Age becoming an issue for 'Fab Four'

Dubbed the "Fab Four", former captains Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar plus V S Laxman are coming under pressure ahead of a high-profile home test series against Australia starting on Oct 9.

The heated debate has been sparked after they struggled during a 2-1 Test series defeat in Sri Lanka in July and August, where spin sensation Ajantha Mendis repeatedly foxed them.

Experts and the media have speculated that the first casualty could be Ganguly, the oldest among the senior batsman at 36 and India's most successful test captain.

Ganguly, who made a splendid second comeback in late 2006, has been omitted for next week's Irani Cup five-day game between Rest of India and Ranji champions Delhi, seen as a selection game for the Australia series.

Tendulkar and Dravid are both 35 and are showing signs that their reflexes are slowing down. The side must also face the fact that test skipper and leading spinner Anil Kumble turns 38 next month.

Some experts feel that a younger generation of one-day players, led by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will pile extra pressure on the seniors.

Dhoni, who led the team to last year's World Twenty20 win, shone with the bat to help clinch India's first one-day series win in Sri Lanka, countering Mendis much better than the seniors did in the preceding tests.

Among the four elder batsmen, only Tendulkar still plays one-dayers but he has suffered a spate of injuries this year. The Irani Cup will mark a return from his latest layoff.

There is anticipation that the team against Australia could reveal changes, continuing the firm decisions taken by the national selectors under ex-skipper Dilip Vengsarkar since 2006.

Vengsarkar's panel has successfully reshaped the one-day side since India's shock first-round exit in the 2007 World Cup and coach Gary Kirsten has favoured a gradual change in tests.

Former chief selector Chandu Borde saw Ganguly's omission as a message for the others.

"When they select a team they also see how good fielders they are," he said. "As they get older, their reflexes, particularly in fielding, come down. This is also an indication for the other seniors."

The whispers for change began early this year, after a young one-day side cashed in on Tendulkar's superb batting efforts to clinch a tri-series in Australia.

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