Comeback men

Indias cricket team is being made anew. The old guard wasnt missed in the Champions Trophy

In the year-and-a-half before the 2011 World Cup,Indias ODI squad went through a frenzied period of rotation. In 2010 alone,India used 33 different players in 27 matches. With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (he only played two of those 27 matches),Harbhajan Singh (6),Zaheer Khan (10) and Virender Sehwag (12) sitting out most of them,scores of young contenders were given the opportunity. Most of them,however,failed to find a place in the World Cup squad. Ravindra Jadeja lost out to Yusuf Pathan as the teams spin-bowling all-rounder. Dinesh Karthik fell by the wayside,having reached double figures in 13 successive innings while crossing 50 only twice. Ishant Sharma lost out in a six-way battle for four pace-bowling slots. A sequence of failures in South Africa in early 2011,meanwhile,ended Rohit Sharmas hopes. Shikhar Dhawan,one of the 11 ODI debutants for India in 2010,batted only once and failed to open his account. Now,two years after missing out on the World Cup squad,these five men have played important roles in winning India the Champions Trophy.

Jadeja was the tournaments highest wicket-taker and made critical contributions,whenever called upon,with the bat. Dhawan was the tournaments highest run-getter,and he and Rohit ensured that India didnt lose a single wicket in their first 10 overs till the final. Ishant took two wickets in two balls just as the final seemed to be slipping from Indias grasp. Karthik,meanwhile,made centuries in both warm-up games and scored an important half-century against the West Indies.

In a team that had only four survivors from the World Cup,these five comeback men were symbolic of a new wave sweeping through Indian cricket. Crucially,India barely missed the old guard,with bat,ball or especially in the field. For the likes of Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir,Yuvraj Singh,Harbhajan and Zaheer,a similar comeback seems increasingly improbable.