Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
India's selectors need to do some serious thinking after the team's disastrous tour of Sri Lanka.
If Indian cricket is to live up to its high ranking, then the time has come to make drastic changes to the team.
The selectors may now have to wield the axe on some members of the Old Brigade who have been the backbone of Indian cricket for over a decade.
The end is nigh for Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and V V S Laxman. It would be better if they see the writing on the wall and go on their on own terms.
This may not happen because Indian cricket means lots of fame and loads of money. But the five champions need to go sooner rather than later for the future of their team.
Of the five, Tendulkar and Laxman may still have a bit to contribute. Tendulkar, in particular, has been bogged down by injuries recently and has not had a fair run at the top to gauge his true form.
Dravid has been struggling for a long time now. It was embarrassing watching him being fooled time and again by Sri Lankan bowling sensation Ajantha Mendis.
The technically correct shots and rocklike defence have now become a thing of the past for the man they call The Wall. Though he did bat a bit better in Sri Lanka, the chinks were glaringly obvious.
Ganguly struggled right through the tour. The audacity and timing of his strokes never surfaced. The Prince of Kolkata was more a pauper in the runs column.
Kumble has lost the ability to pick up wickets and by the end of the third Test he looked a forlorn figure on the field. The leg-spinner has done yeoman service to Indian cricket and will always rank among India's cricketing greats.
Dropping the stars will not be easy. If the selectors dare to drop Tendulkar, then they may unleash unimaginable fury in the cricket-mad country. It may even prove life threatening to them.
The best course would be to make clear to the stars that their utility is diminishing and set a time frame for them to retire.
The Australians did that with their all-time great captain Steve Waugh who still had a bit left in him at that time.
There are players waiting in the wings to take over. Rohit Sharma has shown enough promise to have a long career ahead of him.
If Yuvraj Singh gets proper counselling, then he could turn a stop-start career into a long one. Players like Virat Kohli, S Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary and Suresh Raina have it in them to progress to the highest level.
The million-dollar question will always be - Who will tell the Big Cats? And time waits for no man.
