Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly feature among cricket’s first dangerous trios

The gentlemen’s game, cricket, has evolved exponentially over the last few decades. In the early 2000s, the sport witnessed the introduction of the 20-over format and franchise cricket, which further commercialised the game and drew in a new audience, boosting the popularity of the sport the world over.

During this time, numerous groups of players from various national teams have dominated the modern era of cricket. 

One of the more prominent pairs known to cricket fans in the international circuit included the lethal pace duo of Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis before the turn of the century. 

The terrific trio of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma in the early 2000s and the West Indies’ pace quartet of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, and Joel Garner from yesteryear are a couple other examples of how a group of individuals had become feared for their the destruction they could combine to inflict on the opposition.

Whether composed of powerful batters, lethal bowlers or star all-rounders, these groups have been prominent game-changers in the world of cricket. 

With that in mind, let’s have a look at some of the dangerous trios in cricket in recent years.

Dangerous trio of cricket

Indian Superstars: MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma 

India has produced many cricketing legends but the legendary trio of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma transformed the modern game.

Together, this trio brought countless victories to India. They played a vital role in India’s Champions Trophy title win in 2013. Later, in 2014, India reached the T20 World Cup Final under this trio.

Furthermore, they guided India to the semi-finals in the 2016 T20 World Cup and 2019 ODI World Cup. Unfortunately, India failed to win the Champions Trophy title in 2017 after reaching the final under this trio.

Collectively, this popular trio has scored more than 40,000 runs across formats and has spearheaded multiple wins for Team India in all formats.

Aussie Legends: Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne

The golden era of Australian cricket began when they won the 1999 ODI World Cup under Steve Waugh’s captaincy, with the likes of Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne being prominent contributors to the team.

In the early 2000s, the Aussies went on to become the side to beat in world cricket with this trio at the heart of everything Australian cricket. They won consecutive World Cups in 2003 and 2007 besides also winning the Ashes four out of five times during this era to become the strongest Test side in the world.

Each one from this trio, Ponting (27,483 international runs), McGrath (949 international wickets), and Warne (1,001 international wickets) ended their career as all-time greats and have etched their names into the annals of cricket’s rich history.

The Big Three: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly 

India’s cricketing renaissance in the late 1990s and early 2000s was spearheaded by Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly.

This terrific trio was the X-factor in India’s overseas wins in the early 2000s and also guided India to the ODI World Cup 2003 Final. Additionally, India under this trio won the Natwest Series in 2002 and became the joint-winners of the Champions Trophy in 2002. 

They also won both the Test and ODI series in Pakistan (2004) - the last time the Men in Blue visited their neighbours across the border.

Add to that, this trio has served India over the decades and helped transform India’s cricketing infrastructure. Statistically, they were phenomenal - Tendulkar (34,357 international runs), Dravid (24,208 international runs), and Ganguly (18,575 international runs). 

While the list of achievements and accolades for this dangerous trio is countless, it’s worth mentioning that they are widely recognised as one of cricket’s first dangerous trios.

Photo credit: Imago