Looking at your reply, it looks like you consider Test Cricket as the ultimate form of the game and success in test cricket is what makes a great team. Valid point and well taken
But now, test cricket has finally gotten context. Thankfully
Winning a test series in Australia or any other country away is only IMPORTANT because it makes your qualification to the WTC final easier
The 2021 Indian win ensured they qualified for the final. What happened in the final?
It rained for 3 days still India were beaten by New Zealand
4 years ago, I would have swapped a test series win in Australia for a Champions Trophy/t20 WC win
But now, NO
Win the WTC final even if you are whitewashed in a difficult series away.
WINNING THE WTC IS WHAT MATTERS
So the 2021 series win doesn't account for much as they were hammered by New Zealand in the final
The 2018 series win was against a handicapped Australian team missing 2 of it's best players. Even Pakistan would have defeated that Australia team
Also, your "dominant " test team in the last 10 years has lost all away series in South Africa and New Zealand
Has not won an away series in England. Is this domonation?
Has defeated a handicapped Australian team in 2018 and the 2021 win was a fluke- just like Sri Lanka beating South Africa away was a fluke. Otherwise level 36 all out wala tha
Winning a Test series in Australia, England or India is bigger than winning the WTC.
The WTC is a failed tournament and it will have a short life in its current form simply because all teams are not playing in the same conditions.
For example, there is absolutely no way New Zealand would make a WTC Final in 2021 if they were playing their matches in Asia.
You cannot have a “championship” where each team is playing in different conditions and playing different number of matches.
For example, Pakistan had such an easy route to the WTC Final this year because all their major series where scheduled at home but they still couldn’t capitalize because they broke all records of incompetence and mediocrity by losing to both Australia and England and drawing with New Zealand.
You can ask any Indian fan and they would tell you that they wouldn’t swap the two Test series wins in Australia with a WTC Final victory over Australia in England.
Similarly, New Zealand and Australia would trade their WTC Final wins over India in England with Test series wins in India.
As far as India’s dominance in Test cricket in 2015-2021 is concerned, dominance doesn’t mean perfection. Were India perfect? Of course not, no team can be perfect. Ponting’s Australia was also not perfect, but they did better than everyone else and so did this Indian team.
In that period, no team was even close to them. India were absolutely brutal at home and won two Test series in Australia. They did much more than every other Test team of that period and this is why they were the dominant Test team.
If I were to rank the top 5 achievements in international cricket based on difficulty, importance and value, I would rank them the following:
1. Beating India/Australia away in a Test series and maintaining number 1 Test ranking for a long period of time (at least 24 months continuously)
2. Winning an ODI World Cup
3. Beating England, SA and NZ away in a Test series
4. Winning the WTC
5. Winning a WT20/Champions Trophy