New Delhi: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell feels the Virat Kohli-led side is India’s best in pace bowling and fielding but it is nowhere close to being the best in batting.
Asked if this was the best Indian team of all time on a cricket-specific website, Chappell said, “This Indian side is the best fast bowling contingent and the best fielding side that I have seen from India.”
“But it’s not the best batting side. I have seen better batting combinations from India than this team,” he added, but did not dwell on which batting line-up he considered the best.
Although Cheteshwar Pujara was adjudged man of the series for being the series’ top-scorer, India’s traditionally much-vaunted batting was, for once, overshadowed by the team’s pacers. The Indian pacers accounted for 50 of the 70 Australian wickets during the engagement.
Chappell said the Indian bowlers did well to exploit the conditions. “The Indian bowlers out-bowled the Australians. They got more swing than the Australian bowlers. I think the seam position of the Indian pacers was very good. They kept it up the whole time and perhaps that’s why they swung the ball more than the Australians,” he explained.
Praises pour in
New Delhi: Congratulatory messages continued to pour in a day after India’s historic Test series victory on Australian soil with legendary batsman Vivian Richards labelling the visitors performance as ‘magnificent’. “Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Virat and his team for such a magnificent performance Down Under. It was always going to be tough, but you guys came out smelling sweet,” Richards said in a video message. Pakistan Prime Minister and former cricket captain, Imran Khan also congratulated India on becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia. “Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a Test series in Australia,” Khan tweeted.