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‘India’s fast bowling reminds me of '80s West Indies’ : Brian Lara

Except that it isn't correct.

WI did not beat England 10-0 in 1984, they beat England 5-0. The other 5-0 win was in 1986/87. The pitches in England were not "spicy" - the sun shone all summer and they were all flat - WI chased down 330 to win at Lord's for the loss of one wicket. England were not "very weak" as they immediately proceeded to beat India in India, without Botham.

That's the trouble with us delusional nostalgic people - some of us were actually there for some of those matches, so we have informed opinion, not just based on spreadsheets.

Oh my god you said that England side was not weak? are you serious? india almost whitewashed England in England. Rain saved them. Inda won 2-0. India missed some players. Madanlal was playing county cricket. He just filled in. He wa snot even part of the squad. Even he was a handful against that English side. They couldn't handle even the likes of Binny, Chetan Sharma.
 
Except that it isn't correct.

WI did not beat England 10-0 in 1984, they beat England 5-0. The other 5-0 win was in 1986/87. The pitches in England were not "spicy" - the sun shone all summer and they were all flat - WI chased down 330 to win at Lord's for the loss of one wicket. England were not "very weak" as they immediately proceeded to beat India in India, without Botham.

That's the trouble with us delusional nostalgic people - some of us were actually there for some of those matches, so we have informed opinion, not just based on spreadsheets.

Uh that has nothing to do with what I said. Sun shone or not the rules favoured bowlers back then with the no bouncer restrictions etc. People tend to love to overrated and glorify the past without any concrete evidence to prove their so called dominance. The fitness levels of these players in the past were not even close to the standards set today for an elite team. Just watch their training videos then you will notice the difference. Just Play grade cricket if you are good enough to see the quality of modern training. Even state teams in australia would smash those pretend GOAT teams of the past.
 
This is the weakest South African team in my lifetime
The weakest Sri Lankan team in my lifetime
Australia seem to getting the best out of limited players

It’s only really New Zealand and England that can challenge India and both have better bowling attacks on paper than India

The West Indies team that blew Pakistan in the world cup is the best West Indies bowling attack I’ve seen since ambrose and walsh were joined by dillon


Russell,cottrell and Thomas should really go on to better things
And then u have Gabriel, Edwards and roach in the back ground

rofl n.zealand and England dont have a better attack on paper. what are you smoking.

this south african attack is better than England and new zeland too. Just need time to click. India is just that good at home. They make other teams look like cannon fodder when they are actually quality.
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.

One quality left armer, and the whole indian batting order would fall like a pack of cards. This Indian team is no doubt good, but you are pushing it when you say they can win against any Pakistan side. The bowling attack we had in 1999 world cup would probably eat their batting order alive. I wonder if you remember a certain Abdul Razzaq handling Tendu in Australia where he claimed his off stump, leg stump and middle stump in 3 different matches, and no individual in their current lineup is as good as Tendulkar was.
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.

Just to jog your memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yof6e16kZIc
 
One quality left armer, and the whole indian batting order would fall like a pack of cards. This Indian team is no doubt good, but you are pushing it when you say they can win against any Pakistan side. The bowling attack we had in 1999 world cup would probably eat their batting order alive. I wonder if you remember a certain Abdul Razzaq handling Tendu in Australia where he claimed his off stump, leg stump and middle stump in 3 different matches, and no individual in their current lineup is as good as Tendulkar was.

Our 1999 batting lineup would not last three days against this relentless Indian attack. That lineup had basically two batsmen, and those would have been severely tested by this attack as well.

Razzaq had Tendulkar’s number but so did Hansie Cronje. That doesn’t he would also do well against this lineup.

I have no doubt in my mind India of 2019 will convincingly outclass India and Pakistan of 1999.

The only Asian team that would come close in bettering them (in Asian conditions) would be Ganguly’s India, but overall this is a more skilled side.
 
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This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.

No one remembers Imran's side and I am not sure I have seen anyone hyping Misbah's side either. It was rubbish barring one or two quality players. The side under Inzi was much better than the side under Misbah. Again the quality of our bowling and batting would be no match for the current indian side.
 
Our 1999 batting lineup would not last three days against this relentless Indian attack. That lineup had basically two batsmen, and those would have been severely tested by this attack as well.

Razzaq had Tendulkar’s number but so did Hansie Cronje. That doesn’t he would also do well against this lineup.

I have no doubt in my mind India of 2019 will convincingly outclass India and Pakistan of 1999.

The only Asian team that would come close in bettering them (in Asian conditions) would be Ganguly’s India, but overall this is a more skilled side.

So you think a middle order of Yousuf, Younis and Inzi and late order Kami (at his peak) will find it tough to handle this attack on flat decks?
 
So you think a middle order of Yousuf, Younis and Inzi and late order Kami (at his peak) will find it tough to handle this attack on flat decks?

Younis was average against pace. He would hardly survive a spell of Bumrah and Shami who don’t give an inch. Inzamam scored only 1 century in 100+ innings against two excellent fast bowling attacks of his era, so he would struggle as well.

MoYo wasn’t great against spin on turners, so he would struggle against Ashwin and Jadeja especially in the second innings.

Kamran? Just pack the off-side and bowl on the fourth stump. He will hit three boundaries and then give catching practice to point/cover.
 
So you think a middle order of Yousuf, Younis and Inzi and late order Kami (at his peak) will find it tough to handle this attack on flat decks?

matchup wise pakistan will always be India's hardest matchup at home and vice versa. I don't know about odi but in test matches it will be a tough battle for both team.s india have the edge due to being more well rounded. India always only missed a world class pace attack and now they possess that as it's easily one of the best in the world. India right now probably have two of the greatest spinners of all time as well in Asian conditions which sways the game in India's favour.

Like I said before pakistam team lacks fitness. Misbah was one of the fittest guys in the team. I have seen him run miles in training videos. He has an extraordinary gas tank. I am certain he will correct the fitness issues that is pervasive amongst the pakistan players. Once this issue is corrected, you will see a powerful pakistan again. They are still a dangerous side regardless based on talent alone.
 
Uh that has nothing to do with what I said. Sun shone or not the rules favoured bowlers back then with the no bouncer restrictions etc. People tend to love to overrated and glorify the past without any concrete evidence to prove their so called dominance. The fitness levels of these players in the past were not even close to the standards set today for an elite team. Just watch their training videos then you will notice the difference. Just Play grade cricket if you are good enough to see the quality of modern training. Even state teams in australia would smash those pretend GOAT teams of the past.

You’ve missed my point, which was to correct the inaccurate post you asserted as the best ever. It can’t be the best ever as it contains errors which you can easily check.
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.


Hi Mamoon

Your analysis is good though I feel you are forgetting. Ranatunga led Lanka with Murali and vaas. In Sri Lanka - think they would be a quality side too . Not seen a better bowler of spin than d silva and they were a good side at home

Pakistan test team of the 90s was good too


Asian top test teams

Kohli india
Ganguly india
Imran pak
 
Forget about whether what he says is something you agree with or not. But calling him a sell out is in poor taste. Glorifying Indian team will give you nothing. No contract or anything. IPL and foreign players have a symbiotic relationship. Both need each other. Let me do a different comparison. I will compare current Indian bowling with Indian bowling of the 80s. Kapil, Gavri, Binny, Madanlal,Chetan those were the main bowlers. Even the Indian spinners were very poor compared to current crop. With that kind of bowling line up they won world cup, destroyed every team in Benson & Hedges 1985. They dominated OZ in OZ, England in England. They were a decent side. Imagine these guys in that period.

9Np2uVv.jpg
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.

Lol.

Did India manage to win in SA? And this was far from a great SA side

Would India have won in Aus with Smith and Warner there? No, they got lucky

Smith's South Africa actually won multiple series in Aus vs a strong Australian side. They didn't need Australia's best batsmen banned.

And Imran's so called overrated side would have beaten this Indian team black and blue. The very notion that this team could draw a series vs the greatest test team of all time is laughable.
 
Lol.

Did India manage to win in SA? And this was far from a great SA side

The matches were heavily dependent on tosses and India was out of luck. SA did not dominate any of the matches.All the 2 matches India lost were very close. Had India won the tosses, its anybody's guess who would have won the series.

Would India have won in Aus with Smith and Warner there? No, they got lucky

No need to go into if's and but's. The fact is India won fair and square.

Smith's South Africa actually won multiple series in Aus vs a strong Australian side. They didn't need Australia's best batsmen banned.

And Imran's so called overrated side would have beaten this Indian team black and blue.
The very notion that this team could draw a series vs the greatest test team of all time is laughable.

Really? Why? Based on what factors? The rules for bowlers are very different and the bowlers of then would be nullified. The batsmen would be troubled big time by Indian bowling. I say Imran's team would have their behind whooped like some school kid!

Remove those green glasses and wake and smell the coffee!
 
Lol.

Did India manage to win in SA? And this was far from a great SA side

Would India have won in Aus with Smith and Warner there? No, they got lucky

Smith's South Africa actually won multiple series in Aus vs a strong Australian side. They didn't need Australia's best batsmen banned.

And Imran's so called overrated side would have beaten this Indian team black and blue. The very notion that this team could draw a series vs the greatest test team of all time is laughable.

Against the 2000 peak ATG Australian side only team that did well was India. Everyone else got canned.
Till Mcgrath retires around 2007 their dominace lasted. That is about 8 years from 1999 to 2007. Here are the stats. They played 102 won 76 matches. India lost 0-3 in 1999 under Tendulkar. But from 2000 to 2007 it was 5-4 in favor of Australia. India was the only team that competed during that period.

WlxbqiP.jpg
 
Lol.

Did India manage to win in SA? And this was far from a great SA side

Would India have won in Aus with Smith and Warner there? No, they got lucky

Smith's South Africa actually won multiple series in Aus vs a strong Australian side. They didn't need Australia's best batsmen banned.

And Imran's so called overrated side would have beaten this Indian team black and blue. The very notion that this team could draw a series vs the greatest test team of all time is laughable.

lol don't delude yourself bro. That south african side literally beat the worst version of a declining side in 2011 and 2013. India were robbed of a win in 08 against a peak australia side at their best. That team is far weaker than the current indian side. This current crop would ragdoll and wipe the floor clean with the likes of those teams including imran's Pakistani side.

1999 pakistan was the best team they have ever had and yet still got whooped by Aussies 3 0.
 
Against the 2000 peak ATG Australian side only team that did well was India. Everyone else got canned.
Till Mcgrath retires around 2007 their dominace lasted. That is about 8 years from 1999 to 2007. Here are the stats. They played 102 won 76 matches. India lost 0-3 in 1999 under Tendulkar. But from 2000 to 2007 it was 5-4 in favor of Australia. India was the only team that competed during that period.

View attachment 96115

and that was a weaker indian side compared to now.
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.

The only failure was the England series, but people conveniently forget that they were without B. Kumar who is their best swing bowler and performed brilliantly in England in 2014.

As far as Smith’s South Africa is concerned, they were resilient but didn’t have half the impact Kohli’s India team has. They were hard to beat but were nowhere near the ruthless winning machine this team.

If a Pakistan Test side achieves half of this Indian side, our fans would hype it to the moon.

The way the overrate the thoroughly average Misbah side (who became #1 due to sheer luck) as well as the highly overrated Imran’s team in the 1980s (that lost to Sri Lanka in 1986) drives home the point.

No subcontinent team, or perhaps any team except West Indies and Australia, have been so good at winning matches as Kohli’s India.

This "ruthless winning machine" lost to a weak South African team. You know Smith's team was monstrous and well praised for their efforts by just about everyone. When last did you see a blockathon? I quite miss them.
 
This "ruthless winning machine" lost to a weak South African team. You know Smith's team was monstrous and well praised for their efforts by just about everyone. When last did you see a blockathon? I quite miss them.

India is on course to winning 31 out of 51 Tests under Kohli’s (permanent) captaincy, and they have only lost 1 Test at home since England’s series win 2012. That is brilliant and if they are a not a ruthless winning machine, who are?

I won’t call a South African side with de Villiers, Amla, Faf, QdK, Philander, Morkel, Rabada and Ngidi as weak. Yes some of the players were past their primes but it was still a very strong team especially in home conditions. Losing 2-1 to them especially on pitches that were heavily geared towards teams batting first is not something to be ashamed of. Great teams of the past have lost to weaker sides.

It is abundantly clear that no Asian Test side of the past holds a candle to this Indian side. What makes them special is that they have tremendously improved their bowling attack without compromising on their batting.

It is also abundantly clear that people are simply not prepared to give them due credit.

- Had they won in South Africa, people would be dismissive that it came against an aging side and how Smith’s South Africa would have whitewashed them.

- Had they won in England people would be dismissive that it came against a weak England team full of white ball specialists.

- Had they lost in Australia, people would mock them that they couldn’t even without Smith and Warner.

- If they were to lose a Test in India for a change, people would mock them for not winning on the so-called designers pitches at home, but for some reason, the pitches in South Africa in 2018 were somehow fair, where every single wicket fell for the first time in history.

This is an incredible team and they do not have to win every match home and away to prove it. The fact that there are far ahead of every other team today is enough proof. No team can touch India in India but they can win in plenty of countries.
 
Lol.

Did India manage to win in SA? And this was far from a great SA side

Would India have won in Aus with Smith and Warner there? No, they got lucky

Smith's South Africa actually won multiple series in Aus vs a strong Australian side. They didn't need Australia's best batsmen banned.

And Imran's so called overrated side would have beaten this Indian team black and blue. The very notion that this team could draw a series vs the greatest test team of all time is laughable.

India cannot win with you, can they?

Had they managed to win in South Africa, you would have downplayed it because South Africa are weak.

Had they managed to lose in Australia, you have would have laughed at them for failing to win without Smith and Warner.

Smith’s South Africa was a like a very, very strong version of Misbah’s Pakistan. No doubt a tough team to beat, but they lacked the winning mentality and ruthlessness due to which they rarely came across as a dominant side. They were resilient rather than ruthless and imposing.

As far as Imran’s side is concerned, yes it did well vs West Indies, but it lost a Test match in Sri Lanka in 1986. Sri Lanka was a minnow team in the 1980s and won a grand total of two Tests in that decade. Losing to that Sri Lankan team is like losing to Afghanistan today.

Do you think Kohli’s team will be forgiven if they lose a Test in Afghanistan, irrespective of all the top teams that they have dominated? Clearly not. It will destroy his legacy as captain.

Do you honestly see Imran’s Pakistan winning matches at the same rate as Kohli’s India in this era? Do you think they would be the number one side ahead of them? I don’t think they are even going to come close.

As far as the great West Indies team are concerned, this Indian side are capable of beating them in India. However, they would definitely lose in West Indies.

This Indian team is comfortably better than Imran’s Pakistan. I don’t think it is debatable. I really don’t see Imran’s team coming to India and beating them. There is a world of difference between 1987 India and 2019 India.
 
This "ruthless winning machine" lost to a weak South African team. You know Smith's team was monstrous and well praised for their efforts by just about everyone. When last did you see a blockathon? I quite miss them.

the ruthless saffers under smith were toothless at home several times. Compensating for losing at home by winning away doesn't make the 3rd best team of all time. India are ruthless at home. 30 wins in 32 games or something absurd.

weak south african team? south africa were not weak when they had ab devilliers, faf, morkel, ngidi, steyn, de cock, amla.

They also won the tosses which makes a difference in those type of conditions. Either way they got demolished in india back in 2015. They never lost at home like Smith's 'toothless machine'. Not to mention a few draws too.
 
Hi Mamoon

Your analysis is good though I feel you are forgetting. Ranatunga led Lanka with Murali and vaas. In Sri Lanka - think they would be a quality side too . Not seen a better bowler of spin than d silva and they were a good side at home

Pakistan test team of the 90s was good too


Asian top test teams

Kohli india
Ganguly india
Imran pak

Pakistan’s Test team of the 90s had a weak batting lineup. S. Malik was past his prime and Ijaz was a hack who was only successful on bouncy pitches. That batting unit was carried by Saeed Anwar and Inzamam. The bowling attack was very good but I don’t see the batting succeeding against India’s relentless attack.

Sri Lanka of the 90s was very good in Asia, but did they have enough to beat this India? I don’t think so. The only Asian side of the past that would run them close is Ganguly’s India, but they had a clearly inferior bowling attack.

What makes this team so successful is that they have vastly improved their bowling without sacrificing their batting prowess. They are still making 500+ every time but they are also managing to restrict lineups consistently for below par totals.

It is easily the most complete, all-round Asian Test team in history.
 
This "ruthless winning machine" lost to a weak South African team. You know Smith's team was monstrous and well praised for their efforts by just about everyone. When last did you see a blockathon? I quite miss them.

Hey man, the SA side that had beaten India at home in 2018 weren't a weak one, they had a fresh de Villiers back in their squad and a solid opening pair of Elgar and Markram. You played the bowling quartet of Steyn, Rabada, Philander and Morkel in the first test XI. How you deal that against??

That SA side defeated Australia next month with Smith and Warner as well.

You became weak when de Villiers and Morkel both retired and Steyn eventually decided to quit due to continuous injuries.
 
Umesh removes De Kock with a vicious bouncer.

Shami and Umesh are breathing fire on so called flat pitch
 
Hey man, the SA side that had beaten India at home in 2018 weren't a weak one, they had a fresh de Villiers back in their squad and a solid opening pair of Elgar and Markram. You played the bowling quartet of Steyn, Rabada, Philander and Morkel in the first test XI. How you deal that against??

That SA side defeated Australia next month with Smith and Warner as well.

You became weak when de Villiers and Morkel both retired and Steyn eventually decided to quit due to continuous injuries.

The same south african side got butchered 3-0 vs india in India so h2h india won that clash 4-2.
 
India is on course to winning 31 out of 51 Tests under Kohli’s (permanent) captaincy, and they have only lost 1 Test at home since England’s series win 2012. That is brilliant and if they are a not a ruthless winning machine, who are?

I won’t call a South African side with de Villiers, Amla, Faf, QdK, Philander, Morkel, Rabada and Ngidi as weak. Yes some of the players were past their primes but it was still a very strong team especially in home conditions. Losing 2-1 to them especially on pitches that were heavily geared towards teams batting first is not something to be ashamed of. Great teams of the past have lost to weaker sides.

It is abundantly clear that no Asian Test side of the past holds a candle to this Indian side. What makes them special is that they have tremendously improved their bowling attack without compromising on their batting.

It is also abundantly clear that people are simply not prepared to give them due credit.

- Had they won in South Africa, people would be dismissive that it came against an aging side and how Smith’s South Africa would have whitewashed them.

- Had they won in England people would be dismissive that it came against a weak England team full of white ball specialists.

- Had they lost in Australia, people would mock them that they couldn’t even without Smith and Warner.

- If they were to lose a Test in India for a change, people would mock them for not winning on the so-called designers pitches at home, but for some reason, the pitches in South Africa in 2018 were somehow fair, where every single wicket fell for the first time in history.

This is an incredible team and they do not have to win every match home and away to prove it. The fact that there are far ahead of every other team today is enough proof. No team can touch India in India but they can win in plenty of countries.

I would say that India 1986 and Pakistan 1987 were better. I think Ganguly’s team was better too.

The current Indian team can’t play the moving ball, Kohli apart. That the worst England batting side of all time beat them 4-1 speaks volumes.
 
I would say that India 1986 and Pakistan 1987 were better. I think Ganguly’s team was better too.

The current Indian team can’t play the moving ball, Kohli apart. That the worst England batting side of all time beat them 4-1 speaks volumes.

no they were not. None of them had the bowling attack of current India. I agree the moving ball is a weakness of this indian side but they are far too dominant in home conditions. They will just outlast and butcher any side that tours india. We never saw that kind of dominance in the past at home from any team in the past apart from Aussies in 2000.
 
This is the weakest South African team in my lifetime
The weakest Sri Lankan team in my lifetime
Australia seem to getting the best out of limited players

It’s only really New Zealand and England that can challenge India and both have better bowling attacks on paper than India

The West Indies team that blew Pakistan in the world cup is the best West Indies bowling attack I’ve seen since ambrose and walsh were joined by dillon


Russell,cottrell and Thomas should really go on to better things
And then u have Gabriel, Edwards and roach in the back ground


There were weak teams when Australia and West Indies were at their bets.

Other teams being weak isn’t India’s problem.


So called weak Sri Lanka, Australia, and South Africa have whitewashed Pakistan with ease.

When do we start calling our own team one of those weak teams lol?
 
no they were not. None of them had the bowling attack of current India. I agree the moving ball is a weakness of this indian side but they are far too dominant in home conditions. They will just outlast and butcher any side that tours india. We never saw that kind of dominance in the past at home from any team in the past apart from Aussies in 2000.

The difference being that the Aussies were pretty much unstoppable away too.

Apart from Kohli, none of the current India batters would get into Ganguly’s side, or Azhar’s, or Kapil’s, or Gavaskar’s.
 
Lara is a legend (better than Tendulkar), good guy and all but for whatever reason he is brown nosing the Indians. Their have been much better bowling attacks than this good Indian bowling attack. I can’t see any resemblance whatsoever to Windies, (Australian, South African, Pakistan and even England lineups) of the past and the 1980’s. Even bizarre if he is talking all out pace and reverse swing. What is he thinking or after lol.

Indian batting is another thing where they are excellent and can be compared with previous great batting line ups.
 
This is the greatest Asian Test team of all time, and it has the potential to be the third best after West Indies and Australia.
Lmao. I suppose you of all people would say that. Imran Khans Pakistan teams of the 1980’s were much better and won against teams when the standard was much better against the like of the great Windies team who they came close to beat, drew and actually should have and would have if for not umpiring. If DRS were around then they would have. India beating a poor South African team is okay but let them beat england Australia away then we’ll see. At the moment a long way to go to achieve greatness.
 
The difference being that the Aussies were pretty much unstoppable away too.

Apart from Kohli, none of the current India batters would get into Ganguly’s side, or Azhar’s, or Kapil’s, or Gavaskar’s.

we shall see when they tour England again. Or let's see in the new zeland tour. These boys need to prove that they can play swing cause clearly the current crop are excellent on bouncy tracks and world class in sub continent ofcourse. in the past, ganaguly's side were never ruthless like the current team at home and yes I agree they did play well in australia and south africa but so did the current squad. In fact the current team won in australia. Ganguly's side lost once st home to south africe and to australia at home. Would never happen under kohli. They are just invincible in sub continent pitches. The record speaks for itself. Away they have been good everywhere except England. Even in England toss played a role in the final result. Let's see how it pans out next time.
 
Lmao. I suppose you of all people would say that. Imran Khans Pakistan teams of the 1980’s were much better and won against teams when the standard was much better against the like of the great Windies team who they came close to beat, drew and actually should have and would have if for not umpiring. If DRS were around then they would have. India beating a poor South African team is okay but let them beat england Australia away then we’ll see. At the moment a long way to go to achieve greatness.
They already beat australia away. They dont need to win an away series when they can simply brown wash teams at home. A draw, a close loss in away condtions makes no difference as the overall h2h record for home and away results will be in india's favour because they often steamroll teams at home.

lol at the standard was better in the past. No it wasnt dude. there were barely 4 good teams at the time. They had no rule restrictions and had the privilege of playing in a bowling friendly era. If anything their training methods, nutriton and conditioning programs were far inferior. They played far less games overall. There was no t20, no t20 world cup, no franchise leagues, no champions trophy, Asia cups had only like 3 teams at the time. Players' workload is significantly higher now and yet they are still able to compete in all formats comfortably because of advancement in training methodology. It's not even a contest. my queenlsand team would pummel those pretend 80's teams.


1999 pakistan was the best Pakistani side of all time and they still somehow got spanked 3 0, 2 times in a row vs australia I think.

Misbah's pakistam when they reached the top was an excellent team in home conditions. They would beat many of those GOAT teams in sub continent.

In 80s india, Sri Lanka and even England weren't even training like athletes. Moving around with pot bellies, dad bods and pathetic cardio capacity. Now that all teams have elite fitness levels, we can see how good Asian teams are in general.
 
rofl n.zealand and England dont have a better attack on paper. what are you smoking.

this south african attack is better than England and new zeland too. Just need time to click. India is just that good at home. They make other teams look like cannon fodder when they are actually quality.

New Zealand regularly don’t have southee in their first xi, that’s how good they are
Boult, Henry and Ferguson have no
equals

And then England have archer, Chris woakes, Ben stokes and wood

For pace,fire and power I’m not sure the Indians bowling attack matches
 
There were weak teams when Australia and West Indies were at their bets.

Other teams being weak isn’t India’s problem.


So called weak Sri Lanka, Australia, and South Africa have whitewashed Pakistan with ease.

When do we start calling our own team one of those weak teams lol?


The top three have monopolised cricket , it’s an era of the big titans
The Sri Lankan team and South African teams are shadows of their former selves
 
One quality left armer, and the whole indian batting order would fall like a pack of cards. This Indian team is no doubt good, but you are pushing it when you say they can win against any Pakistan side. The bowling attack we had in 1999 world cup would probably eat their batting order alive. I wonder if you remember a certain Abdul Razzaq handling Tendu in Australia where he claimed his off stump, leg stump and middle stump in 3 different matches, and no individual in their current lineup is as good as Tendulkar was.

You are pretty delusional if you think a bowler who averaged 37 per wicket and took only 100 wickets in Tests would "eat [the current Indian] batting order alive", just because he got Tendulkar out 3 times. This is one of the worst cases of extrapolation from the individual to the general I have seen.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/39836.html

It's like saying Venkatesh Prasad would run through the Pakistani batting order every time they played. Note that your allegedly fabled 1999 WC bowling attack had Razzaq returning figures of 10-0-40-1 while Prasad had 9.3-2-27-5 in the same game.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...ndia-vs-pakistan-4th-super-icc-world-cup-1999
 
Any way as far as I'm concerned, the finest bowling attacks that I saw was Pakistan's, followed by Australias, then Windies, I believe we will never see a more devastating combo wasim and waqar
 
New Zealand regularly don’t have southee in their first xi, that’s how good they are
Boult, Henry and Ferguson have no
equals

And then England have archer, Chris woakes, Ben stokes and wood

For pace,fire and power I’m not sure the Indians bowling attack matches

are we talking about tests or odi? in odi it's still india.

in tests with bumrah in the team it would still be india. Mark wood bowls a grand total of 2 km/hr faster than shami but he is wayward.
Chris woakes is a can outside England. archer is fast but still unproven. His pace dropped immensely in test cricket. He averaged like 137-138 just like most of India's pacers.

shami bowl quicker than boult. bumrah bowls quicker than boult. umesh bowls quicker than boult. Boult is a complete cannon fodder outside England and new zealand. Ferguson ? does he even play tests? he is fast I agree. he is the only 140 plus bowler. Even he averages 141 but that's in odi. We are yet to see him average that high in tests.

India bowling attack is far more lethal and superior in every facet of the game compared to new zeland and England. Only australia matches india right now.
 
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Any way as far as I'm concerned, the finest bowling attacks that I saw was Pakistan's, followed by Australias, then Windies, I believe we will never see a more devastating combo wasim and waqar

pakistan when they had wasim,waqar and shoaib? possibly.

Remember what makes these guys great is the fact that they had to play on batting friendly wickets in sub continent that only suits spinners. I do think however wasim and waqar's average in sub continent wasn't that good though? correct me if I am wrong. dint mcgrath average lower?
 
pakistan when they had wasim,waqar and shoaib? possibly.

Remember what makes these guys great is the fact that they had to play on batting friendly wickets in sub continent that only suits spinners. I do think however wasim and waqar's average in sub continent wasn't that good though? correct me if I am wrong. dint mcgrath average lower?

Wasim and waqar played majority of their cricket in pakistan and yes they were awesome, genuine pace, skill set, and killer instinct
 
we shall see when they tour England again. Or let's see in the new zeland tour. These boys need to prove that they can play swing cause clearly the current crop are excellent on bouncy tracks and world class in sub continent ofcourse. in the past, ganaguly's side were never ruthless like the current team at home and yes I agree they did play well in australia and south africa but so did the current squad. In fact the current team won in australia. Ganguly's side lost once st home to south africe and to australia at home. Would never happen under kohli. They are just invincible in sub continent pitches. The record speaks for itself. Away they have been good everywhere except England. Even in England toss played a role in the final result. Let's see how it pans out next time.

Ganguly won in England against a better side than the one Kohli lost to.

The only way Indians will improve against the swinging ball is come and play for County sides.
 
The topic is going in all directions lol Why are we talking about batsmen here? Lara didn't say this batting line up reminded him of 1980s West Indian batting line up. He merely talked about fast bowling. Indian fast bowling did not let them down inspite of injuries to Bumrah on various times injury to Bhuvi. Even England loss was more to do with failure of Indian batting. Unable to chase sub 200 total twice.
 
The difference being that the Aussies were pretty much unstoppable away too.

Apart from Kohli, none of the current India batters would get into Ganguly’s side, or Azhar’s, or Kapil’s, or Gavaskar’s.

Kohli
Bumrah
Shami
Jadeja
Chepu in for akash chopra
Saha>parthiv or mongia.

So thats 6 out of 11.
Only 5 players from that team can enter this side.

Combined side:
Sehwag
Pujara
Dravid
Sachin
Kohli
Laxman
Jadeja
Saha
Kumble
Shami
bumrah
 
Ganguly won in England against a better side than the one Kohli lost to.

The only way Indians will improve against the swinging ball is come and play for County sides.

They definitely wont play county for sure. They get paid too much money via ipl, endorsements and appearance fees etc.

honestly this England side is very goodin home conditions. I don't understand why you would think they are weak?

Sam curran
woakes
broad
Anderson
Ali

that is as strong as the side that faced ganguly's india. They had tremlett playing iirc and Collingwood, a young pre prime Anderson. panesar and Sidebottom had their moments but weren't as good as the current players. Woakes, curran are much better suited to play in english conditions.

Bowling imo was better than what it was in 07-12. They also have the GOAT all rounder of all time in stokes now. GOAT stokes over Collingwood who is a great cricketer himself.
cook played.
Strauss, Pietersen, young cook would walk into the current team without a doubt. prior over buttler? perhaps yes and bell wouldn't play over joe root. That's only 4 out of 11 players though.

Current team actually has better players overall. England drew vs australia recently because they dint play sam curran and rashid. Also cook retired and Anderson was injured. For some reason roy played lol. Jennings and malaan are better players than roy for test cricket. Atleast the latter too can defend long enough to wear out the new ball.
 
Kohli
Bumrah
Shami
Jadeja
Chepu in for akash chopra
Saha>parthiv or mongia.

So thats 6 out of 11.
Only 5 players from that team can enter this side.

Combined side:
Sehwag
Pujara
Dravid
Sachin
Kohli
Laxman
Jadeja
Saha
Kumble
Shami
bumrah
ishu over kumble and ashwin over kumble too. Mayank is just starting and also don't forget Shaw. Shaw could be as good as shewag. This side is still young.
 
I would say that India 1986 and Pakistan 1987 were better. I think Ganguly’s team was better too.

The current Indian team can’t play the moving ball, Kohli apart. That the worst England batting side of all time beat them 4-1 speaks volumes.

The 1987 Pakistan lost a Test to a minnow Sri Lanka, a team that won only two Tests all decade. This India will never lose to a team like Afghanistan today. They are extremely good at winning matches.

Losing 4-1 in England wasn’t a great result, but I think England deserve credit as well. They are not a great Test side at the moment but they know how to win/survive big series at home.
 
The 1987 Pakistan lost a Test to a minnow Sri Lanka, a team that won only two Tests all decade. This India will never lose to a team like Afghanistan today. They are extremely good at winning matches.

Losing 4-1 in England wasn’t a great result, but I think England deserve credit as well. They are not a great Test side at the moment but they know how to win/survive big series at home.

Indian batting was better when they had Sehwag, Gambhir, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, DHoni. But definitely this is the best era for Indian fast bowling. Not like Shami, ishant didn't play under other captains. But there seems to be an increased drive among these guys. They look fitter. Typically Indian fast bowlers would start at 135k to 140k in the morning. By evening it will go down to 120 kph. That is not the case anymore. I would like to use the term "Steyn Effect". Dale Steyn a master of post tea session. I see a lot in current crop of Indian bowling.
 
are we talking about tests or odi? in odi it's still india.

in tests with bumrah in the team it would still be india. Mark wood bowls a grand total of 2 km/hr faster than shami but he is wayward.
Chris woakes is a can outside England. archer is fast but still unproven. His pace dropped immensely in test cricket. He averaged like 137-138 just like most of India's pacers.

shami bowl quicker than boult. bumrah bowls quicker than boult. umesh bowls quicker than boult. Boult is a complete cannon fodder outside England and new zealand. Ferguson ? does he even play tests? he is fast I agree. he is the only 140 plus bowler. Even he averages 141 but that's in odi. We are yet to see him average that high in tests.

India bowling attack is far more lethal and superior in every facet of the game compared to new zeland and England. Only australia matches india right now.

India are nothing without Ashwin
None of the other teams have any spinners of the same quality
 
I guess if he'd said the Pakistani attack reminds him of the great WI attack, it would have been much more palatable for some people on here, lol.

The stats over the last 2 years and the visuals of how they go through line-ups are before you. Make peace with it, folks.
 
This team is predictably giving our fans stomach bugs. The fact is that it is a terrific side that would beat any Pakistan side of any era black and blue.
.

Don't think they will beat Pakistan side of the 1980s.

And Pakistan 2014-end to summer 2016 will also be competitive against them.

This is a great India side nevertheless.
 
Don't think they will beat Pakistan side of the 1980s.

And Pakistan 2014-end to summer 2016 will also be competitive against them.

This is a great India side nevertheless.

Pakistan, who was ranked #1 for around a month in 2014-2016 (that too because an India vs WI match was rained out), would be competitive against this Indian team which has been #1 for over 3 years?
 
The 1987 Pakistan lost a Test to a minnow Sri Lanka, a team that won only two Tests all decade. This India will never lose to a team like Afghanistan today. They are extremely good at winning matches.

Losing 4-1 in England wasn’t a great result, but I think England deserve credit as well. They are not a great Test side at the moment but they know how to win/survive big series at home.
Lol its laughable how every other post you try to put the one-off loss to SL against who Kapil Dev's India also lost.

In any case a one-off happens. Its embarrassing but thats how sport is. What is definitely not forgivable is to be consistently spanked and humiliated 4-1 when you are claiming yourself to be arguably among the best sides ever.

its simple. The current Indian side is definitely the best test side in Asian conditions due to their ruthlessness. But as an overall Test unit they have their weaknesses and getting absolutely clobbered 4--1 by an England side which is an okay team at best is pretty poor.

Against Australia away they won against a side essentially shorn off their 2 best players (and who make bulk of runs) and the result would have been different if Smith and Warner were in the side who have Indian bowlers for breakfast every time they face them in Tests at home (in case of Smith everywhere).

The only really impressive away result for India was in the series loss away to South Africa where eventhough they lost they were at similar level to opposition.
 
Pakistan, who was ranked #1 for around a month in 2014-2016 (that too because an India vs WI match was rained out), would be competitive against this Indian team which has been #1 for over 3 years?

Yes. Because rankings aren't everything. I'm not saying they would win it.
 
Yes. Because rankings aren't everything. I'm not saying they would win it.

To add to this. I am just talking about Asian conditions. If they played anywhere else obviously its a no-contest.
 
The 1987 Pakistan lost a Test to a minnow Sri Lanka, a team that won only two Tests all decade. This India will never lose to a team like Afghanistan today. They are extremely good at winning matches.

Also just to add to your blatant disingenuousness regarding Sri Lankan side earlier.

They are in no way comparable to Afghanistan of today. No way at all. Just because you want to peddle a certain narrative, facts dont go for a hike.

In the 1980s, the Sri Lankan side won against India and Pakistan. They also drew against Australia (away), England (away at Lords) and New Zealand. The only side against whom they did not get a positive result was West Indies. But the reason for that is that Sri Lanka did not play them in the 1980s.
 
Lol its laughable how every other post you try to put the one-off loss to SL against who Kapil Dev's India also lost.

In any case a one-off happens. Its embarrassing but thats how sport is. What is definitely not forgivable is to be consistently spanked and humiliated 4-1 when you are claiming yourself to be arguably among the best sides ever.

its simple. The current Indian side is definitely the best test side in Asian conditions due to their ruthlessness. But as an overall Test unit they have their weaknesses and getting absolutely clobbered 4--1 by an England side which is an okay team at best is pretty poor.

Against Australia away they won against a side essentially shorn off their 2 best players (and who make bulk of runs) and the result would have been different if Smith and Warner were in the side who have Indian bowlers for breakfast every time they face them in Tests at home (in case of Smith everywhere).

The only really impressive away result for India was in the series loss away to South Africa where eventhough they lost they were at similar level to opposition.

"absolutely clobbered"? lol Should have been 3-2 in favor of India. Poor team selection, lack of practice games, injuries, toss losses combination of many things turned the scoreline in to 1-4. Kohli has come a long way as a captain.
 
"absolutely clobbered"? lol Should have been 3-2 in favor of India. Poor team selection, lack of practice games, injuries, toss losses combination of many things turned the scoreline in to 1-4. Kohli has come a long way as a captain.

Yea 4-1 is exact definition of being clobbered.

When you are getting spanked 4-1 there's no ifs and buts. Its not some close-run thing.

Lol at 3-2 in favor of India :)) Nice fantasy world you live in
 
Yea 4-1 is exact definition of being clobbered.

When you are getting spanked 4-1 there's no ifs and buts. Its not some close-run thing.

Lol at 3-2 in favor of India :)) Nice fantasy world you live in

Yes it is close run. I am not sure if you even followed the series. England was like 90 runs ahead when they had 3 wickets in hand. Dhawan's drop cost India there. India would have chased 90 runs for sure.
CLobbered is when you lose heavily. India was in winning position 4 out of 5 tests on day 4. That is not clobbered.
 
Yes it is close run. I am not sure if you even followed the series. England was like 90 runs ahead when they had 3 wickets in hand. Dhawan's drop cost India there. India would have chased 90 runs for sure.
CLobbered is when you lose heavily. India was in winning position 4 out of 5 tests on day 4. That is not clobbered.

England also gave India chances. It was not just one way. England fielding that series was actually very poor. Kohli himself got a few chances before he cashed in.

the point is that when you lose 4-1 you can hardly make a case for saying you were the better team or at an equal level. It is not a one off. And its not like India even took the series to the last match of the series. Last match was a dead rubber which India lost anyway
 
England also gave India chances. It was not just one way. England fielding that series was actually very poor. Kohli himself got a few chances before he cashed in.

the point is that when you lose 4-1 you can hardly make a case for saying you were the better team or at an equal level. It is not a one off. And its not like India even took the series to the last match of the series. Last match was a dead rubber which India lost anyway

Only difference in that series was Sam Curran. Nobody else. Batting was pathetic for both sides. India lost Bumrah for 2 tests. Bhuvi did not play even a single test. These two things played a big factor.
 
Also just to add to your blatant disingenuousness regarding Sri Lankan side earlier.

They are in no way comparable to Afghanistan of today. No way at all. Just because you want to peddle a certain narrative, facts dont go for a hike.

In the 1980s, the Sri Lankan side won against India and Pakistan. They also drew against Australia (away), England (away at Lords) and New Zealand. The only side against whom they did not get a positive result was West Indies. But the reason for that is that Sri Lanka did not play them in the 1980s.

It was a conservative era and draws were common. Teams rarely went for the kill unless they were certain that they a defeat was out of question.

Imran Khan is talked about as one of the greatest captains ever (if not the greatest) with only 14 wins and majority of Tests ended in draws. If a captain wins only 14 Tests today no one is going to talk him up.

India was a weak Test side in the 80s after their spin quarter retired. The fact that Sri Lanka won only two Tests in the entire decade clearly illustrates that they were a minnow team on par with Bangladesh in the 2000s and Afghanistan today.
 
Lol its laughable how every other post you try to put the one-off loss to SL against who Kapil Dev's India also lost.

In any case a one-off happens. Its embarrassing but thats how sport is. What is definitely not forgivable is to be consistently spanked and humiliated 4-1 when you are claiming yourself to be arguably among the best sides ever.

its simple. The current Indian side is definitely the best test side in Asian conditions due to their ruthlessness. But as an overall Test unit they have their weaknesses and getting absolutely clobbered 4--1 by an England side which is an okay team at best is pretty poor.

Against Australia away they won against a side essentially shorn off their 2 best players (and who make bulk of runs) and the result would have been different if Smith and Warner were in the side who have Indian bowlers for breakfast every time they face them in Tests at home (in case of Smith everywhere).

The only really impressive away result for India was in the series loss away to South Africa where eventhough they lost they were at similar level to opposition.

They do have their weaknesses which is why they are not comparable to West Indies and Australia. However, they have fewer weaknesses than other Asian teams of the past.

I don’t think it is wrong to say that this is the strongest side ever assembled by a subcontinent team, and Kohli genuinely deserves to be considered as one of the best Test captains ever.
 
It was a conservative era and draws were common. Teams rarely went for the kill unless they were certain that they a defeat was out of question.

Imran Khan is talked about as one of the greatest captains ever (if not the greatest) with only 14 wins and majority of Tests ended in draws. If a captain wins only 14 Tests today no one is going to talk him up.

India was a weak Test side in the 80s after their spin quarter retired. The fact that Sri Lanka won only two Tests in the entire decade clearly illustrates that they were a minnow team on par with Bangladesh in the 2000s and Afghanistan today.

Bangladesh in the 2000s had 20-30 straight losses or something.

This side drew AWAY in Australia and England. That was an achievement for any touring side at the time.

there is no comparison. Absolutely none.

And in any case there are one-offs.

You do not have a point here either way though no matter how hard you are trying.
 
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Bangladesh in the 2000s had 20-30 straight losses or something.

This side drew AWAY in Australia and England. That was an achievement for any touring side at the time.

there is no comparison. Absolutely none.

And in any case there are one-offs.

You do not have a point here either way though no matter how hard you are trying.

I am sure Bangladesh would have drawn quite a few games in the 80s as well.

I can say the same about you. You cannot make Sri Lanka of the 80s look like a decent team when they only won two Tests all decade.

They had a W/L ratio of 0.1. The next worse W/L ratio was England and India’s at 0.5.

It is very clear that they were a weak side and the worst team of the decade by some distance. Losing to them was humiliating for Pakistan and Imran and no wonder he stopped playing minnows afterwards.

He was lucky it came in the pre-social media era. Had it happened today it would have ruined his legacy and people would have grilled him forever.
 
I am sure Bangladesh would have drawn quite a few games in the 80s as well.

I can say the same about you. You cannot make Sri Lanka of the 80s look like a decent team when they only won two Tests all decade.

They had a W/L ratio of 0.1. The next worse W/L ratio was England and India’s at 0.5.

It is very clear that they were a weak side and the worst team of the decade by some distance. Losing to them was humiliating for Pakistan and Imran and no wonder he stopped playing minnows afterwards.

He was lucky it came in the pre-social media era. Had it happened today it would have ruined his legacy and people would have grilled him forever.

You are literally the only person who keeps bringing this up without much traction. Imran Khan's reputation in the game is known by everyone and his legacy as one of the greats has already been sealed and delivered. This is why I say you repeating the same thing again and again will not make any difference. It makes no difference similar to how losing to them made no difference to Kapil Dev's legacy. (He doesnt have a great legacy as Test captain but loss to SL is not one of the reasons)

Asides from that what you say simply is not supported by facts. SL beat both India and Pakistan in quick succession and in that era drew tests in Australia and England which would have been an achievement for any Test side of the time barring WI. Bangladesh did not achieve anything remotely similar and if you think they would have achieved that with their 2000s team (if they were playing in the 1980s) then that only shows your cricketing understanding.

In conclusion, I'd go with legends and experts of the game in this particular topic than a poster who has an axe to grind against Imran Khan and comes across as obsessed on this topic. Lol you have even referenced the thickness of Imran Khan's Peshawri chappal's sole to criticise him :))

But we can agree to disagree here because it makes no difference
 
Lara said it reminds him of the 80s Windies in the aspect of quality BENCH STRENGTH. Meaning they have a lot of quality bowlers on the field plus sitting on the bench. He did not say it's the best bowling lineup since the Windies.
 
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The Indian pace is attack is being compared to that of the 1989 Windies team, meanwhile Pakistan is about to select a 2 useless left arm trundlers and a good for nothing medium pacer who just happens to share the same name as our Prime Minister. The end of nigh for Pakistan cricket
 
Dumb posts on this thread, Lara said it reminds him of the 80s Windies in the aspect of quality BENCH STRENGTH. Meaning they have a lot of quality bowlers on the field plus sitting on the bench. He did not say it's the best bowling lineup since the Windies.
Truth results in less masala

Basically Lara is saying that in 80s West Indies back up pacers were similar quality as the first team pacers and India has the same strength in reserves currently. He isn’t remotely comparing the West Indies 80s attacks to India’s current one in terms of quality
 
You are pretty delusional if you think a bowler who averaged 37 per wicket and took only 100 wickets in Tests would "eat [the current Indian] batting order alive", just because he got Tendulkar out 3 times. This is one of the worst cases of extrapolation from the individual to the general I have seen.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/39836.html

It's like saying Venkatesh Prasad would run through the Pakistani batting order every time they played. Note that your allegedly fabled 1999 WC bowling attack had Razzaq returning figures of 10-0-40-1 while Prasad had 9.3-2-27-5 in the same game.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...ndia-vs-pakistan-4th-super-icc-world-cup-1999

Bravo, comparing the worst bowler with your strike bowler. I said he was bad but still had Tendus number. A line up of wasim, waqar and shoaib supported by saqlain, razzaq would be too much for this lineup. Even Wasim alone would take out all your top order.
 
Bravo, comparing the worst bowler with your strike bowler. I said he was bad but still had Tendus number. A line up of wasim, waqar and shoaib supported by saqlain, razzaq would be too much for this lineup. Even Wasim alone would take out all your top order.

Hansie cronjie had sachins number. Sachin had a habit of giving his wicket away to the most innocuous bowlers
 
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