Akram feels it is hard to imagine an Indian team without Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman right now.

"I don't understand why this debate was started in the first place? Everybody is asking when will they retire but why only them? There is Anil Kumble also, he is also in the same age bracket ... why is his name not being discussed?" he asked in an interview.

"Agreed that the young Indian team did well in the one-day series in Australia and the senior batsmen did not do all that well against Sri Lanka in the Test series but failure in one series cannot be the criteria to ask for a player's omission. The four of them can still play for a couple of years," he added.

The legendary pacer, who scalped 414 Test and 514 one-day wickets, said instead of showing the door to the seniors, the BCCI should make sure that youngsters get a chance to play alongside them.

"Test cricket is a serious affair and you need a mix of youth and experience. If you have to groom youngsters there is no better way than to make them play with the seniors. This way, they will learn a lot. If the youngster is willing, he can learn even while fielding," he explained.

On India's upcoming Test series against Australia, Akram said Kumble's men have the upper hand but needs to work hard on fielding.

When asked whether the visiting Australian side's bowling line-up is the weakest ever to have come to India, Akram said, "You can't call their bowling weak. Their bowlers are inexperienced. Only Brett Lee is experienced but he too cannot bowl long spells. How he is used in spells will be key to Australia's success."

Akram felt the Aussies would desperately miss a quality spinner on this tour, which gives India a good chance to beat the world champions.

"Indian batsmen are good at playing spin and they won't spare the Aussie tweakers. That is why I believe the Indians have a strong chance of beating the Australians this time," he said.