The Indian team is poised for a new phase with the imminent retirement of Sachin Tendulkar; it will finally mark the end of a golden era which brought together a band of rare match-winners. History will, however, affirm that the process of change actually begins well before the transition takes place; in this case, it was initiated with the elevation of MS Dhoni for the World T20 final in 2007. Tendulkar-Dravid-Laxman-Kumble-Ganguly-Zaheer-Sehwag were still in their prime; for a team that has traditionally been conservative, this was a bold gamble, almost too risky.
In the six years since then, however, Dhoni has conquered virtually every frontier in every format; but the shadow of the old guard hung over him, not allowing his team to express as freely and bravely as it was capable of, or may have wanted to.
It was almost inevitable that the team exploded into a higher stratosphere, into uncharted territory, just a few days after Sachin announced his decision; the young set took charge in its own brash, inimitable way. It knows no fear, no boundaries; it will also not furnish its other cheek if things heat up in the middle.
This is the new generation of players; it has sharpened its skills on a diet of high adrenaline and a taste for the good life; this is the IPL brigade and it will not settle for anything other than the best.
It is not surprising that the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli show a similar attitude towards batting: they attack every ball as if it's a sworn enemy, and don't slow down even if prudence calls for caution. If the opponent is at your mercy, hit even harder; destroy his spirit, and not just his confidence, so that there is no fight left in him.
It's the mantra that they've learnt in the IPL: you just don't know what a good score is, or who will match or surpass you when the chase begins. Don't leave anything to chance, even if it means you have to perish in the process: die or let die.
Of course, Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli are exceptional talents: they are aggressive, loaded with shots and have all the time to unleash them. They can pick gaps and ooze class, like batsmen of earlier vintage; they can also smash the ball to smithereens. Not surprisingly, they are all brilliant in the field too. For all its ills, the IPL must be credited for providing India this new breed of batsmen; the presence of world class players and the daily skirmishes have prepared them for every eventuality.
More importantly, thanks to the 4-foreigners rule, it has put them under that much more pressure, giving them no option but to come out fighting.
We still have the in-between generation of players in Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni himself; not too long ago, they were India's power-hitters, the men who attacked impossible totals; then, there are the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, all wanting a piece of the action.
The new generation has moved one rung up over the last two years, making itself comfortable in ODIs too; it remains to be seen how it will do in Tests, although Kohli and Dhawan have already passed that test too. Surely, the others will follow soon.
The team clearly has the potential and desire to be the masters of the world; for that, however, the pacers will have to become a part of this journey soon. Only after that the new era will really begin, and the IPL class will become unstoppable.
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