Venkatesh Prasad (1996-2001; 93 wkts in 33 Tests at 35) made a thrilling debut in England and looked to form a genuine pace pair with Srinath. He was lethal in swinging conditions and with his dual movement (often with the old ball) and slower ball, provided more variation in a single Indian pace bowler than most before him. His most celebrated spell was 5-0 against Pakistan in Chennai 1999, a famous match that India almost won. He was somewhat inconsistent after that in Tests (maybe a throwback to constant ODI cricket) and his last hurrah was a match-winning 5-72 vs Sri Lanka, sadly his second-last Test match. Ajit Agarkar (1998-2006; avg 17 in 26 Tests; 58 wkts at 47) was a pace bowling all-rounder with undeniable talent but very modest results to show for it in Tests. Despite a sparkling Test century at Lord's in 2002 (when the match was all but dead), he could always be relied upon to fail during a crisis. Despite a match-winning spell of 6-41 at Adelaide in 2003, he was hopelessly inconsistent with the ball. An obvious aversion to pressure-situations made him too iffy (as his surname suggests when translated from Hindi) too often, which explains his poor Test figures.

Besides pace bowling, opening batting was a consistent hole in the Indian teams of the 1990s. Two cricketers can count themselves unfortunate to not have stayed in the mix longer. Sadagoppan Ramesh (1999-2001; avg 38 in 19 Tests) seemed to have filled the gap very emphatically when he averaged 56 after his first 14 innings, all in the sub-continent. A media assessment that he could not use his feet was refuted by him with consistent scores even if not in Sehwagesque proportion. He got starts but didn't convert, they criticized. But his consistency in getting starts was not ordinary at all - in his last Test, Ramesh scored 46 and 51 in Colombo in a losing cause, but still found himself out of the team. His captain Ganguly, often credited with supporting good talents, is also equally guilty of throwing away players like Ramesh and the two to follow. Shiv Sunder Das (2000-2002; avg 35 in 23 Tests) was a genuine opener in the mould of Gavaskar. He played some fine innings - most memorably an 84 against Australia in the high-pressure series decider at Chennai in 2001. Though he failed to convert starts even more regularly than Ramesh, it can be argued he wasn't given a long enough rope. The most tragic moment in his career would have to be the aftermath of the double century he scored on tour in England in 2002, but wasn't picked for the Tests because a makeshift opener in Sanjay Bangar (who also bowled a bit) was preferred to him. It broke his spirit perhaps and he never made the national squad after that. Aakash Chopra (2003-2004; avg 23 in 10 Tests), a technically correct opener started impressively - scores of 42, 31, 60 and 52 in his first 2 Tests against New Zealand at home. As Sehwag's opening partner in Australia, his job was to see off the new ball and stay there in the middle, which he did in 5 of the 8 innings he played (avg 23 but faced 539 balls in all). After a stonewalling 42 in Pakistan, Ganguly publicly announced his dissatisfaction with Chopra's strike rate - which seemed to severely unsettle him. He was replaced by makeshift opener Yuvraj Singh (who could not deliver outside his comfort zone) after failing in the next Test and was recalled later in the year against Australia but did not reach double figures in the next 4 innings he played. Despite scoring heavily and consistently in the domestic circuit, he has not made it back to the national side.

There are players like Murali Kartik (2000-2004 - may still come back; 24 wickets in 8 Tests at 34) who were unfortunate to be consigned to the fringes too often. Ganguly is supposed to have treated the slow left-armer shabbily right through his career (and yet picked him and Aakash Chopra for his IPL team, as if to make amends) despite glimpses of considerable promise that suggested he could push either Harbhajan or even Kumble for a place. Wasim Jaffer (2000-2008 - could be back; avg 34 in 31 Tests) has always looked the genuine opening batsman, and when on song - as good as anybody who has ever wielded the willow. Elegance, class, timing - he seemed to have all going for him. But underneath that assurance when things were going well, there always seemed to be a strange fragility when things were not. Rarely reliable under pressure, despite many (well-deserved) chances, he could not cement his place with the dependability required in that position. A good example of how talent is not the be-all in international cricket. Parthiv Patel (2002-2008; avg 30 in 20 Tests; 41 ct, 8 st) was the youngest wicket-keeper in Test history when he made his debut at 17. In his very first match, he batted for an hour and a half to score 19* in a fragile situation and helped take India to safety. He would play other useful innings in the future but his keeping would deteriorate to the extent where even now there are people who blame his lapses for the 4th Test and the series that India did not win in Sydney 2004. It is to his credit that he's fought back to be in the scheme of things again (and even played in 2008) but with Dhoni and Karthik around, his chances will be very limited. Ashish Nehra (1999-2004; 44 wkts in 17 Tests at 42) was one of India's most promising (left-arm) medium pacers around when he came onto the scene. But nagging injuries and the attendant inconsistency finished off his career before he had really hit his stride - a pity because at his best, he was, as his captain Ganguly said, a "serious bowler".

Irfan Pathan (2003-2008 - hopefully still current; avg 31 in 29 Tests; 100 wkts at 32) gave visions of a worthy replacement to Kapil Dev's formidable all-rounder shoes. At his best, he seemed so destructive, both with bat and ball that it seemed a foregone conclusion. He produced many great moments, like the stunning yorker that bowled Gilchrist in Sydney 2004, or the all-bowled hat trick in the first 3 balls of the Karachi Test in 2006, or the MoM he picked up in the significant Perth victory of 2008. As his batting improved (by leaps and bounds) his bowling gradually lost its sting. In conditions that did not favour swing, he has seemed alarmingly ineffectual a lot of the time. But age is on his side and his seemingly uncomplicated temperament a blessing. He should be back. Another talented cricketer worth looking out for is Dinesh Karthik (2004-2008 - hopefully still current; avg 29 in 21 Tests; 46 ct 5 st) is perhaps just plain unlucky that he has to compete with Dhoni for the wicketkeeper's spot. Ironic, given how frenetic the search for a wicketkeeper-batsman had become before they both came on the scene. He impressed in South Africa in 2006 with his clear-headed decisive batting when more celebrated names dithered in self-doubt. With Dhoni as the first choice keeper, Kartik even became a specialist opener, with considerable success (avg 41 in 8 Tests) but now with Sehwag and Gambhir established there, is out of the side. A good man to have on the bench no doubt.

When it comes to bench strength, nowhere has it been more welcome than in the pace bowling department. Suddenly, out of the blue, a posse of medium pacers have emerged - competition amongst whom to secure a national place has led to some welcome results for India, especially abroad. With Zaheer Khan back as the premier pacer, forming an effective combination with these bowlers might hold the key to India's further progress to the Test summit.

S Sreesanth (50 wkts in 14 Tests at 31) bowled one of India's most memorable Test spells in South Africa in 2006 (his occasionally unplayable swing bowling got him 5-40 and helped dismiss SA for an unbelievable 84) and won India its first Test there. There have been other moments of magic too, but somehow, his high-strung temperament (which leads him to indulge in bizarrely corny antics sometimes) threatens to waylay him every now and then. Munaf Patel (28 wkts in 9 Tests at 34) also has a fragile temperament overseeing serious talent. Amongst these four bowlers, Munaf is perhaps the fastest and most effective when he's fully tuned in, but unfortunately, that happens only once in a while. If his team-mates and coaching staff can keep him motivated and focused more often, he could be the star of the future. RP Singh (40 wkts in 13 Tests at 39) has fitness and consistency issues but is quite a match-winner on his day, as his spells at Lord's (2007) and Perth (2008) testify. Despite a fine start in international cricket, he has tended to lose his way a bit. But his youth (just 23 still) and a healthy team environment (including a captain who believes in him) should still help him play to optimum levels. Ishant Sharma (44 wkts in 15 Tests at 32) is widely considered to be the most promising of the lot. With good reason too, as he has been developing and improving very tangibly since that once-in-a-lifetime spell that troubled, set-up and dismissed Ponting in Perth (January 2008). His Man-of-the-Series award in the recent Australian defeat suggests a consistency and upward trend that is rare in Indian cricket - hopefully he will be very carefully handled by the authorities and the team.

The five cricketers most likely to get into the Top 20 list at some point are MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh. They have been discussed separately here.

India has never been stronger in world cricket as now, and the future looks bright under MS Dhoni.