The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket board in the world,[1] it is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test and One Day International (ODI) status.
The Indian cricket team is currently ranked third by the ICC in Tests and second in ODIs.[2] As of April 7, 2009, the Indian team has played 430 Test matches, winning 99, losing 136 and drawing 194 of its games, with also 1 tied match.[3] India has a relatively better record in One Day Internationals, winning over 50% of matches played. Currently, Gary Kirsten serves as the head coach while Mahendra Singh Dhoni serves as the captain of the Indian cricket team in all forms of the game.[4] Under the leadership of Dhoni, the Indian team has set a country record for most back-to-back ODI wins (9 straight wins)[5] and has emerged as one of the most formidable teams in international cricket.[6]
Some of the finest players:
1. Sachin Tendulkar ( IND )
Sachin Tendulkar born on April 24, 1973 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India is the second greatest test batsman. He made his international debut in 1989 and is a perennial crowd-favorite, he is the only Indian cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour for his performance in 1997-1998. Sachin Tendulkar made his debut when he was only 15 years plus when he visited Pakistan with Indian team in 1989. He hit 59 at Faisalabad in his second Test. His first century came against England when he made 119 at Old Trafford in 1990.
2. Ricky Ponting ( AUS )
Ricky Thomas Ponting Born on December 19, 1974, in Launceston, Tasmania, is the present captain of the Australian One-Day and Test cricket teams. He is one of the world's leading batsmen in both forms of the game, as of June 2004 having made 6019 runs in 78 Tests at the outstanding batting average of 54.7, and 7255 runs at 42 (and with the good strike rate of 78) in 201 one-day international matches.
Unlike many Australian cricketers, Ponting's talents were quickly rewarded with selection, playing for Tasmania at age 17, and his test debut coming against Sri Lanka in the 1995/96 season at age 20.
Early off-field difficulties, involving him on two occasions getting excessively drunk while on tour, and once becoming involved in a bar fight, saw him temporarily dropped from the team in 1999, but aside from an ankle injury in 2000 he has been a permanent fixture in the team, mostly batting in the number 3 position where the best batsman in the team is traditionally played.
3. Matthew Hayden ( AUS )
The left handed Matthew Hayden is a masterful opening batsman who is rarely unsettled and who hits the ball to all parts of the wicket. He possesses a beautifully uncomplicated technique which allows him to drive forcefully from the front foot and to issue thunderously executed cuts, hooks and pulls from the back. He is tall, powerfully built, and plays with muscular authority.
From the moment that he struck a magnificent 149 in his maiden first-class innings, Hayden has continued to demonstrate a seemingly unquenchable thirst for big scores.His sheer weight of runs for Queensland,Hampshire and Northamptonshire has made him one of domestic cricket's best performing batsmen of recent times and, though he struggled initially on his elevation in the mid-1990s, he has now begun to make a decisive mark for himself in the international arena as well.
Hayden's qualities were arguably best showcased during a phenomenal personal tour of India in early 2001 that netted him 549 Test runs from a mere six innings. Striking evidence of his ability also arrived in twin home series against New Zealand and South Africa in 2001-02, when he cracked four individual centuries and joined with fellow opener Justin Langer to produce a world-record four double century partnerships in the course of a single season.
4. Adam Gilchrist ( AUS )
Adam Gilchrist born on November 14, 1971 in Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia is a Vice Captain of Australian cricket team. Gilchrist is an outstanding, aggressive left-handed batsman and effective wicketkeeper, combining the two roles for the Australian national team. His strike rate is amongst the highest in the history of both One-day and Test cricket and he currently holds the record for the second fastest century in Test match cricket. At Old Trafford in August 2005 he passed Alec Stewart's world record of 4,540 runs as a Test wicketkeeper. His ability to destroy the opposition in a very short period of time led him to be known as 'The Demolition Man'
5. Michael Hussey ( AUS)
Michael Hussey born on May 27, 1975 in Morley, Western Australia. Michael is left-handed batsman, he has made a highly successful start to his international career. He plays his first-class cricket as vice-captain for the Western Warriors in Australia, and has played for several counties in England. His batting average in both forms of the game is over 70, and he currently tops the list of best averages ever in ODI cricket. Statistically, Hussey's international career (so far) has been extraordinarily successful. His batting average in Tests is nearly 80 and in ODIs just under 60. He currently tops the list of best averages ever in ODI cricket. Hussey's ODI average would be lower were it not for an early string of not outs, but nevertheless his strike rate of 90.90 is very respectable.
6. Mahinder Singh Dhoni ( IND )
Mahinder Singh Dhoni born on July 7, 1981 in Ranchi, Jharkhand is an aggressive right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, and the Indian ODI Team's vice-captain. Dhoni scored 148 against Pakistan in his fifth ODI match in 2005 - the then highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Later in the year, he broke his own record as well as set the current world record for the highest score in the second innings in ODI matches as he scored 183* against Sri Lanka. Dhoni's success in the limited overs format secured him a place in the test team and coincidentally he made his maiden test century in his fifth Test match, when he scored 148 against Pakistan. Consistent performance in ODI cricket through the end of the 2005/06 season saw Dhoni ranked as the No. 1 batsman in the ICC ODI ratings briefly.
7. Shiv Chanderpaul ( WI )
Shiv Chanderpaul born on August 16, 1974 in Unity Village, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana is a former captain of West Indies cricket team. He is a left handed batsman and has a ability to stick on the wickets for long hours. He is known for his very unorthodox front-on batting stance, although his footwork just before delivery shifts his body into a more conventional position by the time he plays the ball which makes him a prolific scorer on both sides of the wicket with the off driver and the flick off the toes.
8. Kumar Sangakkara ( SL )
Kumar Sangakkara born on October, 27, 1977 in Matale is a left handed batsman. He has acqiured number 3 position in batting and learned wiketkeeping and become a specialist wicketkeeper. His wicket keeping has improved to such an extent that he is now considered, by the LG ICC Test ratings, the best current wicket-keeping batsman. He likes to hit the ball square of the wicket on the off-side. In July 2006, he scored his highest Test score of 287 against South Africa and shared a record-breaking partnership of 624 with Mahela Jayawardene. This is a world record in both Test and first class cricket, and was the first case of a partnership of 600 or more in a first-class or Test match innings. Sangakkara also has six ODI centuries, including one against Australia in Colombo, 2004, in his hundredth match.
9. Yuvraj Singh ( IND )
Yuvraj Singh born on December 12, 1981 in Chandigarh, India is primarily a left-handed batsman but can bowl part-time left-arm orthodox spin. He is one of the better fielders in the Indian team, fielding primarily at point, with a good aim at the stumps. He was adjudged the Man of the Match in his second ODI for India engineering a sensational win over World Champions Australia. The highlight of his domestic career is the mammoth knock of 358 against Bihar in the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy. His father Yograj Singh is a Punjabi movie star and former indian fast bowler.
10. Chris Gayle ( WI )
Chris Gayle born on September 21, 1979 in Kingston, Jamaica is a hard-hitting left-handed batsman who can bowl right-arm off spin when called upon. Gayle, who normally opens the innings when he plays for the West Indies, is a destructive batsman who is most effective playing square of the wicket. In July 2001, he established the record for opening partnerships at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo when they [Chris Gayle (175) and Daren Ganga (89)] put on 214 together against Zimbabwe.
11. Sanath Jayasuriya ( SL )
Sanath Jayasuriya born on June 30, 1971 in Matara is an allrounder of Sri Lanka team. He is undoubtedly the most successful Sri Lankan cricketer in history and one of the most feared batsmen in the world. He revolutionized one day international batting with his aggressive tactics during the 1996 cricket world cup. The tactic he used was to smash the opening bowlers to all parts of the cricket ground. He is known for both cuts and pulls along with his trademark shot, a shot over point.
He is a very useful all-rounder with a good batting average in both Test cricket and One-day Internationals, and an excellent batting strike rate in One-day Internationals. As a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he has a reasonable bowling average and economy rate.
12. Brendon McCullum ( NZ )
Brendon McCullum born on September 27, 1981 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. He is more specifically a wicket-keeper. He was also captain of the New Zealand under-19 side, and was selected in the 20-man ICC World XI squad for the ICC Super Series in July 2005.
