Is this the best Indian Test team ever?

[EliteCynical]

I can't, because there is none. Which further makes my point that there is no one team that can be comfortably labelled as the best test side.

You are really missing the point I'm trying to make. I'm not taking anything away from Nair. Getting a triple ton is a big achievement, he deserves the praise. I'm merely saying that it will be harder scoring runs in those countries for him. I'm not even saying Indians lack technique. I'm just saying a number of their newer batsmen are just yet to prove themselves in overseas conditions, which test you to the fullest.

Not gonna argue on the Shami/Wahab/Amir debate again. I've made my point why I consider those two to be better than him. I don't know why you guys keep bringing stats. There are other factors that come into play while comparing them too.

I agree away tours are going to be tough. No one is arguing that. Time will tell.

And reg Shami/Wahab/Amir debate, i too am not saying anything. Time will tell again.. We can agree to disagree. Probably talk in a few months time. Cheers

 

[Bewal Express]

Shami or whoever pacer you have these days will have disappeared in Five years. Or having another mediocre career. That is destiny of Indian pacers

This is one weakness of the Ind pacers, Irfan and Sreesanth to name just 2,looked beastly at the start of their careers but it didn't last long. But you may noticed that they all good skills and do something with the ball whereas we have guy like Anwar Ali , who can't even keep the seam upright.

 

[Napa]

I am sorry to say, posters can disagree & I respect their wisdom - forget about the teams mentioned here, <b>IND was comfortably 6th team in Test world after WI, PAK, ENG, AUS & NZ in mid to late 80s towards 90s with only SRL behind</b> - that team of of Sunny, Krish, Azhar, Dulip, Jimmy, Shastri, Kapil, Kirmani, Binney, Yadav & Maninder will beat this lot by clear margin of 2 or more Tests in India & out side IND, it'll be embarrassment.

Test cricket is at it's lowest, at least since Boer war of 1905 (before that, SAF was really poor), hence we are watching modern greats banging each other from left, right & centre at home. It's a moot discussion if JB Hobbs was better than Murali Bijay or not, because the world is moving, but what Poms have done against India this time, it restores my respect for Goochi, Gat, Stuwie & Athers for their show against Shane, Qadir, Murali & Kumble. I do praise Ash & Jad lot, but when I think that these 2 bowlers are picking 11 wickets/Test at 25 (14 wickets/Test at 20 in India), I can only feel pity on modern batting greats, who should keep a low profile regarding their professional pride.

The harsh realization for me is that, Bangladesh hasn't progressed much, in fact may be has gone backward in longer game from 70s/80s/90s ............

Do you actually have a source which puts India at #6 or is it something you just dreamt up? India was ranked #1 in 1980/81 and again in 1995.

The current Indian team is 15 points ahead of Australia. Cheap statements with no factual basis like "beat this lot by clear margin of 2 or more Tests in India & out side IND, it'll be embarrassment" only hurt your credibility.

 

[Napa]

I can't, because there is none. <b>Which further makes my point that there is no one team that can be comfortably labelled as the best test side. </b>

You are really missing the point I'm trying to make. I'm not taking anything away from Nair. Getting a triple ton is a big achievement, he deserves the praise. I'm merely saying that it will be harder scoring runs in those countries for him. I'm not even saying Indians lack technique. I'm just saying a number of their newer batsmen are just yet to prove themselves in overseas conditions, which test you to the fullest.

Not gonna argue on the Shami/Wahab/Amir debate again. I've made my point why I consider those two to be better than him. I don't know why you guys keep bringing stats. There are other factors that come into play while comparing them too.

India is now 15 rating points ahead of #2 rated Australia. It is far and away the best Test team in the world.

 

[GrandMaster]

@ topic - Yes. Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman - they all were good but still failed to win a series in SA/Aus/Eng. The current Indian team under Kohli are fitter, aggressive and confident and have a better chances of winning abroad.

 

[KhalidRafi]

I agree away tours are going to be tough. No one is arguing that. Time will tell.

And reg Shami/Wahab/Amir debate, i too am not saying anything. Time will tell again.. We can agree to disagree. Probably talk in a few months time. Cheers

Fair enough. Cheers.

 

[KhalidRafi]

India is now 15 rating points ahead of #2 rated Australia. It is far and away the best Test team in the world.

For the umpteenth time, I am not talking about points. I was saying that a team shouldn't call itself the best test side in the world till it has drawn or won series in Australia, SA and England. Being a home-track bully doesn't necessarily mean you are the best team across the format, even if you may have the most points.

 

[javiersuka]

@ topic - Yes. Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman - they all were good but still failed to win a series in SA/Aus/Eng. The current Indian team under Kohli are fitter, aggressive and confident and have a better chances of winning abroad.

Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman have secured a draw in Australia 2003, SA 2010.

And won series in England 2007, NZ 2009.

 

[javiersuka]

For the umpteenth time, I am not talking about points. I was saying that a team shouldn't call itself the best test side in the world till it has drawn or won series in Australia, SA and England. Being a home-track bully doesn't necessarily mean you are the best team across the format, even if you may have the most points.

Who is the best Test team right now according to you, if not India?

 

[MMHS]

Do you actually have a source which puts India at #6 or is it something you just dreamt up? India was ranked #1 in 1980/81 and again in 1995.

The current Indian team is 15 points ahead of Australia. Cheap statements with no factual basis like "beat this lot by clear margin of 2 or more Tests in India & out side IND, it'll be embarrassment" only hurt your credibility.

I have given the timeline in my post - I hope, you are not reading that in your sleep to miss. But yes, I don't bother much about what ranking tells, which is a flawed system. It's a function of how many matches you play & where - otherwise, you'll have to be in your pipe dream to think that India was better Test team in 1980 than WI, AUS, PAK or even ENG - same goes for 1995. I understand, why IND might have been No. 1 Test team in 1980 - Mr. Kerry Packer has the most credit in it, if true (I haven't checked, in fact I never check ranking position - to get under some Pakistani skin, I do taunt with ODI ranking position , but beyond that, never wrote anything on ranking)

Between the period of 1980 to 1990-91, IND were hammered both home & away series to WI, drew at home the last 2; lost both home & away series to PAK; lost & drew away series to AUS, drew at home; won home series but lost away series to NZ & lost home & 2 away series to ENG, but won a home & an away series in ENG as well AND, IND lost a Series in SRL as well in 1985-86. But, in that period, NZ won home series to PAK, WI, AUS & ENG - hence I put the rank for most part of the decade like WI, PAK/AUS, ENG, NZ, IND, SRL - you are most welcome to think otherwise.

You have missed a critical word - current team is 15 points ahead of "current" Australia. I gave the disclaimer at the start for my cheap statement - since I don't have time machine, so I can't give factual basis, won't argue if you don't think the statement in credible.

 

[FlickedOffHips]

Lets hope you are right about Shami and Bhuvi.

For now, lets just hope for another 5 test victories at home in a row.

indeed. you've got me thinking about pandya and bumrah. watching the odis and t20s, it seems dhoni is grooming them like he did jadeja, asking them to stand up so that should accelerate their progress.

 

[street cricketer]

We have most bases covered, maybe a very good wk batsman but not every team has that anyway. But probably our biggest weak point is the length our pacers collectively bowl. All of them bowl at the stumps very well in Asia and so are more effective than most other pacers in the world because of their prior experience. But almost all of them, maybe except Bhuvi, bowl a back of length when they tour overseas. Shami, Yadav, Ishant all bowl the back of length for the most part of their stock deliveries. It might probably help in South Africa as I remember Sreesanth being successful there with a similar length and outswinger.

However look at all the Indian pacers who have been successful in England, Australia and New Zealand in the past - Zaheer, Irfan, RP Singh, Agarkar etc., all bowled a fuller length to pick their wickets. None of our current pacers bowl that beautiful luring fuller length that Zaheer bowled with great skill and none have the balls skills he had. Both Shami and Yadav have raw pace, which none of our previous bowlers had in the past except Srinath maybe. But in places like Australia, most of our bowlers get carried away with the bounce and end up bowling too many short and back of length deliveries. Batsmen like Warner and Smith have literally grown up facing such deliveries just like Indian batsmen facing spin. You bowl a nagging line and back of length, they will tap you into third man for a single. Anything wider will be cut away for a boundary and anything straighter will be pulled to the square boundary.

Fuller length is the exact length you need to bowl against their batsmen to induce nicks and that's even more so important in places like the WACA and Brisbane where many Asian pacers get carried away with the pace and bounce on offer. You saw how Philander was successful with his nagging line and length which forced many Aussie batsmen into giving edges. Bhuvi is probably the only guy who bowls such a length but he is a bit short on pace (despite his latest improvements) for the hard Australian tracks. Still Philander is an encouragement of sorts for him. There is no bowler comparable to the quality of Rabada though. Hopefully Zaheer becomes our bowling coach and makes the current ones bowl that length and also teaches some of his skills with the new and the old ball.

 

[Napa]

For the umpteenth time, I am not talking about points. I was saying that a team shouldn't call itself the best test side in the world till it has drawn or won series in Australia, SA and England. Being a home-track bully doesn't necessarily mean you are the best team across the format, even if you may have the most points.

You obviously have your own system of ranking. I prefer the ICC's, which I think you probably did too when Pakistan was ranked #1.

 

[Napa]

I have given the timeline in my post - I hope, you are not reading that in your sleep to miss. But yes, I don't bother much about what ranking tells, which is a flawed system. It's a function of how many matches you play & where - otherwise, you'll have to be in your pipe dream to think that India was better Test team in 1980 than WI, AUS, PAK or even ENG - same goes for 1995. I understand, why IND might have been No. 1 Test team in 1980 - Mr. Kerry Packer has the most credit in it, if true (I haven't checked, in fact I never check ranking position - to get under some Pakistani skin, I do taunt with ODI ranking position , but beyond that, never wrote anything on ranking)

Between the period of 1980 to 1990-91, IND were hammered both home & away series to WI, drew at home the last 2; lost both home & away series to PAK; lost & drew away series to AUS, drew at home; won home series but lost away series to NZ & lost home & 2 away series to ENG, but won a home & an away series in ENG as well AND, IND lost a Series in SRL as well in 1985-86. But, in that period, NZ won home series to PAK, WI, AUS & ENG - hence I put the rank for most part of the decade like WI, PAK/AUS, ENG, NZ, IND, SRL - you are most welcome to think otherwise.

You have missed a critical word - current team is 15 points ahead of "current" Australia. I gave the disclaimer at the start for my cheap statement - since I don't have time machine, so I can't give factual basis, won't argue if you don't think the statement in credible.

So basically your point is that India was #6 in the mid-80s and the current Indian team is worse than that team. So all the other 5 teams ahead of India would be better than the current Indian team.

Your assertion is right up there in bias and drama with your statement that Gavaskar played EVERY ball selfishly.

The reality is that the current Indian team is one of the strongest the world has ever seen. The batting lineup is so strong that there is discussion whether an unbeaten triple centurion would even make the team. The spin bowling duo is extraordinary and the pace attack is probably the best India has ever had.
[MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]

 

[jeetu]

India wasn't really a bad side in 80's , it was 90's that team simply went hopeless on away tour.
80's side won WC in 83 in England, won multinational tournament in Australia. India competed well on away tours in 80's. In test beat England in England in 87 , drew against a strong Pakistani test side in 89. Nearly won 2 tests in Australia in drawn series.

 

[MMHS]

So basically your point is that India was #6 in the mid-80s and the current Indian team is worse than that team. So all the other 5 teams ahead of India would be better than the current Indian team.

Your assertion is right up there in bias and drama with your statement that Gavaskar played EVERY ball selfishly.

The reality is that the current Indian team is one of the strongest the world has ever seen. The batting lineup is so strong that there is discussion whether an unbeaten triple centurion would even make the team. The spin bowling duo is extraordinary and the pace attack is probably the best India has ever had.
[MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]

Allah Hummah Amin. Jai Sri Rama.

On a serious note - never change goal post when you are discussing anything with me - or you are welcome to ignore my post. I don't want to block any poster, and this is I am writing 2nd time to you.

Your assessment of the pace attack actually indicates, I shouldn't to bother to respond on this topic & rest part is beyond laughing stock.

 

[Napa]

India wasn't really a bad side in 80's , it was 90's that team simply went hopeless on away tour.
80's side won WC in 83 in England, won multinational tournament in Australia. India competed well on away tours in 80's. In test beat England in England in 87 , drew against a strong Pakistani test side in 89. Nearly won 2 tests in Australia in drawn series.

Quite right! Also the most dominant tournament team ever was probably the 1985 Indian Champions Trophy team. Actual statistics help cut through the bias and drama.

 

[KhalidRafi]

You obviously have your own system of ranking. I prefer the ICC's, which I think you probably did too when Pakistan was ranked #1.

India may be the best ranked team but that doesn't mean that they are the best. The Australian team of the the 2000's was the best team team. The South African team from 2007 to 2013/14 was the best team. Because unlike India they didn't hide behind 18 test home seasons and actually won series in England, India, Pakistan -- South Africa won in Australia in 2012. Australia beat in them in South Africa in 2006.

I know you are an Indian fan but please try looking at cricket from a realistic point-of-view. You are deluded about your pace attack and apart from Kohli most of your players are yet to prove themselves abroad.
And I never believed Pakistan was the best team even when they were No. 1. They simply got lucky.

 

[Hitman]

We might be the best team in the world at the moment, but we are nowhere as dominating as some of the other teams who have topped the charts in the past. I think most of us Indians know that.

However, a lot of posters are missing the point. We have been traditionally a weak team. And for us to overcome all odds and be rated the #1 Test team is a huge, huge moment for us. And hence our celebrations.

 

[Ind_Fan]

I happened to catch a few highlights of Eng vs Bd test matches after which I think that guy Miraz is good, almost like a mix of Saqlain and Swann, with due respect to them. Before claiming best ever, and it is taking too far right now, I would like to see a big turner with this guy against India, I think barring Kohli and Pujara, others might struggle as Moeen gave India such big headaches, in Eng, in 2014 (if I am not wrong). Apart from that if Ind do not groom a pacy bowler on the likes of Aaron, of course who could bowl with accuracy, if not wickets, they will struggle in away tours. It is better if we take match by match rather than going hyperbole like some Bangladesh fans after that Asia cup match, again due respect to the true Bd fans.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Performance wise, yes. They have had better results than the previous teams in WI and SL. And have continued to dominate in the same fashion the previous teams have at home.

 

[anikrc1]

Allah Hummah Amin. Jai Sri Rama.

On a serious note - never change goal post when you are discussing anything with me - or you are welcome to ignore my post. I don't want to block any poster, and this is I am writing 2nd time to you.

Your assessment of the pace attack actually indicates, I shouldn't to bother to respond on this topic & rest part is beyond laughing stock.

actually i think this is the first time india has two bowlers who can consistently operate n the 140 s. and bhubi and ishant are better than any of our 3d -4th seamers before. so

 

[Napa]

actually i think this is the first time india has two bowlers who can consistently operate n the 140 s. and bhubi and ishant are better than any of our 3d -4th seamers before. so

Again you are letting facts get in the way of drama.

Quite lovely to see Yadav actually intimidate batsmen with his short pitch stuff. While he may not have got Ali out yesterday, the sight of Ali swinging wildly trying to protect himself from a bouncer and landing on his backside was memorable!

 

[samplepiece]

OMG when this x
XI played together?

yep they did not. Changed the team in the subsequent post. Ishant Sharmaji in place of Srinath

 

[Sidilicious]

actually i think this is the first time india has two bowlers who can consistently operate n the 140 s. and bhubi and ishant are better than any of our 3d -4th seamers before. so

Again you are letting facts get in the way of drama.

Quite lovely to see Yadav actually intimidate batsmen with his short pitch stuff. While he may not have got Ali out yesterday, the sight of Ali swinging wildly trying to protect himself from a bouncer and landing on his backside was memorable!

Even though [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] is exaggerating a bit, but I wouldn't call this our top 3 ever teams. Given the results of the 1980s team, I would consider that team better than team
- All Indian teams have been excellent at home in the past. Yes, this team is more ruthless in its ways but for a subcontinent team, true greatness will be evaluated by their performances in Eng/Aus/SA.
Similarly, for great Eng/Aus/SA teams, other than winning in their home conditions (or similar) truly great teams also win in the sub continent.

The teams of 1980s won 2-0 in England, which is no small achievement. Kohli and co will need to perform in abroad before we call them our best team. Do they have the potential? Of course. Are they better? Nit until they perform. Our 07-11 team was by far the best. The only 2 series they lost during that period was away to a Mystery Mendis inspired SL (2-1) and a controversial series in Aus (2-1. Had Symonds been given out, it could have been our series). That team won everywhere.

Having said that, man to man - this team is better than the 1980s one.

Man to Man - We are behind the 07-11 one.
Their batting was slightly superior. Even though they had an ATG top 5 (possibly the greatest ever in cricket. Even the non ATGs, Gambo was in the form of a lifetime and VVS was as clutch as they come), this team runs them close due to very very strong lower middle order.
Bowling - Currently on par. But has the potential to be better.

Finally, those saying this is not the no. 1 team right now, you couldn't be more wrong. We don't have to be invincible to be the no.1 team. We don't have to win everywhere to be the number 1 team. We just have to better than others! Which we are right now.

If Pakistan manage to draw the series in Aus, then they could have the claim of being number 1 as they have drawn in England and Aus; and have beaten most teams at home.

 

[Napa]

Even though [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] is exaggerating a bit, but I wouldn't call this our top 3 ever teams. Given the results of the 1980s team, I would consider that team better than team
- All Indian teams have been excellent at home in the past. Yes, this team is more ruthless in its ways but for a subcontinent team, true greatness will be evaluated by their performances in Eng/Aus/SA.
Similarly, for great Eng/Aus/SA teams, other than winning in their home conditions (or similar) truly great teams also win in the sub continent.

The teams of 1980s won 2-0 in England, which is no small achievement. Kohli and co will need to perform in abroad before we call them our best team. Do they have the potential? Of course. Are they better? Nit until they perform. Our 07-11 team was by far the best. The only 2 series they lost during that period was away to a Mystery Mendis inspired SL (2-1) and a controversial series in Aus (2-1. Had Symonds been given out, it could have been our series). That team won everywhere.

Having said that, man to man - this team is better than the 1980s one.

Man to Man - We are behind the 07-11 one.
Their batting was slightly superior. Even though they had an ATG top 5 (possibly the greatest ever in cricket. Even the non ATGs, Gambo was in the form of a lifetime and VVS was as clutch as they come), this team runs them close due to very very strong lower middle order.
Bowling - Currently on par. But has the potential to be better.

Finally, those saying this is not the no. 1 team right now, you couldn't be more wrong. We don't have to be invincible to be the no.1 team. We don't have to win everywhere to be the number 1 team. We just have to better than others! Which we are right now.

If Pakistan manage to draw the series in Aus, then they could have the claim of being number 1 as they have drawn in England and Aus; and have beaten most teams at home.

I also have a lot of respect for the previous Indian teams. There are 3 things that stand out for me in the current team:

1) Our batting lineup now is so strong that we expect every one of the top batsmen to score a century. Even with Pujara and Kohli failing in the last Test we scored 759/7. We could have got to 1,000 if we wanted.

2) Our spin bowling duo is currently ranked #1 and #2 bowlers. I don't think we have ever had that before.

3) Our pace bowlers are the weakest link, but even they can intimidate opposing batsmen with their pace and bounce them out.

 

[Tusker]

So basically your point is that India was #6 in the mid-80s and the current Indian team is worse than that team. So all the other 5 teams ahead of India would be better than the current Indian team.

Your assertion is right up there in bias and drama with your statement that Gavaskar played EVERY ball selfishly.

The reality is that the current Indian team is one of the strongest the world has ever seen. The batting lineup is so strong that there is discussion whether an unbeaten triple centurion would even make the team. The spin bowling duo is extraordinary and the pace attack is probably the best India has ever had.
[MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]

Quite right! Also the most dominant tournament team ever was probably the 1985 Indian Champions Trophy team. Actual statistics help cut through the bias and drama.

I think he is just trolling ... or he is having a bad day. I would cut him some slack ... but you are right on (as always). The stats to support are there for everybody to see ... Wins in Eng 86, A draw in Aus in 1981 (Came very very close to beating Aus in Aus in 1985/86 but for some horrible umpiring). Were one of only few teams that drew a series vs WI and Pak in the 80s and ofcourse there was 1983 and 1985 ODI triumphs.

But I have explained the reasoning for the bias over here : http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...r-some-real-competition&p=9014010#post9014010

A lot of it is due to our older ERA teams from the 60s and 70s and 80s who used to be shy mild mannered and that was taken advantage of by the bullies and the perception and stereotypes have stuck.

But I quite like that stereotype ... the more the Bravado and trash talk before every series the sweeter it tastes after the customary spanking amidst the near perfect radio silence from our players. Just wait till the Champions trophy clash nears in June'2017.

BTW a whole lot of Pakistan fans still firmly believe that India was afraid of playing Pak in the 90s. Some even think that is true even now in 2016 lol.

 

[big_gamer007]

The current team is pretty strong, the away tours would be the real test, we have always done well at home it's away we struggle.. If we manage to get 2-3 good away series in next few years this team and kohli would have cemented his legacy as top 3 Indian cricketers ever.. Obviously the competition is not as good as it was earlier but still you can only beat what you have in front of you..

 

[Napa]

We might be the best team in the world at the moment, but we are nowhere as dominating as some of the other teams who have topped the charts in the past. I think most of us Indians know that.

However, a lot of posters are missing the point. <b>We have been traditionally a weak team.</b> And for us to overcome all odds and be rated the #1 Test team is a huge, huge moment for us. And hence our celebrations.

Not sure why you believe that. As per retroactive rankings, we were ranked #1 between 1952 to 2003 on 3 separate occasions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Test_Championship

The number of months we were ranked #1 is much more than, say Pakistan.

 

[FlickedOffHips]

I happened to catch a few highlights of Eng vs Bd test matches after which I think that guy Miraz is good, almost like a mix of Saqlain and Swann, with due respect to them. Before claiming best ever, and it is taking too far right now, I would like to see a big turner with this guy against India, I think barring Kohli and Pujara, others might struggle as Moeen gave India such big headaches, in Eng, in 2014 (if I am not wrong). Apart from that if Ind do not groom a pacy bowler on the likes of Aaron, of course who could bowl with accuracy, if not wickets, they will struggle in away tours. It is better if we take match by match rather than going hyperbole like some Bangladesh fans after that Asia cup match, again due respect to the true Bd fans.

already got shami and yadav who can hit 90mph. don't need anymore pace.

 

[szrana007]

Not sure why you believe that. As per retroactive rankings, we were ranked #1 between 1952 to 2003 on 3 separate occasions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Test_Championship

The number of months we were ranked #1 is much more than, say Pakistan.

You go on about ranking, but what is the cumulative win loss ratio of India in test cricket ?

 

[FlickedOffHips]

since people talk about missing the point, i'll say where many of them are missing- question isn't how this team would rank alongside wi or aus, but how they rank alongside past indian teams.

 

[Napa]

You go on about ranking, but what is the cumulative win loss ratio of India in test cricket ?

If you have that number handy, do enlighten us.

With the team on a 17 game unbeaten streak, I assume that the ratio is getting better all the time

 

[Chrish]

Both Ashwin and Kohli will suppress Sachin as the GOAT indian cricketer with Ashwin suppressing Sobers

 

[szrana007]

If you have that number handy, do enlighten us.

With the team on a 17 game unbeaten streak, I assume that the ratio is getting better all the time

I thought, you knew about that, but for your information its 0.866, which ranks as 7th best among all test playing teams.

 

[Napa]

I thought, you knew about that, but for your information its 0.866, which ranks as 7th best among all test playing teams.

No problem, give it a few years and it will be over 1. This #1 ranked Indian team is going to leave everyone else behind.

It has won around 10 of the last 14 Tests, and most non-wins were due to rain.

 

[Tusker]

I thought, you knew about that, but for your information its 0.866, which ranks as 7th best among all test playing teams.

The problem is it includes stats from Days when Ind and Pak were one country and Tests were played on Matting wkts in India ... if you think that is a fair reflection of current state of affairs then one can only laugh.

Here is the most accurate representation of current situation :


Last 5 years :

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2011;spanval2=span;template=results;type=team

Last 10 years :

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2006;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team

Last 15 years

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2001;spanval2=span;template=results;type=team


In all of those stats we are in the Top 3.

 

[szrana007]

The problem is it includes stats from Days when Ind and Pak were one country and Tests were played on Matting wkts in India ... if you think that is a fair reflection of current state of affairs then one can only laugh.

Here is the most accurate representation of current situation :


Last 5 years :

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2011;spanval2=span;template=results;type=team

Last 10 years :

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2006;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team

Last 15 years

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2001;spanval2=span;template=results;type=team


In all of those stats we are in the Top 3.

who says its a fair reflection of the current situation ? My point was to prove that historically India has been a weak test side, that is why it sits at 7th in the cumulative win loss ratio table.

 

[yasir_shah_fan]

As usual, people getting carried away with what is going on in front of them.

Doesn't come close to this:

Sehwag
Gambhir
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Ganguly
Dhoni
Kumble
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Nehra

Do you rate Harbhajan above Ashwin?

 

[Tusker]

who says its a fair reflection of the current situation ? My point was to prove that historically India has been a weak test side, that is why it sits at 7th in the cumulative win loss ratio table.

And my point is that this perception itself is ancient history ...

because we have been a top team for last 25 yrs or so : http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...1991;spanval2=span;template=results;type=team

 

[Varun]

Do you rate Harbhajan above Ashwin?

No, but I was just listing out the personnel of our best ever team. It contained Harbhajan, but not Ashwin.

The team was the best in spite of having a sub-part spinner. Though there was Kumble.

 

[hur rizvi]

When was the last time this Indian team won a match in England, Aus or SA?

Certainly Ganguly's team takes this cake for being good overseas

 

[Tusker]

When was the last time this Indian team won a match in England, Aus or SA?

Certainly Ganguly's team takes this cake for being good overseas

Eng : 2014 (Lords)
SAF : 2010 ( I think Durban)
Aus : 2008 (Perth)

 

[hur rizvi]

Eng : 2014 (Lords)
SAF : 2010 ( I think Durban)
Aus : 2008 (Perth)

Apart from 2014 these are entirely different Indian teams.

 

[yasir_shah_fan]

No, but I was just listing out the personnel of our best ever team. It contained Harbhajan, but not Ashwin.

The team was the best in spite of having a sub-part spinner. Though there was Kumble.

I know I was just curious me and one of my Indian friends have this debate over who's the better spinner out of the 2. He thinks Harbhajan should be bowling with ashwin in tests...

 

[Vivek_86]

I know I was just curious me and one of my Indian friends have this debate over who's the better spinner out of the 2. He thinks Harbhajan should be bowling with ashwin in tests...

Ashwin is the courageous of the two and better. Whenever batsman starts to think of attacking , Harbhajan turns into dart thrower. Without the mystery of doosra ,bhajji is non existent

 

[Snow]

No it is not, but they do have MVP ever in Ashwin. I have never seen someone impacting team the way Ashwin in from last few years. Take Ashwin out, and India will struggle to hold onto home series.

 

[Sachin136]

No it is not, but they do have MVP ever in Ashwin. I have never seen someone impacting team the way Ashwin in from last few years. Take Ashwin out, and India will struggle to hold onto home series.

I think Jadeja, Mishra and Jayant along with the batsmen would still win India most home tests.