Fab Four of Indian cricket

In cricket, the Fab Four (short for "Fabulous Four") of the Indian cricket team refers to the following group of players:
* Sachin Tendulkar
* Saurav Ganguly
* Rahul Dravid
* V. V. S. Laxman
The above quartet is a group of batsmen who have ruled the world stage for almost one and a half decades with their batting prowess and impeccable skill. They have been responsible for most Indian victories on Indian and foreign soils and have been defined by most experts as the Fabulous Four. The Fab Four played their last match together against Australia at Nagpur on 10 November 2008, which India won by 172 runs. It was Ganguly's last test and so the Fab Four no longer remains intact.
Anil Kumble and Fab Five
Although Fab Four is primarily a group of batsmen, Anil Kumble is sometimes regarded as the fifth member of the Fab four due to his great bowling skills and over 600 Test wickets which have had maximum share in Indian victory effort. This has led to some cricketing fraternities regarding the group as the Fab Five. Anil Kumble was felicitated at the end of his career at Nagpur in 2008-09 cricket season in a ceremony and was dubbed no less than the Indian batsmen in his approach to the game. Also, his maiden Test century at the Oval in 2007 that resulted in an Indian victory have all the more reason for him to be a member of the great list.
Comparison with The Beatles
If there were The Beatles in the music industry, these are the Bat-tles in the sports industry. There are no surprises and no hiding the fact that the Fab Four have been named after The Beatles. But there are more similarities than only the name.
Sachin Tendulkar is the perennially loved, the most consistent of songwriters, the cute one, the one whose songs end up being the most talked about, the finest singer in the band, the one making audiences scream the most, longest running and most loved member of the entire quartet put together. Revered by his home crowds as the God Of Cricket, if there was any, he is also the cutest character of the four. Hence he has been called by many as the Paul McCartney of the group.
Sourav Ganguly slots himself in as John Lennon. Clearly the narcissist of the bunch, he is responsible for tremendously offside lyrics and the uncanny ability to constantly surprise everyone involved. It's easy to see Ganguly court Lennon-like controversy by calling the Four "bigger than Jesus", (or Waugh) and just as easy to see him argue with any of the other boys. Yet it is his partnership with Sachin's (Paul) that has taken the band to hitherto unscaled heights, and thanks to his fieriness and his fervency—not to mention his temper and his tantrums—a large part of the paying audience loves him most of all. Greg Chappell might have done a Mark David Chapman on his career, but an overwhelming comeback sees him better than ever. And then there's the way he waltzes down the track to lift those psychedelic skiers.
Rahul Dravid is the unleavable part of the group and compared most rightly with George Harrison. If there is aggression and skill in the above two, there is defense and technique in him. Although the most reliable, he is also the most forgotten due to his batting performances being more of a support rather than being assertive. The man is seeped in quiet modesty like the late George, a sober virtuoso genius capable of crafting something quite extraordinary in a way that made audiences and opposition feel like he had sneaked something in. With wrists of silk, he handled all manner of blade—from ukulele to sitar, besides his own 12-string specialty stalk—with magical panache, and set new standards in both scorecards and pure artistry.
V.V.S. Laxman's claim to fame was the epic 2001 Kolkata test against the famed Australian side led by Steve Waugh who was hungrier than ever to conquer his final frontier. But one man had different plans that put to ruin any that the mighty juggernaut, that had rolled over 16 tests, may have had and put that to stop. He is fabulously the Ringo Starr of the group. In the background, when his turns come, he can surly turn a few heads towards him, but prefers to smile away any attention with the flicky wrists that hold the famed stick. Definitely not the clown of the band, and rarely does he explode in a fit of lovely whimsy. He's also the only member of the quartet who can head to any other team and fit right in, no questions asked—no fuss. And while he's consistent to a staggering extreme, there is a lack of beauty in the way he maintains the steady beat. But despite the showy drum solos, he remains a largely unglorified hero: a flawless sessions musician who can play with anyone, anytime.
Other famous quartets
West Indian pace quartet - The famed Caribbean bowling quartet consisted of the earliest pace battery for any team and led West Indies to innumerable victories during 1965-1985 era. The members of this quartet are not clear because the West Indian squad consisted of almost seven bowlers during this period of 20 years. It was named so because West Indies usually fielded four pace bowlers who used to bowl through the entire innings. The most devastating ability of these all was their heights, which can be judged by the fact that Malcolm Marshall was the shortest of them and still was 5'11. But those who form the famed quartet are:
# Michael Holding
# Andy Roberts
# Joel Garner
# Colin Croft
Other members that may have been included in this quartet are:
*5) Malcolm Marshall
*6) Vanburn Holder
*7) Sylvester Clarke
*8) Patrick Patterson
*9) Winston Davis
*10) Curtly Ambrose
Spin Quartet - The great Indian spin quartet who had the uncanny ability to run through batting line-ups were famed for not having played even a single test together due to their miserable batting skills. Each had a special delivery that he used in addition to the stock delivery.
*1) Bishen S. Bedi, slow-left arm, only known proficient top-spinner of his time
*2) Bhagwat S. Chandrashekhar, natural leg-spinner, could unknowingly bowl a flipper
*3) E. A. S. Prasanna, off-spinner, bowled loopies and slider.
*4) S. Venkatraghavan, off-spinner, could bowl arm balls.

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