Is India the weakest "Number 1 Test team" in history?

[BlackShadow]

Keep in mind that they r playing against 5th ranked team that has dropped countless dollies in this series, but India is still getting humiliated in this fashion.

Keep in mind that India returned the favour by dropping countless dollies too, lost all the important tosses and are were missing two of their best bowlers for majority of this series.

Besides, in what universe was the 1st Test a humiliation? India won the 3rd Test, and this too is a good match irrespective of the result.

 

[rollingstoned]

But nothing has changed.

I’ve been arguing for the last four years that we live in a mediocre era with no outstanding teams.

England have been awful under Trevor Bayliss, but India have managed to lose six consecutive away series in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa which shows that they are a truly pathetic Number 1 Team.

This is not ODI cricket. The thing that is paramount in Test cricket is not losing series - ever.

Saleem Malik’s 1990’s Pakistanis had a better win lose match ratio than Imran Khan’s 1985-92 Team.

But Imran’s team had one series defeat - by 1-0 - in eight years, even though they played three series v the GOAT West Indians.

And so we all consider Imran’s team to be the GOAT Asian Test Team.

India lost in South Africa in January 2018. Their only way to equal Imran Khan’s Pakistanis is to come back in 2025 having not lost a single series since January 2018.

Until they do so they are not qualified to even discuss nonsense like Number 1 status.

In general it is harder and harder to get away with drawn series and matches nowadays if weather doesn't have a say. Minimum over rates and 90 overs a day is enforced more strictly than it was then to allow teams to escape defeats with draws which plays a part IMO in not allowing visiting teams to play attritional cricket and draw a whole series.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

India is certainly not weak, let alone weakest. They will beat almost all teams at home and most teams away as well.

How can a team like that be considered weakest no 1 in history?

Pakistan were weaker when they were no 1. Showed it too.

 

[Junaids]

India is certainly not weak, let alone weakest. They will beat almost all teams at home and most teams away as well.

How can a team like that be considered weakest no 1 in history?

Pakistan were weaker when they were no 1. Showed it too.

Pakistan’s Number 1 spell was a statistical anomaly.

But still, they drew 2-2 in England that year and then 1-1 this year.

Whereas India lost 4-1 in England this year (straight after Pakistan drew 1-1) but India also lost 3-1 there last time, in 2014.

 

[barah_admi]

For any team that has held the number one ranking for a year or more, this is the weakest side to ever be ranked this high. It's a poor, poor touring team.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Pakistan’s Number 1 spell was a statistical anomaly.

But still, they drew 2-2 in England that year and then 1-1 this year.

Whereas India lost 4-1 in England this year (straight after Pakistan drew 1-1) but India also lost 3-1 there last time, in 2014.

Agree. India are pretty bad in England - fact. And lost to SA too. That's 2 series lost on the road - one quite poorly.

But to call them weakest in history is a stretch. As it is wrong to call Pakistan that - even though they did quite poorly after getting the mace.

 

[Pakhs]

In my opinion yes they are the weakest to hold number 1 spot more than a year. The only other comparison is with England when they were last number 1 but lost to PAK at UAE 3-0 but they did win in SA atleast.

 

[Mamoon]

The Pakistan team that became number 1 in Sep 2016 was much weaker. It went on to lose a home Test to West Indies, and lost every single match in Australia and New Zealand, before winning 2-1 in West Indies.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan’s Number 1 spell was a statistical anomaly.

But still, they drew 2-2 in England that year and then 1-1 this year.

Whereas India lost 4-1 in England this year (straight after Pakistan drew 1-1) but India also lost 3-1 there last time, in 2014.

That 2-2 was negated by the embarrassing loss to West Indies in Sharjah.

Furthermore, that team went on to lose 6 out of the next 8 Tests including another one to the West Indies.

Losing two Tests to West Indies in a short period of time is the lowest of the lows, and a drawn series in England cannot make up for it.

 

[Junaids]

The Pakistan team that became number 1 in Sep 2016 was much weaker. It went on to lose a home Test to West Indies, and lost every single match in Australia and New Zealand, before winning 2-1 in West Indies.

I wrote in the original post that Pakistan in 2016 was equally undeserving.

But seriously, this is a weak era with no outstanding team.

I repeat:

1. Pakistan has just done far better in England than India has the very same season.

2. India has lost twice as many away Tests in 2018 so far - SIX already - as Imran Khan’s Pakistan did in his entire seven year return to the captaincy from 1985 to 1992.

Imran played the GOAT West Indies Test team in Three series and didn’t lose any of them.

India has lost away Test series this year to the Numbers 4 and 5 ranked Test teams.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

For any team that has held the number one ranking for a year or more, this is the weakest side to ever be ranked this high. It's a poor, poor touring team.

Just because some teams will never even hold it for a year )

 

[Pakhs]

Just because some teams will never even hold it for a year )

That's a different discussion all together mate.

 

[Bilal7]

1) Azhar/Hafeez
2) Sami
3) Babar/Azhar
4) Younis
5) Misbah (c)
6) Shafiq
7) Sarfaraz (wk)
8) Shah
9) Amir
10) Hassan/Shadab
11) Abbas

^ The above team/squad that was ranked #1 could beat this current Indian side anywhere in the world, except Australia. So yes, India are definitely the worst modern side to be ranked #1. The other contenders are South Africa of 2012-15 which was a great team; England of 2011-2012 which was very good; India of 2010 which was a superior version of the current Indian team; and finally, the Australian side which also achieved #1 and although having some clear weaknesses, they also had a great bowling attack and a couple of excellent batsmen. The rankings according to me:

1) South Africa (2012-2015)

2) England (2011-2012)
3) India (2010-2011)
4) Pakistan (2016)
5) Australia (2013)
6) India (2017-2018)

 

[the Great Khan]

Yes. Disgraceful performance from them In england. They had zero desire and looked mentally fragile. As always India are a home team..theyll never really become a true number 1 team..

 

[Tusker]

I wrote in the original post that Pakistan in 2016 was equally undeserving.

But seriously, this is a weak era with no outstanding team.

I repeat:

1. Pakistan has just done far better in England than India has the very same season.

2. India has lost twice as many away Tests in 2018 so far - SIX already - as Imran Khan’s Pakistan did in his entire seven year return to the captaincy from 1985 to 1992.

Imran played the GOAT West Indies Test team in Three series and didn’t lose any of them.

India has lost away Test series this year to the Numbers 4 and 5 ranked Test teams.

And I repeat for probably the hundredth time .... With rare exceptions the players today are generally on PAR if not better than any of those teams you mention.

And I will also predict his upfront - You will never ever engage me or anyone else in a meaningful discussion on this topic because you really don't have a leg to stand on and defend your claims through proper facts, logic and reasoning. Your one trick is to make one-sided claims and you expect others to blindly take your word because you saw these players play. However you making one-sided proclamations don't amount to facts. instead it highlights your deep bias and heavy nostalgia.

If and when you or your like minded buddies decide to engage in a proper meaningful discussion thats settled ONLY thru hard and verifiable facts you know where to find me !

 

[Xoib]

That 2-2 was negated by the embarrassing loss to West Indies in Sharjah.

Furthermore, that team went on to lose 6 out of the next 8 Tests including another one to the West Indies.

Losing two Tests to West Indies in a short period of time is the lowest of the lows, and a drawn series in England cannot make up for it.

And Pakistan was number one for how long? They just got there due to couple of results falling in there favor for eg the rained off game between India and windies there were never going to hold on to the top ranking
For a long term number one side is certainly the weakest

 

[Junaids]

And I repeat for probably the hundredth time .... With rare exceptions the players today are generally on PAR if not better than any of those teams you mention.

And I will also predict his upfront - You will never ever engage me or anyone else in a meaningful discussion on this topic because you really don't have a leg to stand on and defend your claims through proper facts, logic and reasoning. Your one trick is to make one-sided claims and you expect others to blindly take your word because you saw these players play. However you making one-sided proclamations don't amount to facts. instead it highlights your deep bias and heavy nostalgia.

If and when you or your like minded buddies decide to engage in a proper meaningful discussion thats settled ONLY thru hard and verifiable facts you know where to find me !

Sorry, but that is just manifestly wrong.

As I keep saying, the benchmark GOAT Asian team was Imran Khan’s 1985-1992 team which lost only 1 series, away to Australia 1-0, and drew 3 series v the West Indies.

Pakistan has just drawn 1-1 in England. Let’s compare the players head to head.....


Mudassar Nazar 5/10
Azhar Ali aged 33 6/10

Rameez Raja 5/10
Imam 5/10

Shoaib Mohammad 7/10
Usman Salahuddinl 5/10

Javed Miandad 9/10
Babar Azam 5/10

Saleem Malik 8/10
Asad Shafiq 5/10

Ijaz Ahmed 6/10
Haris Sohail 5/10

Imran Khan 9/10
Faheem Ashraf 5/10

Saleem Yousaf 6/10
Sarfraz Ahmed 7/10

Wasim Akram 9/10
Mohammad Amir 7/10

Abdul Qadir 9/10
Shadab Khan 6/10

Waqar Younis 9/10
Hasan Ali 5/10

Late eighties team 92/110
2018 team 60/110

The late eighties Pakistan Team was simply vastly more powerful than the 2018 one.

 

[Tusker]

Sorry, but that is just manifestly wrong.

As I keep saying, the benchmark GOAT Asian team was Imran Khan’s 1985-1992 team which lost only 1 series, away to Australia 1-0, and drew 3 series v the West Indies.

Pakistan has just drawn 1-1 in England. Let’s compare the players head to head.....


Mudassar Nazar 5/10
Azhar Ali aged 33 6/10

Rameez Raja 5/10
Imam 5/10

Shoaib Mohammad 7/10
Usman Salahuddinl 5/10

Javed Miandad 9/10
Babar Azam 5/10

Saleem Malik 8/10
Asad Shafiq 5/10

Ijaz Ahmed 6/10
Haris Sohail 5/10

Imran Khan 9/10
Faheem Ashraf 5/10

Saleem Yousaf 6/10
Sarfraz Ahmed 7/10

Wasim Akram 9/10
Mohammad Amir 7/10

Abdul Qadir 9/10
Shadab Khan 6/10

Waqar Younis 9/10
Hasan Ali 5/10

Late eighties team 92/110
2018 team 60/110

The late eighties Pakistan Team was simply vastly more powerful than the 2018 one.

And I can quite simply type up a post rating Kohli's team much higher. Your word vs mine !! You want to see what I can come up with ? ( BTW nobody is comparing the current Pakistani team to the teams from 80s and 90s atleast Iam not ... the topic is about Indian team vs Imrans teams )

The same Imrans team was held to a draw by Indian team of 1989 that was without Gavaskar , Vishy, Kirmani, Mohinder who had all just retired. By your own words you dont rate the Indian team of the 80s at-all lol. It was also beaten by a lowly SL team and came close to losing to them at home.

 

[KP From India]

The Laxman/Dravid driven defeat in India ruined the McGrath/Warne team’s claim to be the greatest ever.
OH.........If MAC & Warnie read this, they wont eat food for few months.........auuuuuuuuuuuu.
BTW BD BEAT THEM IN 2005 ODI, WHAT A NO1 BD TEAM!

 

[Joseph Gomes]

They are. Also the worst touring team. Worse than Sri Lanka in SENA countries.

 

[Itachi]

India is worst number 1 team. But so are other teams at worst number 2, worst number 3 etc. India is the best among the worst. Hence they are entitled to number 1

 

[Nikhil_cric]

They are. Also the worst touring team. Worse than Sri Lanka in SENA countries.

Not currently. lanka are terrible.

 

[RainMan_]

India is the worst no 1 team in the history of cricket. They r even worse than current srilanka team when it comes to touring outside Asia.

They r no 1 only because they play a whole lot of tests on doctored wickets at home. Nothing else.

 

[jagatk]

India is the worst no 1 team in the history of cricket. They r even worse than current srilanka team when it comes to touring outside Asia.

They r no 1 only because they play a whole lot of tests on doctored wickets at home. Nothing else.

For every home series India also has to play an away series as well but ofcourse don't let facts get in the way of your hate.

 

[Mamba Red]

Not just weak they are pathetic for a NO 1 team, don't think they are even a team

 

[jagatk]

Not just weak they are pathetic for a NO 1 team, don't think they are even a team

What does that make your team then given they are below us?

 

[rhony]

India is worst number 1 team. But so are other teams at worst number 2, worst number 3 etc. India is the best among the worst. Hence they are entitled to number 1

Lol. Well said.

 

[MP2011]

What does that make your team then given they are below us?

This.

Not just below, but well below.

 

[Savage]

I am really disappointed with our Test performance this year.But still I like Indian Test side more than ODI/T20 side.

 

[Romali_rotti]

Kohli & Rahane, terrible shots boys... 500 was there for the taking..............

 

[Bhaijaan]

World No 1 team don’t win like this. This match should have been over by day 4. Poor effort by India.

 

[Tusker]

World No 1 team don’t win like this. This match should have been over by day 4. Poor effort by India.

Do you realize that in 2001 Aus had a incredibly much superior #1 team and still lost to India that was without Kumble and Srinath ? These things happen ... learn to appreciate the good things in life without being a spoil sport

 

[shane]

I thought India were OK in England but they looked excellent in the first Test against Australia. I was especially impressed with their bowling, which was probably made to look a little better than it is by the abject Australian batting.

 

[Buffet]

What's the verdict after Aus series?

 

[big_gamer007]

Forgot about this beauty from Junaid.

 

[jadaja]

I think it is one of the weakest, it needs to win a lot more overseas .Its rating points indicate that fact also.It is not a disgrace but it needs to improve a lot for it to be considered an ATG team.

You still need three or four world class players, but this year is step in right direction.They have to make they stay hungry and create a legacy.

They need atleast two more fast bowlers who are world class.

 

[Ab Fan]

So, India can't be considered a GOAT Asian test team if they lose even one series away till 2025?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Yes they are, India might win this test match and watch all the Indians saying how great they are even when they lose the series.

Indians are a joke, will never win a test series in SA or Australia and will get pumped every time they tour overseas.

Never say never, Mr.Bond.

 

[Napa]

We all know that there has been no outstanding Test cricket team for many years. All the major teams are flawed, and all tend to fail away from home if they fail to arrive early enough to acclimatise.

A team which goes from the #1 ranking to the #8 ranking in 3 years has to be the weakest #1 in history.

 

[Relic]

A team which goes from the #1 ranking to the #8 ranking in 3 years has to be the weakest #1 in history.

That's not how it works.
We really went down after Misbah and younis retired.

We drew 2-2 in ENGLAND FGS

 

[BlueBeamer]

The weakest "Number 1 Test team" is here to stay at the top for a long long time.


DEAL WITH IT

 

[geraltofrivia]

That's not how it works.
We really went down after Misbah and younis retired.

We drew 2-2 in ENGLAND FGS

And then got whitewashed in nz and aus and sa and aus again. Also sl at home and nz at home.

 

[Slog]

No.

But I still believe the best Indian side was 2007-2011 #1 side

 

[geraltofrivia]

No.

But I still believe the best Indian side was 2007-2011 #1 side

2007-11 (between the two world cups was a very good side)

Victories in eng, nz. Draw in sa. 1-2 in aus.

 

[Mesozoic]

No.

But I still believe the best Indian side was 2007-2011 #1 side

Agree.

Can only laugh at people when they say this is our best ever team. Bowling lineup ? Definitely yes. But team ? Big no.

 

[happydavy]

Baring for the windies of 80s and Aussies of late 90s and 2000s, the ranking of no:1 means jack. There is not a single team that can win half consistently abroad, and so ranking becomes a function of how many series u can win at home, which India does better than the rest. Kohli and co can keep talking about being no:1 but once they lost 4-1 to England and 2-1 to SA, no amount of statistical greatness will be perceived as cricketing greatness.

 

[happydavy]

2007-11 (between the two world cups was a very good side)

Victories in eng, nz. Draw in sa. 1-2 in aus.

Yes and that's why winning world cup was a perfect culmination of how well they played during that period. Infact they won quite a few important ODI series abroad during that period as well. The current team keeps bashing Bdesh and wi and Lanka and tom-toming about being no:1, without winning anything significant.

 

[deep82]

3 years and counting on top of the crown...

May this 'weakest team' continue to be No.1

Just 2 more year at No.1 and a world championship title and this team will be regarded as one of the greatest ever...

 

[Mesozoic]

Man. How bad I want us to win that final at Lords in 2021 !

Will be a perfect way to announce to the world that we're the true no.1.

But knowing the brainless combo of Shatri (mispelled it delibly) and Kohli in knockout situation , we'll likely lose to Australia.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

Just 2 more year at No.1 and a world championship title and this team will be regarded as one of the greatest ever...

We need to beat teams like South Africa and England in their home before we can be regarded as one of the greatest ever. Until then, there will always be a asterisk against our name.

 

[deep82]

We were super competitive against South African and England even during 2-1 and 4-1 losses...we were n genuine chance to win both series...we blew our chances though.... but it was not like Australia annihilating Pakistan without breaking any sweat or India annihilating South Africa ( at home) by walk in the park...

I remember India trailing 3-1 in England series and we had a good chance to draw the match and 'earn' a respectable draw. But Kohli is Kohli...he went for the win even in the dead rubber and Rahul/Pant came close to chase 400+ and eventually lost. I knew then we have a special captain who will go for a win even we have 10% chance to win. So refreshing to see.

India deserves its No.1., No team currently is better than India...the legacy is in progress though...like I say two more years.....a 5 year No.1 stay is true legacy...No one can ignore that...

 

[Sir Alex]

With this bowling unit india has a legitimate say for it being no.1. It can compete with any nation anywhere and is on the rise continuously. The only flipside in comparison to the Windies and Aussies of yore is the absence of world class batsmen in the test lineup. Other than Kohli and Pujara the rest are flimsy largely. However with the likes of Mayank and talents like Gill and Shaw waiting in the sidelines it can only get better for India from here on in batting.

India by virtue of results under Kohli are below Windies and Aussies but they have a very good chance of getting there.

 

[geraltofrivia]

We were super competitive against South African and England even during 2-1 and 4-1 losses...we were n genuine chance to win both series...we blew our chances though.... but it was not like Australia annihilating Pakistan without breaking any sweat or India annihilating South Africa ( at home) by walk in the park...

I remember India trailing 3-1 in England series and we had a good chance to draw the match and 'earn' a respectable draw. But Kohli is Kohli...he went for the win even in the dead rubber and Rahul/Pant came close to chase 400+ and eventually lost. I knew then we have a special captain who will go for a win even we have 10% chance to win. So refreshing to see.

India deserves its No.1., No team currently is better than India...the legacy is in progress though...like I say two more years.....a 5 year No.1 stay is true legacy...No one can ignore that...

Not 5 years. Forever. Indian economy has reached that stage where the system is so good it will churn out good players all the time.

 

[Amjid Javed]

India are that strong at home in tests that i wouldnt back any other test side to win a test there let alone win a series there. Because of that they will remain top of rankings regardless of how they do away from home.

 

[Revolution]

And then got whitewashed in nz and aus and sa and aus again. Also sl at home and nz at home.

Exactly . two matches which are won in England is fluke.

We have seen how Pakistan struggled to win against Ireland test before the England series.

Bottom line is these pakistanis are obsessed with Indian cricket stars.

 

[shantanu]

Even when we got beaten 4-1, the fight was evident to one and all. Infact if not for the surprise from sam curran, we could have drawn the series too.
Proud of the way the team has developed under Kohli. Imo this team is likely to be top drawer stuff for the next 5 years easy.
We should ignore the perennial naysayers of Indian cricket. They will point to a milestone as the final requirement and then conveniently shift the goal post to further put us down.
Everybody without an agenda can see greatness when our team takes the field.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Exactly . two matches which are won in England is fluke.

We have seen how Pakistan struggled to win against Ireland test before the England series.

Bottom line is these pakistanis are obsessed with Indian cricket stars.

 

[Sir Alex]

In 2016, soon after achieving world no.1 ranking Pakistan toured Australia and were pistol whipped 3-0.

The worst part is that Pak didn't even out up a semblance of a fight. They averaged 62 with the ball and 29 with the bat in that series.

I do not think there has been any world no.1 ranked test team which exhibited such a dismal series performance in the very year they became no.1

 

[saeed5646]

Exactly . two matches which are won in England is fluke.

We have seen how Pakistan struggled to win against Ireland test before the England series.

Bottom line is these pakistanis are obsessed with Indian cricket stars.

Pakistan after "struggling " to win against ireland later on draw the test series against england in england .The same england which trash india 4-1 .

Op on the record have said he is not "pakistani "
as for obsession is concern every body knows who is more obsessed .you can check any cricket website comments on Pakistani team from our friendly neighbour's

 

[Relic]

Pakistan after "struggling " to win against ireland later on draw the test series against england in england .The same england which trash india 4-1 .

Op on the record have said he is not "pakistani "
as for obsession is concern every body knows who is more obsessed .you can check any cricket website comments on Pakistani team from our friendly neighbour's

They guy keeps on saying the same thing again and again.
"Pakistan is obsessed with india"
"Pakistanis are obsessed"
The guy's been saying it since forever

The irony is that HE is on a PAKISTANI cricket forum

 

[Relic]

Exactly . two matches which are won in England is fluke.

We have seen how Pakistan struggled to win against Ireland test before the England series.

Bottom line is these pakistanis are obsessed with Indian cricket stars.

 

[sharmaji]

Rankings are stupid. And arguing about strongest no:1 and weakest no: 1 is further stupid. India won some matches, it lost some. It will continue to win some and lose some. Same with Pakistan. And Australia. Teams of 2019 and of 1945. On any given day, any team can win any match against any opposition, there is always a chance. I understand that this is a cricket forum and speculating on hypothetical situations is part of the fun. At the end of the day, none of this matters, most posters here already have biases and opinions and too much time on their hand to indulge in useless banter. Especially comparing older generation teams and players with current generation ones, or who is the bestest team or player ever. Who cares? No player or team from 1945 or 2019 is getting any more award or money or any other benefit due to our opinions here. Also, no one can have Absolute answers to such questions here. Then why bother? I don't have a problem with any of these topics, I actually enjoy some of the data and arguments put forward to articulate one's opinion, but it is surprising how many threads are on these topics, and how long each of these threads go. Sorry I hope I dint offend anyone here, I am new on this forum (or on any forum in general) and I guess I have to learn to sit back and enjoy the banter.

 

[sindhiboy]

if it weren't for rahul and vijay, india's chances of winning the safrican and the england series would have increased drastically.

the 4-1 loss aginst eng was alot tighter then the results suggest, the games were pretty close. If Bhuvneshwar kumar was not injured and if agrawal was handed a debut earlier, im sure ind would have atleast won one more match.
most pitches in those tests were deadly, more difficult to bat on than the pitches in the recent ashes.

india is not the best, but definitely not the worst number 1 test in cricket's history,

 

[tyron_woodley]

if it weren't for rahul and vijay, india's chances of winning the safrican and the england series would have increased drastically.

the 4-1 loss aginst eng was alot tighter then the results suggest, the games were pretty close. If Bhuvneshwar kumar was not injured and if agrawal was handed a debut earlier, im sure ind would have atleast won one more match.
most pitches in those tests were deadly, more difficult to bat on than the pitches in the recent ashes.

india is not the best, but definitely not the worst number 1 test in cricket's history,

lol india one of the best ever easily. They just need a series win in England to cement their spot in top 3 of all time.

right now on par with G. Smith's saffers. India are 2 months away from eclipsing their number 1 record as well.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Even when we got beaten 4-1, the fight was evident to one and all. Infact if not for the surprise from sam curran, we could have drawn the series too.
Proud of the way the team has developed under Kohli. Imo this team is likely to be top drawer stuff for the next 5 years easy.
We should ignore the perennial naysayers of Indian cricket. They will point to a milestone as the final requirement and then conveniently shift the goal post to further put us down.
Everybody without an agenda can see greatness when our team takes the field.

Dhawan's dropped catch cost the first test. India was the resounding favorite to win the test until sam curran made that crucial runs. Not to mention India lost all 5 tosses. Should have won 3-2 ended up with 1-4.

 

[Mean&Green]

India is the strongest number one at the moment with Bumrah ishant and shami it can easily white wash australia in Australia this time around and it wouldn’t even be a surprise. Australian pitches have completely changed they are like Indian highways now. Plus Australian team is very average compared to India’s team who has the best bowling attack in the world right now with ishant Bumrah and shami. There is no reason why India shouldn’t beat Australia next year in fact white wash them because these Aussie trundlers couldnt even get yasir shah out so I don’t see them getting pujara the wall out or even mayank Agarwal who will soon become the best batsman in the world.

 

[docteurmanish]

This thread seems to

- disregard utter dominance at home for india
- disregard the most well rounded bowling attack in the history of the game
- disregard how english and South African pitches were tailor made to make india loose but india did fight valiantly
- also has some crazy comparisons with Pak 2016 !

H ere is my opinion

This side is number one due to its bowling attack . You can’t hide

India batting was transitioning and finally with Agarwal vihari and sharma supporting the kohli rahane pujara combo - pinnacle is abt to follow

This side has the luxury of Saha vs pant for keeping . It speaks volumes of the reserve strength

This side is now just slight below than the aussie side of 2000 and as good as the windies .

 

[big_gamer007]

4 pages of arguments over a Junaids thread.

 

[Ahmed216]

This thread seems to

- disregard utter dominance at home for india
- disregard the most well rounded bowling attack in the history of the game
- disregard how english and South African pitches were tailor made to make india loose but india did fight valiantly
- also has some crazy comparisons with Pak 2016 !

H ere is my opinion

This side is number one due to its bowling attack . You can’t hide

India batting was transitioning and finally with Agarwal vihari and sharma supporting the kohli rahane pujara combo - pinnacle is abt to follow

This side has the luxury of Saha vs pant for keeping . It speaks volumes of the reserve strength

This side is now just slight below than the aussie side of 2000 and as good as the windies .

Need to win a few more away series. Theyve won just 1 against an unsettled Aussies. Next aussie tour will be real test.
This side is very capable i agree

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

India batting was transitioning and finally with Agarwal vihari and sharma supporting the kohli rahane pujara combo - pinnacle is abt to follow

Let them prove that first in foreign conditions. I wouldn't trust them so much just yet. Sharma is yet to prove himself outside of India and Vihari, Rahane, Pujara have not been consistent overseas despite playing no format for India other than Tests.

 

[arunpsm]

The Indian fan dost who reopened this thread could have at least waited until end of Feb 2020 for the NZ 2 test series to be over. Anyways lets see what this Indian team is destined to be.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Junaids' threads are always fun to read a couple of years on. Weakest number 1 team is at 120 points and have held on to the ranking for 3 years whereas certain other number 1 teams can't hold on for more than 2-3 months, never peaked higher than 111 and are down to 80 points and the no.8 ranking in the same time period

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Yes they are, India might win this test match and watch all the Indians saying how great they are even when they lose the series.

Indians are a joke, will never win a test series in SA or Australia and will get pumped every time they tour overseas.

Series win in Australia right after this

 

[tyron_woodley]

They need to maintain their home dominance and keep crushing teams or winning. Away wins would be a bonus but a draw or closely fought loss is good enough. One away win that would cement this team's GOAT status is a series win vs england.
A win vs n.z would be excellent too. A draw would suffice though since it's only 2 test series.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Agree.

Can only laugh at people when they say this is our best ever team. Bowling lineup ? Definitely yes. But team ? Big no.

A team having a great bowling lineup will beat a team having a great batting lineup most of the time.

This indian team will beat the 2007-2011 team anywhere in the world.

Who will challenge virat kohli?Zaheer Khan

Our worst bowler Ishant is better than their best bowler Zaheer khan.
Also this team has better spinners,batting lineup is weaker but more than capable of beating the hell out of their trundlers.

Also that team had the worst test captain in the history of indian test cricket,this team has the best.

Also our wicketkeeper can make runs in overseas conditions unlike

Virats team is a level above .

and how can i forget to use this

 

[Smbhayi]

A team having a great bowling lineup will beat a team having a great batting lineup most of the time.

This indian team will beat the 2007-2011 team anywhere in the world.

Depends on the pitch.. A spinning or flat tracks previous team has upper hand, a bouncy or seaming pitch this have upper hand.. You just need Sehwag bowl some pies to kohli to challenge him .. This team struggles against spinners very badly but previous team was monsters against them...
1. Dhawan/Mayank < Gambir
2. Sharma < Sehwag
3. Pujara < Dravid
4. Kohli = Sachin (?)
5. Rahane < Laxman
6. Jadeja/Pandey => Yuvi
7. Saha/Pant < Dhoni
8. Ashwin > Bhaji
9. Shami < Zaheer khan
10. Ishant = Mishra/Ojha
11. Bumrah > Ishant

 

[Ted123]

A team having a great bowling lineup will beat a team having a great batting lineup most of the time.

This indian team will beat the 2007-2011 team anywhere in the world.

Who will challenge virat kohli?Zaheer Khan

<B>Our worst bowler Ishant</B> is better than their best bowler Zaheer khan.
Also this team has better spinners,batting lineup is weaker but more than capable of beating the hell out of their trundlers.

Also that team had the worst test captain in the history of indian test cricket,this team has the best.

Also our wicketkeeper can make runs in overseas conditions unlike

Virats team is a level above .

and how can i forget to use this

Ishant v 2.0 is better than Shami and only behind Bumrah for overseas tests.

 

[KP From India]

TBF, Zaheer was world class from 2006-11. 4 wickets per match @27-28. And Kohli has problems with left arm swing.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Depends on the pitch.. A spinning or flat tracks previous team has upper hand, a bouncy or seaming pitch this have upper hand.. You just need Sehwag bowl some pies to kohli to challenge him .. This team struggles against spinners very badly but previous team was monsters against them...
1. Dhawan/Mayank < Gambir
2. Sharma < Sehwag
3. Pujara < Dravid
4. Kohli = Sachin (?)
5. Rahane < Laxman
6. Jadeja/Pandey => Yuvi
7. Saha/Pant < Dhoni
8. Ashwin > Bhaji
9. Shami < Zaheer khan
10. Ishant = Mishra/Ojha
11. Bumrah > Ishant

On flat tracks who will get kohli and pujara out.
Bumrah, shami can rip through a batting lineup on flat tracks, zaheer was never half as threatening as shami.
Only on Rank turners they stand a chance.
Shami >> zaheer khan, please dont let nostalgia come in the way of logic.
I have seen both and shami is way more effective.
Pant is a better batsman than dhoni.

 

[Balthazar]

Now that we have world Test championship, rankings will become meaningless.

As for the OP goes, no it was Pakistan. They were whitewashed in Aus, SA and NZ around the time when they were #1, and that has to be the lowest point in the history of Test cricket. But Kohli's team is also average. He has to win at-least 3 out of 4 series in Eng/Sa/Aus/Nz.