Indian cricket in its current state is healthier than it has ever been. For years now, Indian cricket has been dominant when it comes to off the field matters but now it seems like performances on the field have also aligned equally and the team looks like a formidable unit to play against.
The talk of the Asian century has been around for some time now but this does feel like an era that is dominated by Indian cricket. What makes this crop of cricketers so special and can they go on to dominate as the West Indies did in the 80s or like Australia did in the early 2000s? Let’s find out.
UNREAL SQUAD DEPTH
Indian cricket has always been blessed with one or two top-class players in the past but now we seem to have a team filled with world-class talents. So much so that even with six first-choice players unavailable in the last Test against Australia at the Gabba, India just didn’t compete but managed to beat the Aussies at a stadium where they had been invincible in the past.
The squad depth will be tested on the tour of Sri Lanka when the Test team will be in England playing the five-match Test series while simultaneously the second squad would be touring Sri Lanka for a white-ball series. Things seem pretty positive for the Indian team from the outset as the squad would feature some serious talents. India’s B-team has the ability to put up a fight against any Test nation in the world currently and that is a subtle flex about the powers of Indian cricket.
ABILITY TO DOMINATE IN ANY CONDITIONS
In the past, the Indians were always labelled as bullies only at home but none of that can be associated with this current Indian team. This team has the batting and bowling prowess to go to any country in the world, and irrespective of the conditions they face, can go on to win a match
. The opposition team is always confused about the kind of tracks they’d want to play on against the Indians. If they prepared a turning track then the Indian team has two or three top-class spinners. If you prepare a green seamer then the Indian fast bowling quartet would make life extremely difficult for their batters. This makes India a team for all conditions.
A WORLD-CLASS BOWLING UNIT
During the 80s and 90s, the Indian batters kept getting peppered by bouncers regularly as the Indian bowlers couldn’t dish out anything similar to the opposition. Turn the page to 2018 and beyond, the Indian team suddenly has a quartet of fast bowlers who can bowl at a serious pace.
Since Jasprit Bumrah’s Test debut in South Africa in 2018, the Indian fast bowling unit has outbowled every other bowling unit in the world. To add to the quality of fast bowling, we have two spinners in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who are probably the best spinners in Test cricket currently.
PLENTY OF LEADERS IN THE SQUAD
In times of adversity, the real character of an individual is tested. Something similar happened to Team India in the Test series down under with injuries affecting players left, right and centre. However, there were always an individual or two who put their hands up and took responsibility.
This is where we saw the emergence of leaders coming from within the group and now the team is blessed by leaders who set the right example on and off the field. These players set the right standards within the squad and the youngsters coming into the team have the best examples right in front of their eyes.
Read: Venkatesh Prasad to Jadeja: Indian Cricketers from 90s Who Would Flourish In T20 Cricket
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