The culmination of Australia tour of India has brought to an end a few long lasting eras' of modern cricket. For a start, the 2-0 result has officially(well not yet, if you want to follow the ICC rankings) put an end to Australia's authority on top of World Cricket. They have been challenged a few times the last decade, by India, almost every time they met, in the Ashes, but this series has showed the huge void left behind by Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and the fishing adventures of Symonds.
But from an Indian fan perspective, especially, us who have grown watching them, it is finally the end of the Fabulous Era - The era of the Fabulous Four. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Saurav Chandidas Ganguly, Rahul Sharad Dravid, and VVS Laxman (never expanding a gult's name :)).
The longevity of them together itself is a testament to their greatness. As we all know, no community is as demanding as the Indian, and no community is as tough to win over as the Indian, no community is as hungry for the next big thing as Indian. The media, the fans, the politics all made sure in the past that the theatre of Indian Cricket has rarely had actors who played a part in each offering over as long a period as these four gentlemen have. That alone is enough testament to the greatness of this era.
An era so great, that I could not stop myself from coming out retirement, to use my office internet facilities (yeah, I'm still not fired) to celebrate a truely special part of Indian cricket history. One that will be etched in gold and framed, and will be placed right up there where it deserves, on the very top.
For a group as much as it has achieved, the forming of it was anything but trivial. As the Indian cricket fan had got used to by then, this group was plagued by inconsistency in the years before it donned its regal avatar. Inconsistency in direction, policies, selections, and when given the opportunity, the performances itself. It took four years, since the entry of the players in question, before the Fab Four took shape.
The contribution of the Fab Four to Indian Cricket cannot really be appreciated without looking at Indian Cricket through the 90's. The 90's brought to Indian Cricket, its first superstar, Sachin Tendulkar and with it great hope to a nation. And with great hope, unfortunately, came rather huge doses of disappointment. India had the best batsman in the world, it had Mohammad Azharrudin, a great captain, Javagal Srinath - one of the first "fast" bowlers of Indian Cricket, emergence of the next great spinner in Anil Kumble, and lots of bubbles, that would then soon burst, in Vinod Kambli, Jadeja, Manjrekar etc. An Indian fan will have fond memories of Sachin oozing exuberance, style, class, grace and genius in his innings in Sydney and Old Trafford. The amazing counter attack launched by Sachin and Azhar on a bouncy South African track, or the brilliant double century of Siddhu in West Indies, or many a fierce spells of Javagal Srinath and testing seam bowling of Venkatesh Prasad, but the overriding emotion of the decade had to be grief for the ever demanding Indian cricket fan, the sadness of Tendulkar's brilliance only resulting in a defeat by 200 runs, or the failure to chase 120. Most of you know what I am getting to by now. However great India were at home in the 90's, and initially, that was a big thing for young fans like me, even later - like the 98 Australian tour to India, the semi finals of 96 and other highlights of the decade, it eventually got to a point - the disappointment of the 99 World Cup, where the atrocious record abroad finally screamed out to even the most uninformed Indian (has to be a cricket fan). It finally made a fan wonder, if waking up at 4 to watch a test match in Australia was really worth it. The final blow was of course, the match fixing scandal.
From those depths, it needed something as special as these four to revive Indian cricket in the hearts and minds of the fan. From those depths, it needed something as special as these four to make the Indian fan wake up at 4 to catch even the pitch report of matches in Australia and stay up as late as 3 to see the post match analysis for matches in West Indies.
The heroics of VVS and Dravid at Kolkata in 2001, resulting in a dramatic series victory against the invincibles, the first test victory on the soil, in a long long time, of West Indies on the backs of Saurav and VVS, the Headingley assault led by Sachin and Ganguly, after the vigilance of, by now, "The Wall", Dravid's heroics in Adelaide, and finally series victories in Pakistan, West Indies and England and a test match victory in South Africa, the brilliant comeback in Perth, and Sri Lanka tour, and I am only scratching the surface. There were the occasional hiccups like the New Zealand tour in 03, but for the Indian fan brought up in the 90's, that is easy to digest. All this while maintaining their supremacy at home, only blemish being a series defeat to Australia in 04. (There were some drawn series). The 2000's for the first time in Indian cricket, made the Indian cricket fan, revel in the success of a group, and admire a group. That is the biggest compliment that can be put for these four, especially after Tendulkar became God somewhere in the 90's.
The Fab Four marked an era of Indian cricket, where its first serious push to the top of Test cricket was made. The start of the era was anything but a loud statement. But what we witnessed over the last eight or so years is batsmanship of the highest quality, and grit, fight and resolve never seen before in Indian cricket. And it is fitting that it has ended with a defining victory over the reigning test champions. Fitting that it has ended in taking India from being the forever middle of the pack team to the threshold of the best team in the world.
The Fabulous Four have cemented their place in Indian cricket history, and have become immortal in the minds of the Indian cricket fan.
