In terms of balance, skills, ability and temperament – the current Test side under Virat Kohli is the ‘best-ever Indian team,’ feels legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India reached the top of ICC Test rankings and the team is currently at number one spot in the World Test Championship standings. The highlight of the team’s success is the first Test series win in Australia in 2018-19 tour.
Gavaskar said he can’t think of a better team than the current Indian side.
“I believe this team is the best ever Indian Test team in terms of balance, in terms of ability, in terms of skills, in terms of temperament. Can’t think of a better Indian Test team,” Gavaskar said during the ‘India Today’s’ e-Conclave Inspiration series.
Pointing the difference between other Indian sides of the past and the current side, Gavaskar said the bowling attack comprising Jaspirt Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin, doesn’t depend on conditions. Batting-wise there have been great Indian teams but the current team scores in the bowling department.
“This team has the attack to win on any surface. It doesn’t need any help in conditions…they can win on any surface. Batting-wise there were teams in 1980s that were pretty similar. But they didn’t have the bowlers that Virat has,” the former captain said.
Talking further about the world-class bowlers India currently have, Gavaskar said Bumrah and Co. have the ability to take 20 wickets on any condition, “Definitely without a question, India has got such a varied bowling attack today and that is so essential. There is a saying that ‘if you don’t take 20 wickets you won’t win a match’.
“We have got the bowling to take 20 Australian wickets on 1 run less than what India has scored,” said the 71-year-old Gavaskar, who scored 10122 runs from 125 Tests between 1971 and 1987.
On the current batting line-up, Gavaskar said the current Indian Test team can score more runs than the likes of Australia, which leads the ICC Test team rankings.
“You need to score runs also. We saw that in England in 2018. We saw that in South Africa in 2017 when we went there. We got 20 wickets every time but we didn’t score enough runs.
“But now I think we have also got the batting to be able to score more runs than Australians.”
