An IPL XI compiled of Indian Cricketers from ‘80s and ‘90s
The Indian Premier League has made a special place in everyone’s heart right since it came to the fore in 2008. The league, apart from being a marvellous platform for young talents, has also been a place where the veterans of Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, and many, many more of our favourites and legends of the game have participated.
Well, we were lucky enough to see such likes taking part in what is the most magnificent short-format league of the world today, but IPL came only in 2008. And that means that a number of legends from the yesteryears had long hung their boots before the idea of IPL arrived upon us. What would an IPL XI look like with players of the ‘80s and ‘90s in it? Let’s find out-
Batsmen and wicketkeeper
The pre-2000 era had some magnificent batsmen in it, some of them as deadly and destructive as the modern-day batters. The IPL XI will have its openers in Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Vinod Kambli. The former was a batsman way ahead of his time. An ever-aggressive stroke-player, Kris used to take on bowlers in an age when defence was the only template. Paired with Kambli, a pocket-sized dynamo, who could tear apart any attack with his range of shots, this would be a lethal opening duo.
These two will be followed by Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja at No. 3 and 4. The former was an impeccable, wristy, and classy batsman with the knack to find gaps at will. Whereas Jadeja: a great finisher, a fielder as good as the modern Jadeja (Ravindra), and the one who could chip in with a couple of overs with the ball as well. The team’s wicketkeeping duties could be rested with Nayan Mongia, who is a renowned and proven keeper from the ‘90s and more than an able batsman.
All-rounders
India boasted a plethora of all-rounders back at that time. Manoj Prabhakar is certainly one. Swinging the new ball and those slower deliveries in death overs make him a perfect fit as a bowler who can bowl during any phase of the game. He could also anchor the innings by holding an end up when required. Robin Singh, another all-rounder who was equally capable with bat and ball as he could hit the ball hard as well as bowl his accurate medium pace. Not to forget his brilliance in the field inside the inner circle.
Arguably one of the greatest all-rounders India ever produced, Kapil Dev, who was a seam-bowling all-rounder. One who could swing the ball with such ridiculous ease and could tower massive sixes with his powerful arms. Another one would be India’s current coach, Ravi Shastri– the most flexible batsman who could be placed anywhere in the order. He could well bowl a couple of overs of his left-arm spin to give his captain Kapil Dev an option in the middle-overs.
Bowlers
During his prime, Maninder Singh had everything that a T20 spin bowler requires in his armoury. From flight and loop to turn and deception, he would have made a perfect T20 spinner in the team. Singh was not afraid of inviting the batsmen to hit him and that would have certainly made him a wicket-taker. The fierce pacer from the past, Javagal Srinath would have formed a dream duo alongside Kapil Dev in the attack. With his pace, bounce, and ability to move the ball, he troubled many batsmen during his days and would have been a real deal in the IPL.
