By IR
September 17 2005

Some have been suggesting that based on his batting, Sourav Ganguly does not merit a spot in the team ahead of Mohammad Kaif or Yuvraj Singh. Let's take a closer look at this claim. Here are career records of batsmen currently selected in the Indian squad.

Player	Test Avg	ODI Avg	FC Avg	100s	Highest
Tendulkar	57	44	61	72	248
Dravid	58	40	57	30	270
Sehwag	56	33	55	17	309
Laxman	44	31	55	14	281
Ganguly	41	41	43	34	173
Gambhir	41	23	54	22	233
Yuvraj	35	31	46	20	209
Kaif	24	35	37	9	136
Rao	DNP	15	54	15	228
Jadav	DNP	DNP	60	9	260

Based on career record, longevity, consistency, ability to score big, and overall ability, these batsmen can be categorized into 4 levels as follows:

Level 1

Sachin Tendulkar
Rahul Dravid
Virender Sehwag

Level 2

Sourav Ganguly
VVS Laxman

Level 3

Gautam Gambhir
Yuvraj Singh
Mohammad Kaif

Level 4

Dheeraj Jadav
Suresh Raina
Venugopal Rao

For India to be ranked among the best three teams, we need at least three Level 1 players and two Level 2 players.

At the top of their form, Level 2 players should exceed a Level 1 player. The key here is that when one of three Level 1 players are out of form for a series, Level 2 and 3 players must step up their performance.

The categorization of players in the levels described above should be self-explanatory. Tendulkar, Dravid, and Sehwag are recognized world-class batsmen. Ganguly and Laxman have a proven track record of achievements over the years; longevity, consistency, and scoring big are the areas in which these two have proven themselves. Gambhir has done well enough in his short stint as opening batsman to date, and should be expected to jump to Level 2 in a year or two.

Now let's analyze the records of Yuvraj and Kaif. These two have been around for some time now, and have played a few crucial knocks. If you look closely at their career stats, Kaif hasn't scored too many hundreds, his FC average is average, his highest score is not very high and he has never scored runs in bulk. Yuvraj isn't too far ahead either.

Both have played international cricket for around 4 years now. But at this time in their careers, how do they compare with what Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, and Ganguly had achieved?

Neither Yuvraj nor Kaif are anywhere near where the Level 1 and 2-ranked players were at the same stage.

As far as the Level 4 players, a couple of facts stand out. Recent matches have shown us that players such as Rao, Raina, and JP Yadav are not close to international standards. They have shown how big a gap exists between Level 4 and higher levels. In spite of this, their highest score, number of 100s, and FC average are good.

Kaif and Yuvraj need to do two things, particularly Kaif:
1. Score big when in form. Score 100s, big 100s -- not just fighting 50s.
2. It is time for them to cement their place in ODIs. Maintain a grip as strong as Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Sehwag did at the same stage.

Until that happens, I am afraid the team will benefit more from batsmen like Ganguly and Laxman than Yuvraj and Kaif.

This is not to say we should continue with batsmen in poor form, but that it is important for the fringe players to earn a spot. You do not replace Level 1 and 2 players by default; you must perform and prove yourself.

Sachin, Rahul and Sourav may be good for at most 2 or 3 years before they need to think about retirement, and Laxman has hit age 30 as well. Soon there will be a vacuum at Levels 1 and 2, which does not bode well for India's future.

Conclusion

My vision of what Indian cricket needs now:

1. Kaif and Yuvraj must perform well in both forms of the game, and be ready to step into Level 2 within a year. Until that time, we have no choice but to continue with Ganguly.

2. Raina, Rao, Jadav and others must play more A tours and consolidate themselves at Level 3 within a year.

3. In the next two years, we will need at least one Level 1 player to fill the shoes of Tendulkar and Dravid to give company to Sehwag.