No disrespect but you are wrong
This is not the best Asian team by any means. Hell, i will take Misbah's team that went 2-2 in England over this team. Not to mention the Indian and Pakistani teams in the 2000's.
This team is massively overrated. Ashwin's batting is useless against good attacks and while he didn't bowl much, he is simply not a great bowler outside of overly friendly spin tracks in India.
If Ashwin had taken a 10fer in England vs England, you would be praising him to the moon. Instead, you try to downplay Yasir and rate Ashwin as the best spinner in the world.
In reality, Ashwin cannot hold a candle to Yasir. Hell, Ashwin doesn't even compare to Saqlain (in tests, yes) or Stuart McGill. Ashwin is a product of his time- a product of overly spin friendly wickets in India. A decent bowler who you would describe as nothing more than decent if he was Pakistani.
Sharma is useless in tests in any half decent bowling conditions. Dhawan is decent at best. Pujara has had mixed success away from home.
As for Kohli, he is nowhere near as great as you make him out to be. Yes, he is better than any current Pak batter. But he isn't a once in a generational batsmen that you have made him out to be. Given how frequently Kohli has gotten to play away from home, this is embarassing. He is not a novice. He has had more overseas opportunities in his career so far than virtually any Pakistan batsman has had in their entire career. Kohli is a very good batter who generally needs favourable conditions to succeed.
All in all, this Indian team is only #1 due to the sheer number of matches they play. Their batting is weak, bowling is ok, and all in all, they are nothing to write home about.
Just like many Pakistani fans overrate Pakistani cricketers, you VASTLY overrate Indian cricketers. They have just one great batter (Kohli) in their entire team. And even Kohli is more vulnerable outside the off stump than a great batsman should be. (All great batters are slightly weak if you consistently bowl an off stump line, but Kohli is more so).
India do not have a single genuinely great bowler. And no, Ashwin isn't the best spinner in the world. That is Yasir and by distance.
Yes we will have to agree to disagree. Misbah's team was an average one - it even lost even lost a Test in Zimbabwe, couldn't beat NZ at home, and also lost a Test in the UAE to the WI. The 2-2 in England was a good result but England had an unsettled top-order and Stokes only played 1 Test. In addition, Anderson was nursing a shoulder injury and wasn't at his best.
Moreover, we got lucky because we played them in late summer when the conditions were good. This year, we are touring them in May and a whitewash is on the cards.
Ashwin is better than Yasir in my view. Both are reliant on turning pitches, but when there is no assistance, Yasir gets smashed like no tomorrow. On the contrary, Ashwin is still able to bowl economical spells.
Yasir's inability to stem the flow of runs was a major reason why Australia whitewashed us last year. On the other hand, Ashwin's economical bowling helped India draw two Tests in Australia last time around. Yasir helped us win two matches in England on surfaces that provided assistance, but he got hammered at Old Trafford and Edgbaston.
If Ashwin and Jadeja get similar pitches at Lord's and The Oval, they will also do well.
He is a good spinner but overrated by Pakistani fans. Our Test bowling is garbage at the moment and he is the only wicket-taker, and that is why he stands out compared to the rest. It is not hard to out-bowl Amir, Wahab, Rahat, Abbas etc. Any wicket-taking spinner will look godly in the Pakistan team, there is simply no one to share the wickets with.
Ashwin and Jadeja's economical bowling gives them an edge on Yasir.
Pakistan's 90's team had great potential, but it was corrupt and Ijaz was a liability at number 3. Yes he was great against Australia due to his good back-foot game, but on slow Asian pitches, he was very ordinary. That team could have achieved greater heights with a world class number 3 batsman.
This young Indian team has a lot of potential and should achieve more than what the gang of Pakistani match-fixers did in the 90's. The Indian team of 2000's was very good but I think this current team has an edge when it comes ti bowling.
India's batting is not weak at all. They have a top class top 5 but they need to select the right team. KL Rahul should not be benched and they need Rahane to rediscover his form. In addition, they have the best pure WK in the world.
Kohli is not invincible but he is still a legendary batsman and his best years are only ahead of him. If he fails on this tour and in the England series, then obviously he will warrant criticism. Nonetheless, he is a great captain and batsman.
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. All I can say is, I'd be disappointed if the Indians bat the same way in the next Test.
