Is India now destined to be the best Asian team permanently?

[Savak]

I just don't see how countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or Afghanistan can really compete with India given that these countries do not have the financial means/resources to create India's cricketing eco system where every Indian domestic player can live a very comfortable life just from playing cricket alone for his state team even if he never ever gets to play for India or Indian national team players where they get dropped or are no longer competitive vs other competing players can still enjoy $1 to $1.5 million paydays from the IPL where they are comfortably set for life even if they don't ever play for India again.

Maybe the Asia Cup should be segregated where India should not be a part of the Asia Cup anymore and the other Asia Cup sides can compete against each other and the winner of the Asia Cup gets to play against India in a best of 3-5 finals.

Forget about Asian teams, even teams like Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand will not be able to consistently compete with India's never ending supply of talent. New Zealand has enjoyed its golden generation for the last 12-14 years but once they lose 5-8 players, can we confidently say they have ready replacements? Australia's performance in this T-20 World Cup should have been a warning sign for them about life after Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I am waiting for Vaibahv Sooryavanshi era to start. We can get rid of tuk tukers like Abhishek sharma

 

[pakistani pride]

It was a matter of time. Pak should be ashamed that it has not been able to get a system going to make sure you atleast belong in the top 3 / 4 of the world.

 

[TheSultan]

It depends on what format you’re talking about. They have real issues in test cricket with the approach they have in white ball cricket and we have seen that with successive home losses (something unheard of in the past) against NZ and SA.

In the white ball game they are far ahead in flat decks. We’ll have to see how wide the gap is on other tracks. They may prove themselves there too. But yes if the pitches are flat, no lateral movement - they are currently and for foreseeable the best team in Asia

 

[sweep_shot]

It depends on what format you’re talking about. They have real issues in test cricket with the approach they have in white ball cricket and we have seen that with successive home losses (something unheard of in the past) against NZ and SA.

In the white ball game they are far ahead in flat decks. We’ll have to see how wide the gap is on other tracks. They may prove themselves there too. But yes if the pitches are flat, no lateral movement - they are currently and for foreseeable the best team in Asia

Correct.

India is #4 in Test currently. They may become #5 soon. Their ODI decline also started as they lost to NZ B team recently (at home).

It is only in T20 where they are dominating.

 

[Mockingbird]

It depends on what format you’re talking about. They have real issues in test cricket with the approach they have in white ball cricket and we have seen that with successive home losses (something unheard of in the past) against NZ and SA.

In the white ball game they are far ahead in flat decks. We’ll have to see how wide the gap is on other tracks. They may prove themselves there too. But yes if the pitches are flat, no lateral movement - they are currently and for foreseeable the best team in Asia

We are going through a transition in test cricket, but we ought to regroup quickly. My take on this is we need to drop GG as the red ball coach & get in a red ball specialist.

 

[sweep_shot]

There is nothing called "permanent Asian best team". Things can change very quickly in cricket. Who knows who will be the best team 30 years later? 30 years ago, Pakistan was the best in Asia.

 

[nish_mate]

one things for sure BD will never be Asias best team....even Qudrat ka Nizam wont help there

 

[Buffet]

Permanent? LOL

Don't over react.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Nothing in sports or indeed life is permanent.

If kiwis can get to numerous cup finals then there is nothing to stop other Asian countries with better cricket infrastructure and talent pool to do better.

 

[baba ghazi]

Permanently , no.. but in t20 cricket atleast in long term they will be a powerhouse.. They have talent , system and money all 3 working for them in T20 cricket

 

[Kianig89]

Yes for foreseeable future it looks like the norm, nobody specifically from Asia is going to catch India

 

[Rajdeep]

Honestly, hiding behind teams like Australia, England, or New Zealand and saying “even they can’t compete with India” is the wrong way to look at it. In those countries, cricket isn’t the number one sport — they have strong competition from sports like football, rugby, and others. So, to their credit, the fact that they still remain competitive in cricket is actually impressive.

On the other hand, for countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, cricket is by far the main sport and receives the most attention, resources, and public passion. Because of that, the expectation and responsibility to compete closely with India is naturally much higher for them. Yet they fail time and again and expect SENA teams to do dirty jobs on their behalf

 

[jnaveen1980]

They attained this status long back. Since 2011 they have been dominating world cups in ODI format. Reached 3 CT final. Highest win loss ratio in world cups by some distance . This Indian team never depended on "kudrat ka nizam" . They utterly dominated in almost all the world cups since 2011.e No Asian team is getting clsoer.

Under-19 reflects the quality of the future. They have reached 6 U19 finals in a row won 3 of them.

 

[Van_Sri]

Pakistan need another Imran Khan to revive their Cricket

 

[Katwalindian]

How India have immense talent when Washington sunar is their number 3 in tests?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Pakistan need another Imran Khan to revive their Cricket

Cricket has become a pro sport long back. Playing unrefined players from streets , creating magic is too old fashioned. He will be found out sooner than later. Every players get analyzed and found out. Varun C for the last 1 year bamboozling all batsmen. In this world cup SA found a way. Everyone copied it and dealt with that threat. Usman tariq was hyped so much. Srilanka exposed him. Above playing under pressure requires professionalism, experience.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Pakistan need another Imran Khan to revive their Cricket

Cricket has moved beyond the era of big personalities defining the fortunes of a team. Professionalism, fitness, structure carry far more weight in the modern era and separate the top teams from the rest. A couple of good players can help you win matches but they can't change the fundamental outlook of a team.

 

[BDfanforever]

SRL and Pak are still pretty competitive in T20. Pakistan almost became champion in 2022. Srl was a powerhouse between 2007 to 2014. I am willing to bet SRL might be first Asian team to win WTC.

Cricket isn't number 1 sport in Bangladesh and Cricket culture sucks over there. However, in 5 or 6 years time they too will be significantly stronger than 2007 version or so I hope.

 

[BDfanforever]

Cricket has moved beyond the era of big personalities defining the fortunes of a team. Professionalism, fitness, structure carry far more weight in the modern era and separate the top teams from the rest. A couple of good players can help you win matches but they can't change the fundamental outlook of a team.

Cummins, Hazelwood, Starc says Hi.

 

[Mockingbird]

How India have immense talent when Washington sunar is their number 3 in tests?

That’s the thing - our test team is not settled yet, we are still in the transition phase. Since India probably has no chance to make it to the WTC final this year, we should use it fully to try different combos from our bench strength and finalize the team combinations for the next cycle.

 

[Vikram1989]

We are going through a transition in test cricket, but we ought to regroup quickly. My take on this is we need to drop GG as the red ball coach & get in a red ball specialist.

Or atleast for test matches alone , get a mentor like ravi did in fletcher regime.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Cummins, Hazelwood, Starc says Hi.

Hazelwood: hasn't played a Test match since July 2025
Cummins: played one Test in the last 8 months
Starc: only plays Tests and retired from white-ball

Australia are still the No.1 Test team in the world and the No. 3 ODI team in the world

Also, Starc is the living embodiment of how far prioritizing fitness and professionalism can take you. He is 36 and still bowling full-tilt at 140+ and playing every Test match he can for Australia. How many other fast-bowlers that age are doing that?

 

[Usman Chadda]

I don’t know about other Asian countries, but Pakistan frankly is a joke right now and will probably slide further down rather than go up due to a multitude of reasons.

India has adopted professionalism in cricket, and refined what it’s learnt from the likes of Australia. They will keep producing talent in the near future while SENA countries will also be left far behind very soon.

They will fix themselves in Test cricket very soon aswell in my opinion.

Indian fans are absolute morons, but you have to credit the way their team is playing cricket at the moment. It’s extremely watchable and entertaining, and that’s what sport should be all about.

 

[Savak]

Hazelwood: hasn't played a Test match since July 2025
Cummins: played one Test in the last 8 months
Starc: only plays Tests and retired from white-ball

Australia are still the No.1 Test team in the world and the No. 3 ODI team in the world

Also, Starc is the living embodiment of how far prioritizing fitness and professionalism can take you. He is 36 and still bowling full-tilt at 140+ and playing every Test match he can for Australia. How many other fast-bowlers that age are doing that?

Was reading an article where the focus was on England's booze filled culture where the English management under Mccullam allowed the players to do whatever they wanted to in order to unwind, relax from the pressures of the Ashes tour.

Starc on the other hand followed a strict diet, did not have a single sip of Alcohol or Beer for 4-5 months, worked hard on his strength, conditioning with a trainer because he knew that during the ashes he would have to bowl 20 overs in an innings for 5 test matches at 140-145 km/hr. Thats what you call professionalism and wanting to be at your best for your country.

 

[Hitman]

Where is Mr. Troll Extraordinaire of this forum aka @Technics 1210 ? ​

 

[maha3us]

Nothing in sports is permanent. Every team can regroup quickly. In this World cup, the highest run getter is Sahibzada Farhan. This indicates Pakistan has talents. Minhas is also a good upcoming player. Pakistan have known to produce good bowling combination. Good management team is required to get the best out of good players.

Also I like to see healthy competitive rivalry among the Asian teams. It is always a puzzle why Sri Lanka has declined from being a world class team.

 

[CleverSir]

India have professionalized their sport for the most part. They will always have a baseline now. As does Australia, England, and SA. NZ are professional but as a small nation they will always need players to punch above their weight.

Pakistan seriously needs to move towards professional administration which will in turn allow PSL to professionalize and churn out polished talent. The money from there will allow our domestic to professionalize as well.

Alas, our politics is too focused on short term and baradri-ism and will not allow this to happen.

 

[Hitman]

Credit to BCCI for never giving up or neglecting international cricket in between the glitz and glamour of IPL.​

 

[charlie007]

Dominance is never permanent, nor is mediocrity. But you can give yourself the best chance of success with a good structure, forward looking planning, disciplined execution, and focus on continuous improvement and growth. It’s true in every aspect of life, including all sports.

 

[Justcrazy]

In 20 20 India will be a hard team to beat for sometime now. But without Bumrah India can be beaten.

 

[harshjoshi87]

SRL and Pak are still pretty competitive in T20. Pakistan almost became champion in 2022. Srl was a powerhouse between 2007 to 2014. I am willing to bet SRL might be first Asian team to win WTC.

Cricket isn't number 1 sport in Bangladesh and Cricket culture sucks over there. However, in 5 or 6 years time they too will be significantly stronger than 2007 version or so I hope.

Sri Lanka who haven't won a single test match in India & Australia since they started playing test matches in 1982 will win WTC

 

[jnaveen1980]

Dominance is never permanent, nor is mediocrity. But you can give yourself the best chance of success with a good structure, forward looking planning, disciplined execution, and focus on continuous improvement and growth. It’s true in every aspect of life, including all sports.

Not entirely true. Mediocrity can be long lasting

 

[harshjoshi87]

In 20 20 India will be a hard team to beat for sometime now. But without Bumrah India can be beaten.

India didn't have Bumrah for most of the bilateral series, still India won 58 out of 67 matches in last 2 ½ years.

Spinners had a hard time in this WC, they will take over once Bumrah decides to move away.

 

[sweep_shot]

In 20 20 India will be a hard team to beat for sometime now. But without Bumrah India can be beaten.

Without chucker Bumrah and Samson, I expect India to lose frequently even in T20 format.

Without Samson, India could've been eliminated in Super Eight. Samson is going through a purple patch I guess.

 

[uppercut]

Not entirely true. Mediocrity can be long lasting

now thats truly savage

@Mesozoic

 

[JaDed]

Lol that’s not how things work on sports at all but i do hope we remain a top team.

 

[Mockingbird]

The thing to ponder is that t20 is the most volatile of all the 3 formats - anybody can defeat anybody on their day. To then have 1 team so consistently good that they have dropped only 1 game in the last 2 editions of the T20 WC + Asia cup is kinda insane. Add to that, only 1 game drop in the ODI WC + Champions Trophy, you end up with probably one of the best ever white ball teams. India should really go hard at the ODI cup next year to formalise their position in ODIs too.

There is no dispute that this is the GOAT Asian White ball team. Period. And I cant see anybody challenge them in Asia near future.

 

[jnaveen1980]

The thing to ponder is that t20 is the most volatile of all the 3 formats - anybody can defeat anybody on their day. To then have 1 team so consistently good that they have dropped only 1 game in the last 2 editions of the T20 WC + Asia cup is kinda insane. Add to that, only 1 game drop in the ODI WC + Champions Trophy, you end up with probably one of the best ever white ball teams. India should really go hard at the ODI cup next year to formalise their position in ODIs too.

There is no dispute that this is the GOAT Asian White ball team. Period. And I cant see anybody challenge them in Asia near future.

In terms of T20 ATG team. India *yawning gap* and the rest. This is one of the most volatile format where you could lose to any team.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

OP there’s an ancient Sanskrit phrase you may well benefit to learn: Parivartansheel Samsara.

Change is the only constant.

 

[BDfanforever]

Without chucker Bumrah and Samson, I expect India to lose frequently even in T20 format.

Without Samson, India could've been eliminated in Super Eight. Samson is going through a purple patch I guess.

I wouldn't worry about Samson. Brooks won't drop him every time. It's really our pathetic bowlers who revived his career when he smashed the daylight out of them on super flat pitches.

Bumrah, Kohli, Rohit, Shreyas were/are IND best players. Kohli is practicing and training hard only for 2027 ODI WC.

 

[BreadPakoda]

I wouldn't worry about Samson. Brooks won't drop him every time. It's really our pathetic bowlers who revived his career when he smashed the daylight out of them on super flat pitches.

Bumrah, Kohli, Rohit, Shreyas were/are IND best players. Kohli is practicing and training hard only for 2027 ODI WC.

Bangla bowlers’ reviving someone’s career means nothing. Coz they are like you correctly pointed out - PATHETIC.

Samson didn’t just benefit from Brooks dropping his catch. He played a golden knock in the virtual quarter finals and in the finals and was the man of the tournament.

 

[Sachin fan]

Without chucker Bumrah and Samson, I expect India to lose frequently even in T20 format.

Without Samson, India could've been eliminated in Super Eight. Samson is going through a purple patch I guess.

Previously you cried that without abhishek we will lose. After asia cup and in initial stages of world cup, you cried that without ishan kishan we would have lost. Now you are crying that without Samson we would have lost.

Previous tournaments it was pandya. Or kohli
In Asia cup final you cried that without Tilaks innings we would have lost.

And then people had Kuldeep along with bumrah.

Have you no shame?

Every single indian player has contributed big time for the win, dube with his huge hits, axar in fielding and bowling.


We are a team of XI match winners with many others in reserve.

 

[Sachin fan]

Bangla bowlers’ reviving someone’s career means nothing. Coz they are like you correctly pointed out - PATHETIC.

Samson didn’t just benefit from Brooks dropping his catch. He played a golden knock in the virtual quarter finals and in the finals and was the man of the tournament.

Steve waughs team literally tied world cup semi final 1999 after Steve waughs drop catch. I didn't see bitter losers then questioning australia's performance then and calling it luck. Everyone acknowledged they were the strongest team.

Every victory in history has luck and dropped catches for winning team, even for the strongest teams. That's part of sports

 

[jnaveen1980]

Bangla bowlers’ reviving someone’s career means nothing. Coz they are like you correctly pointed out - PATHETIC.

Samson didn’t just benefit from Brooks dropping his catch. He played a golden knock in the virtual quarter finals and in the finals and was the man of the tournament.

WHenever i do performance filtering of player invariably exclude Bangladesh. Yuvraj Samra from Canada is better than any batsman Bangladesh ever produced. Can any of the Bangla player score 100 like him against NZ the eventual finalist? NOt even in the wildest dreams lol Bangladesh is slightly below Nepal team honestly.

 

[ravisurya]

Without chucker Bumrah and Samson, I expect India to lose frequently even in T20 format.

Without Samson, India could've been eliminated in Super Eight. Samson is going through a purple patch I guess.

Now say that without crying.

 

[shaz619]

The playing field is not really levelled when you consider the way the last few games have been played, in such conditions it’s a 1 team sport as we saw in Dubai and India, and beyond this, cricket is a 3 team sport now anyway. It’s more impressive when teams outside this loop do well due to the constraints you mentioned, the likes of Australia & England will still be able to compete with India due to their structure & revenue they receive which is reinvested to ensure sustained growth.

 

[BDfanforever]

Since beginning of T20 WC, India were 4x Finalist, Pakistan 3x, SRL 3x.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Was reading an article where the focus was on England's booze filled culture where the English management under Mccullam allowed the players to do whatever they wanted to in order to unwind, relax from the pressures of the Ashes tour.

Starc on the other hand followed a strict diet, did not have a single sip of Alcohol or Beer for 4-5 months, worked hard on his strength, conditioning with a trainer because he knew that during the ashes he would have to bowl 20 overs in an innings for 5 test matches at 140-145 km/hr. Thats what you call professionalism and wanting to be at your best for your country.

If you look at the best players from any sport alot of them have the same mindset. You need that kind of single-mindedness, discipline and work ethic to be the best. As they say, there are no off days. Doesn't surprise me to hear that Starc did that - the results speak for themselves.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

If you look at the best players from any sport alot of them have the same mindset. You need that kind of single-mindedness, discipline and work ethic to be the best. As they say, there are no off days. Doesn't surprise me to hear that Starc did that - the results speak for themselves.

Starc is a bit of an exception even compared to other elite cricketers. The guy did not play a single domestic T20 match for 9 years so that he could give his all and keep his speeds up for Tests and ICC tournaments.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Cricket has moved beyond the era of big personalities defining the fortunes of a team. Professionalism, fitness, structure carry far more weight in the modern era and separate the top teams from the rest. A couple of good players can help you win matches but they can't change the fundamental outlook of a team.

Imran Khan was not just a cricketer. He was the epitome of professionalism and his dogged belief in playing hard but with the spirit of cricket is the most underrated aspect of his personality. He was also in his prime a proper all-rounder, the likes of which we have not had ever since he retired. Just his presence in the team alone made the team better & even when there were two three cricketers who weren't pulling their weight, he was capable to cover that deficiency.

Also on fitness, structure, & professionalism, while things have changed, it doesn't mean that this wasn't happening in his era.

Modern teams are bigger than the milestones and focus on wins. He was doing it back in the 80s.
Modern teams are built on fitness culture. He was doing it back in the 70s and 80s.

Having a structure does not guarantee sporting success. It guarantees pathways so people take up sport and talent streams are always open. The output of the structure is talent identification, talent development, and meritocracy. The domestic structure & pathway cricket were things that were missing in his time but he acted the ultimate filter, the final mesh of the structure. A player who he felt had potential would manage to play while someone who he thought was without merit or had a parchi, would never make it the team. Some players had stage fright or never rose up to the occasion, he also ensured that these players were sent back to the domestic cricket to improve.

Was he a perfect cricketer or captain? Far from it.

He was also very much a kind of dictator but it worked because he had the ability to judge the potential of a cricketer. All of his hand picked players didn't become great but many did. Some of the players that he rejected in the first go came back and worked on themselves and returned as better cricketers & he accepted them with open arms without any hatred or bias.

He wasn't just a personality, he was holding on to plethora of roles that define a cricketing culture. We have been struggling because none of these roles are being done anymore. Take for example the people in charge of our cricket after him.

Misbah maybe honest but he's the definition of a limited mindset. Someone who is too rooted in the ground realities that there's no space for imagination or dreams.

Wasim Akram may work as a mentor but he's not the person that Imran was and is full of jealousy and throughout his playing career, he kept trying to destroy players when his status was threatened. His ego still shows up even when he's commentating.

Aqib isn't selfless enough. Also not even up with the trends of modern fitness culture.

Rambo isn't a judge of cricketer or doesn't have many other traits.

The less said about people like Ijaz Butt, & Lt. General colonels, etc. the better.

In short, we don't need a single person who can do this but we need to fill the roles that he was doing. Man retired in 92 & it's 34 years later and we still haven't been able to do what he was doing on his own. Empires have been built in fewer time than this & here we have ad-hoc culture where a crony carves his way up to the throne & places his incompetent inept spawns all over the system like landmines.

 

[RexRex]

Starc is a bit of an exception even compared to other elite cricketers. The guy did not play a single domestic T20 match for 9 years so that he could give his all and keep his speeds up for Tests and ICC tournaments.

How on earth does Starc earn his money apart from a CA contract ? I read somewhere he bought a 20 million dollar house recently.

 

[Josh]

How on earth does Starc earn his money apart from a CA contract ? I read somewhere he bought a 20 million dollar house recently.

Aurat ki kamayi khata hai
His wife is a top earner at WPL

 

[Cricfan8920]

Yes

 

[adi_62941]

They have set the standards. There players are building that champions and superior mindset (thanks for Gautam Gambhir who kicked selfish players like kohli). The team is building beautifully. Gautam has installed a strict merit system and direction for indian cricket to go forward.

They deserve it all as it is not only happened in 2-3 years. its a long term vision and planning by their cricket handlers.