there was a victorious clash against Pakistan.

Reluctant captain
As expected, Azharuddin lost the captaincy and a reluctant Tendulkar got his second crack at the job.

Home defeat
More heartbreak was to follow in the home two-Test series against South Africa. Cronje's Proteas won 2-0 against India who had Tendulkar and coach Kapil Dev in charge.

Wright combination
By November 2000, India had a foreign coach in John Wright, a man who along with Sourav Ganguly, changed the face of Indian cricket. Wright cannot forget his early days as India's first foreign coach. "The fielding standards were poor. If you dropped a catch at slips you were sent to the covers. There didn't seem to be any real specialisation," he told MiD DAY over the phone from Christchurch this week.u00a0

Leaders salute
"Strength and conditioning was an area of concern.u00a0 Things changed when we got Adrian Le Roux (fitness trainer) on board. In modern cricket, you have to be really fit, but not only fit, you have to be strong too. The seniors wanted to change. India have progressed as a team because they have had fantastic men as leaders." Entering the 2003 World Cup final proved that this bunch meant business. If India is enjoying its stay at the top of the Test rankings, it's also because of work put in by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's predecessors.

Dada of a captain
"As captain, he had a great passion for the side to be a true team. There was no divide between seniors and juniors. Sourav was always a fighter. He did not care about upsetting people," said Wright. "One person might need a pat on the back. Another, an arm around the shoulder," Ganguly said very early in his captaincy stint.

Cool Kirsten
Tendulkar, the rock, who has seen it all, believes the presence of coach Gary Kirsten has made a huge difference. "He has allowed the natural instincts of players to flourish. A lot has got to do with what's going on in a player's mind and Gary has played a huge role there," he told MiD DAY after India's win in NZ.

Top squad
In 1999, India was just another team that could upset the best or self-destruct. In 2009, India has more or less stayed at the pinnacle. They do not suffer from a fear of heights.