Current Indian Test team (at home) vs some ATG Test sides

[bujhee kom]

Well, there have only been 2 truly dominant Test sides. The mid 70s-1993/4 WI and the Aussies from 95-05.

Other fine sides: Saffers of quite recent vintage, Imran Khan's Pakistan of 83-89 who went toe to toe with the ATG WI etc etc.

Anyway, focussing on the 70s-94 WI and the ATG Aussie side, how would each fare against Kohli's India at home (in India).

5 test series.

 

[Buffet]

ATG Aus side did have Warne, but Indians normally play leg spin better.

Indian batting is not too great, but for Indian conditions, they have a good bowling side. It will be a good contest.

 

[bujhee kom]

It would be a fascinating contest.

How do you see the series panning out?

 

[Buffet]

It would be a fascinating contest.

How do you see the series panning out?

Indians will be slight favorite in my opinion due to those two teams not having spin attack to bother Indians. India probably has the best bowling side for Indians conditions right now. Indian batting is a bit suspect for me, but they will do fine in Indian conditions.

 

[bujhee kom]

Could the batting line up handsome the 4 quicks of Clive's team?

 

[Buffet]

Could the batting line up handsome the 4 quicks of Clive's team?

I think they can in Indian conditions. 4 quicks had shock effect when WI started and that made them more successful. Also, with 5 test series, if Indians play long innings in early part of series then it will make very hard for quicks.

I would have given more chance to WI if series was 3 tests.

 

[bujhee kom]

I meant handle. 2 threads open - mind was not focused. )

 

[bujhee kom]

V Aus. It would come down to how well India handle McGrath. SKW never bothered India.
Also could the spinners bamboozle tge Aussie top 7?

V WI. Much tougher as the 4 quicks could all hurt you. Viv is a factor.

V Aus: I'd choose India to win.
V WI. Very tough call.

 

[Hasan123]

This current Indian test team is very strong at home . They could give ATG sides a good contest in India. Away from home they would struggle.

 

[Canford Cliffs]

Well India did beat ATG Aust side in 2001 series

 

[Buffet]

This current Indian test team is very strong at home . They could give ATG sides a good contest in India. Away from home they would struggle.

I guess they have became more ruthless. If they find favorable conditions then they simply bury other teams. Kohli's team has won 14 and lost 1 test in India. I am not sure how it compares with some other captains because most teams are winning at home.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

I guess they have became more ruthless. If they find favorable conditions then they simply bury other teams. Kohli's team has won 14 and lost 1 test in India. I am not sure how it compares with some other captains because most teams are winning at home.

Well they lost to England in 2012.

Australia and WI would demolish them.

Winning against mediocre teams doesn't prove anything. Only Kohli would score.

 

[Rahul1]

Well they lost to England in 2012.

Australia and WI would demolish them.

Winning against mediocre teams doesn't prove anything. Only Kohli would score.

You're still clinging to that? That was a completely different Indian team. Only Kohli, Pujara, and Ashwin from that series are still playing for us.

 

[Sachin136]

Well they lost to England in 2012.

Australia and WI would demolish them.

Winning against mediocre teams doesn't prove anything. Only Kohli would score.

The 2012 team had Gambhir, Sehwag, Sachin, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Zaheer, and Ojha. What does that have to do with the current team?

 

[Buffet]

Well they lost to England in 2012.

Australia and WI would demolish them.

Winning against mediocre teams doesn't prove anything. Only Kohli would score.

2012 team was different than current team. Bowling unit is much better right now. I am not totally sure with time line, but 2012 had many batsmen who were in their last leg. I have absolutely no doubt that current Indian team is better than 2012 team.

I didn't see WI entire decade so can't say with certainty, but I saw entire Aus period. There is no way they will demolish India in India. They can win for sure.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

2012 team was different than current team. Bowling unit is much better right now. I am not totally sure with time line, but 2012 had many batsmen who were in their last leg. I have absolutely no doubt that current Indian team is better than 2012 team.

I didn't see WI entire decade so can't say with certainty, but I saw entire Aus period. There is no way they will demolish India in India. They can win for sure.

Sehwag, Tendulkar and Dravid are easily better than Shaw, Rahul and Rahane.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

You're still clinging to that? That was a completely different Indian team. Only Kohli, Pujara, and Ashwin from that series are still playing for us.

That team was superior to the current team. This team almost lost to Australia. At least that team lost to a team with 2 world class spinners and peak Cook and Pietersen.

 

[Buffet]

Sehwag, Tendulkar and Dravid are easily better than Shaw, Rahul and Rahane.

2012-2013 period - avg of above batsmen for those 2 years,

SRT - 27
Sehwag - 28
Dravid - 19


You are going by their reputation and not seeing that they were in their last leg.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Sehwag, Tendulkar and Dravid are easily better than Shaw, Rahul and Rahane.

Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar- all 3 became average to tail ender in their last 2 years. Ashwin wasn't half the bowler as he is now. Jadeja was not even regular. Pace bowling for India didn't exist, Ishant was crap.

 

[WengerOut]

Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar- all 3 became average to tail ender in their last 2 years. Ashwin wasn't half the bowler as he is now. Jadeja was not even regular. Pace bowling for India didn't exist, Ishant was crap.

Jadeja debuted in 2013 Aus series

 

[the_outsider]

Sehwag, Tendulkar and Dravid are easily better than Shaw, Rahul and Rahane.

Dravid didn't even play in that series. He had already retired by then.

I think this was the 2nd last series in Sehwag's career so he was pretty much done.

Sachin was also obviously into the last year of his career.

 

[the_outsider]

Through the 70s and 80s Windies record in India was

P 21
W 7
L 4
D 10

This is the same team that was undefeated in England in 23 tests and won 10 out of 22 tests in Australia.

India was a difficult tour for even the greatest WI team. And back then India was hardly a force in international cricket.

If that team had to face the current Indian line-up, there is no way that they could have won. Draw maybe. But they wouldn't be winning.

 

[jeetu]

Indian team in 80's was suspect at home because it lacked high quality spinner.

Spinners emerged and faded so during that time. Emergence of Kumble made India much stronger at home in 90's. Trend was continued by Harbhajan then Ashwin.

[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Decade [/td][td]Teams [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Won [/td][td]Lost [/td][td]Tied [/td][td]Draw [/td][td]W/L [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1930s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1940s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1950s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]25 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]0.75 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1960s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]36 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]22 [/td][td]0.75 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1970s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]34 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]16 [/td][td]1.571 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1980s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]42 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]24 [/td][td]0.888 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1990s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]30 [/td][td]17 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]3.4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]2000s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]47 [/td][td]21 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]18 [/td][td]2.625 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]2010s [/td][td]1 [/td][td]45 [/td][td]31 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]7.75 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Jadeja debuted in 2013 Aus series

You get my point.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Here's the team that lost the third test to Australia in 2004:

1. Chopra
2. Sehwag
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Kaif
7. Patel
8. Agarkar
9. Kumble
10. Kartik
11. Zaheer

Ganguly got injured after the 2nd test, I think, to be replaced by Tendulkar who had been injured himself. Harbhajan was also part of the squad, but wasn't bowling that well. Anyway the point is I think that side is definitely better than this year's team. Kohli, Pant, Bumrah, and possibly Shaw would get into that team, but the spine of that team is stronger.

I think the 2004 Australian team will win convincingly if they had a chance to face the current Indian team.

 

[Buffet]

Here's the team that lost the third test to Australia in 2004:

1. Chopra
2. Sehwag
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Kaif
7. Patel
8. Agarkar
9. Kumble
10. Kartik
11. Zaheer

Ganguly got injured after the 2nd test, I think, to be replaced by Tendulkar who had been injured himself. Harbhajan was also part of the squad, but wasn't bowling that well. Anyway the point is I think that side is definitely better than this year's team. Kohli, Pant, Bumrah, and possibly Shaw would get into that team, but the spine of that team is stronger.

I think the 2004 Australian team will win convincingly if they had a chance to face the current Indian team.

If my memory serves me right then you are referring to greenest pitch served in Nagpur due to some politics. That's not a typical Indian pitch.

Great Aus team may as well get whitewashed if they play on pitches served during last SA series in India against current Indian team.

 

[Last Monetarist]

If my memory serves me right then you are referring to greenest pitch served in Nagpur due to some politics. That's not a typical Indian pitch.

Great Aus team may as well get whitewashed if they play on pitches served during last SA series in India against current Indian team.

That was just a randomly selected match, Australia batted first by the way. You can talk about the first test pitch at Bengaluru instead, which was a classic featherbed. Doesn't change the fact that people are drastically overrating the current Indian team, or underrating the great Australian team.

 

[Buffet]

Here is some reference about the third test in Nagpur which Aus won. I was not sure if I recalled it right so I just googled.

--------------------------

'This is a very Australian wicket,' said Adam Gilchrist, with a wide smile plastered on his face

Ganguly had called the president of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, Shashank Manohar, as early as 20 October and requested a pitch that would assist the spinners. In the first Test in Bangalore, India's spinners took 16 of the 20 wickets to fall, in the second they accounted for 18 out of 20. Was it not natural that Kishore Pradhan, the curator at Nagpur, would prepare a pitch that had something in it for the spinners? Apparently he knew better and left plenty of grass on the pitch.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/oct/31/cricket.theobserver

-------------------------

 

[Chrish]

They never played Pakistan at home or in uae when Mishnah and Yunis were there

 

[Buffet]

That was just a randomly selected match, Australia batted first by the way. You can talk about the first test pitch at Bengaluru instead, which was a classic featherbed. Doesn't change the fact that people are drastically overrating the current Indian team, or underrating the great Australian team.

You are doing the opposite here to be honest. Great Aus team wouldn't have won single series if not for that green pitch. Yes, they were good enough to win in Indian some tests here and there. They were gun team after all.

Now, current Indian bowling is surely much better than previous bowling units when it comes to Indian conditions. I do think that Indian batting is weaker. Over all, I don't think that Great Aus team will win a long series in typical Indian conditions we have seen recently , let alone winning easily.

Off course it's just an opinion and it can differ.

 

[Bhaijaan]

The 2009-2011 test team was gun. This team is more WIP. They had difficulty beating Smith’s Aussies.

 

[Last Monetarist]

You are doing the opposite here to be honest. Great Aus team wouldn't have won single series if not for that green pitch. Yes, they were good enough to win in Indian some tests here and there. They were gun team after all.

Now, current Indian bowling is surely much better than previous bowling units when it comes to Indian conditions. I do think that Indian batting is weaker. Over all, I don't think that Great Aus team will win a long series in typical Indian conditions we have seen recently , let alone winning easily.

Off course it's just an opinion and it can differ.

Fair enough about the Nagpur pitch, but that Australian team was only stopped from winning in India by three remarkable individual performances: Tendulkar in 1998; Laxman and Harbhajan in 2001. I just don't think the current Indian batting lineup would be able to survive against McGrath and Gillespie, even on Indian pitches. They would have to doctor the pitches heavily to ensure India is competitive.

 

[Buffet]

Fair enough about the Nagpur pitch, but that Australian team was only stopped from winning in India by three remarkable individual performances: Tendulkar in 1998; Laxman and Harbhajan in 2001. I just don't think the current Indian batting lineup would be able to survive against McGrath and Gillespie, even on Indian pitches. They would have to doctor the pitches heavily to ensure India is competitive.

I already said that Indian batting was better.

McGrath would bowl very well in any conditions, but you do need spinners to make impact in India if you want to win a 5 test series. McGrath has no 5-fers in 16 innings he bowled in India. Twice he took 4 wickets and all other times 3 or less wickets. Gillespie was also a gun bowler, but he has just one 4-fer outside of Nagpur green pitch. Out of 33 wickets, 9 wickets by Gillespie came in that Nagpur pitch.

So you can see that without spinners , it's very hard to win a series in India if pitches are typical. I think current Indian team will have a slight edge, but just an opinion and I may be off with that.

 

[Buffet]

I am not discounting Warne, but Indians play leg spinners much better than off spinners. It was true earlier, but more true right now. If Warne was offie then I would have given Aus a slight edge.

 

[Last Monetarist]

I already said that Indian batting was better.

McGrath would bowl very well in any conditions, but you do need spinners to make impact in India if you want to win a 5 test series. McGrath has no 5-fers in 16 innings he bowled in India. Twice he took 4 wickets and all other times 3 or less wickets. Gillespie was also a gun bowler, but he has just one 4-fer outside of Nagpur green pitch. Out of 33 wickets, 9 wickets by Gillespie came in that Nagpur pitch.

So you can see that without spinners , it's very hard to win a series in India if pitches are typical. I think current Indian team will have a slight edge, but just an opinion and I may be off with that.

No worries, I fully understand. It's highly probable that I might be wrong with my assessment about the quality of the current Indian batting lineup. This is probably the weakest Indian batting order I've ever seen. But you're right, Australia will need good spin bowling to support McGrath and Gillespie.

 

[Ab Fan]

Pujara is a legend in Indian conditions. Fast bowling has got better in Indian conditions as well.

However, it is also true that the current Indian team hasn't faced any severe challenge against any great side in home conditions. It has been all too easy for them in this era of HTB, although no doubt they have been absolutely ruthless. Non-Asian batsmen can't play spin to save their life while Pakistan team of YK and Misbah never played against them. SL, as an overall team is quite weak and so is the current Pakistan team.

 

[Ab Fan]

No worries, I fully understand. It's highly probable that I might be wrong with my assessment about the quality of the current Indian batting lineup. This is probably the weakest Indian batting order I've ever seen. But you're right, Australia will need good spin bowling to support McGrath and Gillespie.

Weakest Indian batting outside Asia, not in Asia though.

 

[Shandarchowka]

I somehow feel Indias batting a little overrated. Barring Kohli and Pujara who are good at home, others don't inspire much confidence. If teams can plan against them I'm sure others will fall in line. With some planning Ashwin and Jadeja can be neutralized. You don't need ATG teams to beat this Indian side in India. Maybe a team like Pakistan will be able to dominate them at home.

 

[Srtfan]

Sachin didn't play First 2 test & ganguly last 2 test in 2003/4.our 2nd opner & wk was medicore that time.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Weakest Indian batting outside Asia, not in Asia though.

Nope, in my opinion this is definitely the weakest at home I've seen since about 1996. That side had Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Azharuddin in the middle order, but you had the likes of Vikram Rathour or WV Raman opening the batting with Nayan Mongia or Navjot Sidhu. It's touch and go, I'd take the 90s lineup personally.

 

[the_outsider]

I somehow feel Indias batting a little overrated. Barring Kohli and Pujara who are good at home, others don't inspire much confidence. If teams can plan against them I'm sure others will fall in line. With some planning Ashwin and Jadeja can be neutralized. You don't need ATG teams to beat this Indian side in India. Maybe a team like Pakistan will be able to dominate them at home.

If it was easy to win against India in India, teams would be winning here. If they are not, then the proof is in the pudding , isn't it?

Pakistan won't be be able to win, let alone dominate in India. SL is a better test team than Pak and if they got whitewashed by India, chances of Pak winning a test, let alone a series is very low.

 

[the_outsider]

Nope, in my opinion this is definitely the weakest at home I've seen since about 1996. That side had Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Azharuddin in the middle order, but you had the likes of Vikram Rathour or WV Raman opening the batting with Nayan Mongia or Navjot Sidhu. It's touch and go, I'd take the 90s lineup personally.

You are saying this is the weakest Indian batting line up ever and then you are only comparing it with the best Indian batting line-up of history and one of the best batting line-ups in world cricket.

The tag "weakest" loses all relevance.

 

[Ab Fan]

Nope, in my opinion this is definitely the weakest at home I've seen since about 1996. That side had Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Azharuddin in the middle order, but you had the likes of Vikram Rathour or WV Raman opening the batting with Nayan Mongia or Navjot Sidhu. It's touch and go, I'd take the 90s lineup personally.

Openers for some time were SS Das and Sadgopan Ramesh. Then Akash Chopra came as well. Sidhu was before those three came. Those guys were all failures and stand no chance against Vijay, Dhawan, Rahul, Rohit or Shaw or Nair <B>in Asian conditions</B>.

The thing is when the current blokes toured outside Asia, they failed continuously and that is why you got to see them getting replaced by next set of players.

If the same blokes kept playing in Asian conditions, they won't have been dropped. You can look at their record at home or in Asia. Same for Pujara but luckily he was given the chance when home tour(2015) just started and he got back his form again. If we play Rohit and Dhawan in Asia, they will again score runs heavily but outside Asia, they will be a walking wicket.

<B>India can field a XI completely for Asian conditions and their batting will be massively strong but the same guys would fail when they tour outside Asia, which is why they get dropped and is replaced by a new player and that is why the names in Indian batting sheet keep changing even in Asia.</B>

 

[barah_admi]

India would get thrashed the batting line up looks so fragile and the bowling just isn't good enough against the likes of Viv, Greenidge, Lloyd, Ponting, Hayden, Gilchrist, Waugh etc etc

Then they would have to contend with Marshall, McGrath, Holding...man I won't even continue.

 

[Last Monetarist]

You are saying this is the weakest Indian batting line up ever and then you are only comparing it with the best Indian batting line-up of history and one of the best batting line-ups in world cricket.

The tag "weakest" loses all relevance.

No, I am saying it's the weakest Indian batting lineup that I've ever seen, slight difference in connotation there. Guess what I mean is that India have always had a great batting lineup for home conditions, it's just that the current iteration looks a little bit weak in comparison.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Openers for some time were SS Das and Sadgopan Ramesh. Then Akash Chopra came as well. Sidhu was before those three came. Those guys were all failures and stand no chance against Vijay, Dhawan, Rahul, Rohit or Shaw or Nair <B>in Asian conditions</B>.

The thing is when the current blokes toured outside Asia, they failed continuously and that is why you got to see them getting replaced by next set of players.

If the same blokes kept playing in Asian conditions, they won't have been dropped. You can look at their record at home or in Asia. Same for Pujara but luckily he was given the chance when home tour(2015) just started and he got back his form again. If we play Rohit and Dhawan in Asia, they will again score runs heavily but outside Asia, they will be a walking wicket.

<B>India can field a XI completely for Asian conditions and their batting will be massively strong but the same guys would fail when they tour outside Asia, which is why they get dropped and is replaced by a new player and that is why the names in Indian batting sheet keep changing even in Asia.</B>

It doesn't matter who the openers are, I'd always take a middle order of Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, and Azhar/Ganguly over anyone India selects today.

 

[Last Monetarist]

India would get thrashed the batting line up looks so fragile and the bowling just isn't good enough against the likes of Viv, Greenidge, Lloyd, Ponting, Hayden, Gilchrist, Waugh etc etc

Then they would have to contend with Marshall, McGrath, Holding...man I won't even continue.

Yeah, I seriously don't understand why people are thinking that this is one of the all-time great Indian teams for home conditions. People have such short memories.

 

[Ab Fan]

It doesn't matter who the openers are, I'd always take a middle order of Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, and Azhar/Ganguly over anyone India selects today.

Obviously, that was a legendary middle order India had and there is a reason why that slot remain unchanged for almost a decade for India.

I was only making a point that the current Indian batting isn't weak at all in Asia and there are quite a few players outside the Indian XI who have been successful in Asia but due to their continuous failures outside Asia, they are out of the XI at the moment.

 

[Ab Fan]

Yeah, I seriously don't understand why people are thinking that this is one of the all-time great Indian teams for home conditions. People have such short memories.

Because they have got the results backing. So many wins with absolute ruthlessness at home and only one loss, in all, says it all.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Obviously, that was a legendary middle order India had and there is a reason why that slot remain unchanged for almost a decade for India.

I was only making a point that the current Indian batting isn't weak at all in Asia and there are quite a few players outside the Indian XI who have been successful in Asia but due to their continuous failures outside Asia, they are out of the XI at the moment.

Yes, but the whole point of the thread is speculating upon how this team would perform against some of the strongest teams ever assembled. Surely thrashing hapless tourists like New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, and West Indies or just scraping over the line against an average Australian team over the last two years isn't enough to elevate this side to the top of the pantheon. It just hasn't been challenged because the quality of touring teams is rubbish.

All I am saying is that India had great teams for home conditions in the past two decades, which had much better quality (especially in batting) than the current team.

 

[the_outsider]

No, I am saying it's the weakest Indian batting lineup that I've ever seen, slight difference in connotation there. Guess what I mean is that India have always had a great batting lineup for home conditions, it's just that the current iteration looks a little bit weak in comparison.

You are saying that this batting line-up is the weakest Indian batting line-up you have ever seen. But you have only seen this current line-up and the fab 4 line-up - which is the best batting line-up India has ever had.

So what you are saying is technically correct, but effectively meaningless.

It's like comparing Ronaldo and Messi and then saying, between the two, Messi is the weakest footballer.

 

[the_outsider]

Yeah, I seriously don't understand why people are thinking that this is one of the all-time great Indian teams for home conditions. People have such short memories.

Because the numbers back that claim.

 

[WengerOut]

Fab 4 lineup were better in batting , but bowling wise, today's will be better. Back then Kumble was the only one, but today there are 2 spin mercenaries.

 

[the_outsider]

India would get thrashed the batting line up looks so fragile and the bowling just isn't good enough against the likes of Viv, Greenidge, Lloyd, Ponting, Hayden, Gilchrist, Waugh etc etc

Then they would have to contend with Marshall, McGrath, Holding...man I won't even continue.

Lol Ponting? The guy who averages 24 in India? )

Do you even watch cricket? Stop embarrassing yourself.

Even the 70s/80s Windies struggled in India more than they did in England, Australia and Pakistan. India was a weak team then. And Windies still struggled.

The GOAT Australian team had to play 4 series and somehow eeked out one win in the series where Sachin and Ganguly didn't play 2 out of 3 matches.

I know you hate India and are overflowing with bias but at least don't embarrass yourself with rubbish like "India would get thrashed by Ponting". What an idiotic statement. )

 

[barah_admi]

Yeah, I seriously don't understand why people are thinking that this is one of the all-time great Indian teams for home conditions. People have such short memories.

If a line up of Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar couldn't out bat those Aussies often enough, no idea how the current b team is supposed to do it.

 

[the_outsider]

If a line up of Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar couldn't out bat those Aussies often enough, no idea how the current b team is supposed to do it.

Don't know what cricket you watch but the cricket I have been watching, it's a batsman vs bowler contest. Not batsman vs batsman.

Unless Dravids and Sehwags were being bowled to by Haydens and Pontings - the statement you have made is incredibly stupid.

 

[Srtfan]

Current indian opner,wk,lower order batsman and bowling are better than fab 4 team,only middle order is little weak compare to fab 4.

 

[Last Monetarist]

You are saying that this batting line-up is the weakest Indian batting line-up you have ever seen. But you have only seen this current line-up and the fab 4 line-up - which is the best batting line-up India has ever had.

So what you are saying is technically correct, but effectively meaningless.

It's like comparing Ronaldo and Messi and then saying, between the two, Messi is the weakest footballer.

No, what I am saying is it's the weakest batting line-up I have seen in more than two decades. I don't know why that is so hard to comprehend. We are speculating on whether this current team will beat the ATG Australian team, and I am just expressing my scepticism about that claim.

And your football analogy is off by the way, a more accurate one would be to compare prime Ronaldo environs 97-98 (when he played for Barca or Inter) with a very good modern player such as Neymar to see if they could do the business in the World Cup.