A Tall Order

There is a lot to learn from this league of extraordinary gentlemen. They make such fine ambassadors of this great country of ours. While picking these 10 cricketers I did not have to think much because each of these gentlemen have made an impact on our lives in the last 25 years. Whether it is the Fabulous Four of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, or the spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, fantastic Virender Sehwag, flamboyant Yuvraj or the ever cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni or the magical Zaheer Khan, they have all made an impact in different ways. I have a lot to learn from each of these gentlemen because they have different qualities. Tendulkars humility is a lesson for all of us, Dravids steely resolve is worth emulating, Ganguly and MS Dhoni offer contrasting lessons in leadership skills. Similarly the fighting spirit of the spin pair of Kumble and Harbhajan or the devil-may-care attitude of Sehwag or the sheer natural ability of Yuvraj, coupled with the self-confidence of Zaheer. All this has impacted me and no doubt billions of others. As I compiled this book, I was left wondering how wonderful it was for Indian cricket to have all these gentlemen play almost at the same time. Very rarely have cricket teams been built around individuals who are the best at what they do. It is indeed a privilege and a honour to have seen these extraordinary cricketers in the same era. One can learn so much from simply playing back their exploits. The videos of their efforts still make for compelling viewing. As you would imagine I am a complete cricket nut. For me nothing else mattered. It therefore felt great to compile my thoughts on these 10 extraordinary cricketers.