Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer’s: Farewell well deserved

Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer’s: Farewell well deserved: If recent reports are to be believed, it seems that the BCCI has decided to bring four seniors who were instrumental in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, back for one last farewell series. Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer have all lost their place in the Indian side in recent years. And yet all these veterans command a certain amount of respect and fan following even to this day. While all of them would like to be part of the Indian set up for the foreseeable future, none have a realistic chance of retaining their places in the side. But being such stalwarts of Indian Cricket, the BCCI, it seems have decided to give them a graceful farewell – one that they deserve – in the upcoming series with Bangladesh. 1. Virender Sehwag: Virender Sehwag. (© Getty Images) Virender Sehwag last featured for Team India in the 2012-13 series against Australia. His form and his prowess are seemingly on a steep decline. His last 10 scores including the IPL are 2,1,1,1,1,11,47,36,0,39,85. These numbers quite clearly shows the kind of form he’s in. Even his last five test scores are disappointing. Sehwag’s last five test innings read 6,19,2,0,49. His IPL career has also stuttered off late with a string of poor performances. Sehwag still is remembered best for his explosive batting at the top order. The only three players in the world to have strike rate of more than 80 in Tests are Adam Gilchrist, Kapil Dev and Sehwag. He also has two triple centuries in Test cricket, a record that is only matched and not surpasses the great Don Bradman. Sehwag might have lost his touch in recent years but he will always be a cricketing legend in India and the world for up and coming opening batsmen around the world. His numbers don’t tell the whole story. He was truly a treat to watch when he was at his peak and deserves a grand farewell. His best innings has to be the triple century at Multan and one that made him an instant fan favourite. 2. Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj Singh. (© Getty Images) The man of the series of the triumphant Indian team in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh, has been left in the wilderness ever since. He has found it difficult to break into the Indian side and his form and fitness have always been in question. In the IPL however, the teams have recently broke their banks to sign the fiery all rounder. His performances haven’t been as big as his price tag but he still shows glimpses of his old self occasionally. He has been restricted to just batting in his recent IPL games and has only 1 wicket in his last 10 games. Coupled with that he only has one innings worth remembering in his last 10 innings when he scored 57 against the Mumbai Indians at the beginning of this month. Two fifties in his last 15 ODIs have pushed Yuvraj out of the Indian line up since 2013. His last 15 Tests were between 2009 and 2012 in which his highest score was just 74. Although Yuvraj is always considered a player of the limited over’s format, his Test career has been disappointing for such a talented player. Yuvraj Singh, though, has etched himself in the memories of millions of Indians and is regarded as one of the best all-rounders of India with his consistent performances till the 2011 WC. His most memorable contribution will always be the MOS performances in the 2011 CWC. 3. Harbhajan Singh: Harbhajan Singh. (© Getty Images) Harbhajan Singh last played an ODI match in 2011 against the West Indies. It was the series after the World Cup. Harbhajan was a key player in the 2011 CWC for India and picked up 13 wickets for Team India. His ODI career has stagnated after that and the last Test that he played was back in 2013 when India played Australia in India. He picked up 5 wickets in 2 tests at the time. His career had come to a standstill right after the WC. Since the World Cup he has played only 3 Tests and 3 ODIs for India. And his performances haven’t improved. Bhajji’s only solace has been the IPL where he is a regular starter for Mumbai Indians. His performances haven’t been as good in the IPL as they once were but he has regularly chipped in with important wickets. Harbhajan remains hugely popular amongst the MI supporters. His legendary status was already established in 2011 with winning the CWC. Harbhajan Singh deserves to go out on a high after his immense contribution to Indian cricket for the last 17 years. 4. Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan. (© Getty Images) Zaheer Khan delivered a memorable performance in his last game for the DD against CSK in the ongoing IPL 2015 with figures of 4-1-9-2. That’s the kind of bowling that had made Zaheer a devastating bowler for the Indian team back in the day. Today, admittedly Zaheer is a pale shadow of his former self. His performances over the years have been going from bad to worse. He last played 9 ODIs in 2012 picking up just 9 wickets. But a lot more is expected from a lead bowler. In tests he has been a better bowler in the last few years and in his last 2 games he picked up 9 wickets. Injuries have always been an issue for Zaheer and there have always been questions on Zaheer – of what could have he been if not for his constant struggle with injuries. But at his peak Zaheer Khan was one of the most skilled, classy and attacking bowlers of the world. His battles with Graeme Smith were always memorable as he swung the bowl both ways and troubled many left handers and not just Smith. With his swing and variations Zaheer always kept the batsmen guessing. The four giants of Indian cricket deserve a grand farewell and BCCI should surely make sure that they get one. A farewell series against Bangladesh will be one to remember.