Signs point to a change in old India cricket order.

MUMBAI: There is no fogging the signal that old order changeth, yielding place to new. The Indian cricket selectors just could not hold back the knockout punch after the disastrous performance of the senior players in the recent Test series in Sri Lanka.

A start has been made with the dropping of Saurav Ganguly for an important domestic match that has always been the ultimate test before the selection of the Test team. A stern warning could well have gone to the rest of those who make up the “fab four.”

Unless they perform well enough in every respect to thwart the challenge of younger players, the axe could fall on the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman, not to mention skipper Kumble himself.

It was not just the fact that the senior batsmen failed to get runs. It was the manner of their getting out that caused great concern. For all their rich experience, they looked completely lost against a new spinner playing in only his first Test series. The effect of the Mendis magic was so much that they could not tackle even Muralitharan, whom they had faced so often in the last 10 years.

Quite apart from their poor batting form, the main reason that India lost the Test series, they were slow movers in the field. It was apparent that their overall fitness level had fallen considerably.

It may not be off the mark to say that the Indian team was among the worst fielding sides in Test cricket.

In stark contrast, the Dhoni-led ODI side fielded brilliantly, with the only slow-coach in the field being Munaf Patel. This virtue of youth ought not to be lost on the Test team. Hence, the required changes.

Reacting to his omission, Ganguly said that he still has a couple of years of cricket in him.

One can understand the tenacity of the senior players, but then they must have the capacity to deliver as in the past. Today, the competition from younger players is so tremendous that no player worth his salt can sit on his haunches and command a place in the national side, however great his reputation.

The frequent injuries to Tendulkar is creating problems both to himself and the team. He can still hold his place on the team but the long lay-offs are beginning to effect his consistency.

In his better days he would have eaten up the 170 runs between him and Brian Lara’s highest Test aggregate in just two innings. But even six innings against Sri Lanka left him 90 runs short.

Tendulkar may be looking forward to achieving that target in the Test series against Australia. But the Indian team will need many more runs than that from the master-blaster. The same expectations go with Dravid and Laxman. Performance, not reputation, will coun