Richard Hadlee backs India's ageing trio - Cricket News Update
The legendary New Zealand pace bowler, Richard Hadlee on Friday stepped forward to support the under fire ageing trio of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/VVS-Laxman-c2772, saying the Indian
cricket cannot afford losing all the seniors in one go.
Less than a year ago, it was the same bunch of players that took India to an all time high – they become world champions, as well as reaching the top of ICC’s Test ranking table. The down http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ward-c96201 phase of Indian cricket started in July last year, when they
lost the opening Test of the four-match series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 at Lord’s and they have continued to go downhill from there.
The 4-0 series whitewash at the hands of England saw India surrendering their status as the world number one Test side. England overtook them. Last month, Dhoni’s Men in Blue succumbed to their second successive Test series whitewash away from home, when
a callow Australian side trounced them with the same score line.
Following a run of poor performances offshore, the Indian team is facing a crisis that they had never even thought of and in the limelight are the beleaguered trio of ageing horses - Dravid (39), Tendulkar (38) and Laxman (37). There have been growing calls
to drop the trio in favour of fresh blood.
However, the 60-year-old former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 cricketing great has suggested that the Indian cricket selectors and the team management have to persist with the veteran trio for some time, as their presence in the side would boost the morale of the team, which
stands perhaps at an all time low.
"You can't be talking about Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid's retirement,” said the former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Canterbury-c775 fast bowler. “You can't afford to lose all these players in one go. You need to see the young players come through," he added further.
Hadlee said that the iconic top order batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 still has time left in him. However he agreed that the veteran batsman was under pressure to score his elusive 100th international ton.
"When you are in search of a major milestone, like I was trying to beat Ian Botham's world record of maximum Test wickets, it creates a lot of pressure. I am sure Tendulkar might be feeling the same way," he said.
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