The fantastic four - Time to perform or perish for the Indian stars

Gautam Gambhir: Can he make a comeback?

His aggressive nature is known to all and he can provide good support to the top order. His leadership skills and experience will be beneficial to M.S. Dhoni in crunch situations too. His game is well suited for the shorter formats but time has changed and the axe may have fallen on him only because he may disturb the winning combination of our current ODI team. This means he will have to perform out of his skin to have a realistic chance of making it to the team in the 50 -over game.

Yuvraj Singh had become the ‘hero of the nation’ when he helped our team to an emphatic win over the Asian neighbours, Sri Lanka, to lift the World Cup after 28 years of struggle. But today he has to start from zero. He has to perform again at his very best to make it to the playing eleven and put on the blue jersey.

After being diagnosed with cancer, he was out of the team for a long time and didn’t make a great comeback a year later. His IPL performance did not help him much either. But time has again given him a chance. The team may be doing well without him but we cannot escape from the fact that he is still needed in the playing eleven.

The shorter format of the game looks incomplete without him. He has excellent cricketing sense, provides solidity to the batting line-up and contributes with the ball too. He has helped India win all major tournaments time and again and along with Ravindra Jadeja , he can make a lethal pair of all-rounders in the team which will double our chances to defend the World Cup trophy in 2015.

The Indian pace attack consists of Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhubhaneshwar Kumar but it looks out of ideas without Zaheer Khan. He has been an asset for the team for more than a decade. His perfect yorkers and the ability to provide variations in his bowling is outstanding. He has been a top class bowler in overseas conditions. So, his experience and presence will not only do a world of good to the team but also to fill the gap in the abilities of our younger bowlers.

His fitness has always been an issue for the team but his recent visit to France under the guidance of a top class trainer, Tim Exeter has been heartening. Both Yuvraj and Zaheer have been slow on the field in the recent past but their present physique looks commendable as the duo have lost considerable amount of weight and are looking good to perform. They both look fresh and eager to be back in the team and take some responsibility off Dhoni’s able shoulders.

We will definitely get an answer to everything once we are done with the domestic season. However, these players didn’t have time with them but now they have been given them one more chance to knock at the selectors’ doors and earn their places back in the national team.

Let’s see who makes the most of it and who disappoints again. If they let this opportunity go, I am afraid time will never look back upon them.