Dhoni's Indian team is the best ever: Kapil Dev

[W63L35]

http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/181017-ms-dhoni-led-indian-team-is-the-best-ever-kapil-dev?pfrom=home-cricket
Durban: Former India captain Kapil Dev has called the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side the best ever team in the history of Indian cricket.

"Without any doubt, I would say that this is the best Indian team ever," said Kapil, who is here to take part in the second edition of the World Cricket Legends, a 15-a-side cricket tournament in the wild between former India and South African players, organised by Beyond Boundaries.

"When you have so many records, so much experience and have done so well, you can't complain about anything at all," he added.

Kapil although feels that one should never compare two generations and one should always believe that the next generation is better than the previous one. That's the mantra of moving forward, the legendary all-rounder opined.

"You can never compare a son with his father. The fathers never had the modern day gadgets that their sons are used to nowadays. Yet they worked tirelessly to get everything for their kids. That's why it is unfair to compare two generations. But you always want your son to be better than you," he said.

"The next generation has always been and will be better than the previous one. If it is not then we aren't moving forward as a society. If you at all have to compare, I would say this team is far better."

Kapil, meanwhile, denied that there is any extra pressure on Sachin Tendulkar to score his hundredth international ton, stating that the champion batsman has been handling pressure since he made his debut.

"When was Tendulkar not under pressure? Since age of 16, we have been putting pressure on him like comparing him with Sir Don Bradman and all that. He is always under pressure. I wonder if he would be able to perform if you don't write about him, talk to him and there is no crowd.

"I think he can only play under pressure. And the good part is, he is 99 not out. He likes to take pressure," he said.

Kapil also expressed disappointment at someone as promising as Irfan Pathan going downward.

"I think there is too much pressure. Look at (Irfan) Pathan. I thought he was coming up too well but suddenly he went off the boil. I thought he was moving in the right direction, perhaps, in today's world there is too much pressure and too much hard work. I don't think the players can handle themselves. It is tough life."

Still out of favour from the BCCI after he decided to switch allegiance to the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL), Kapil expects the cricket establishment to sort things out with him.

"The only thing is that the young players and the BCCI have to come back to me. They have to come back if they think they can learn something. It is up to the BCCI to sort these things out," he insisted.

Kapil recently came out in support of the proposed Sports Development Bill and insisted that he would always stand for it.

"The Sports Bill is speaking about the betterment of sports in the country. Forget about whether I have an advantage or a disadvantage. If it is good for sports but not personally for me then my personal liking should not come before the country. That's what I believe."

He also believes it is not unreasonable to ask the BCCI to be counted as a National Sports Federation (NSF).

"If it is for the betterment of sports we should all support it. Are we asking for anything unreasonable or unethical? No, we are not. If I am not ready to be accountable then it is sad," said Kapil.

Was Kapil Dev visiting Mars during summer?

[Poison]

Not hard to be the best Indian team of all time, they've been pretty rubbish since inception.

[W63L35]

Not hard to be the best Indian team of all time, they've been pretty rubbish since inception.

:))

I think, we close the thread!

[Itachi]

I remember his negative comments during england tour though.... Double faces....

[ethan hunt]

lol , thats not saying much , , id back pakistans worst team to beat their best more often than not :yk

[Itachi]

lol , thats not saying much , , id back pakistans worst team to beat their best more often than not :yk

mohali says hi. ;-)

[Statsman]

mohali says hi. ;-)

But, but, that was a "deal" between Gilani and Manmohan. :yk

[Jo_Don]

He did say the best Indian team, not the best team. I can probably agree with him on that.

[Robert]

The 1986 mob were better IMO. More bowling strength.

[cricketindiafan]

The 1986 mob were better IMO. More bowling strength.

Lal, Binny, Chetan Sharma all perfect for the English conditions but not good enough outside.

Dhoni's team with Zaheer as the lead bowler has done better in all conditions. And the WC win and not having lost a series for 3 years prior to Eng tour does add its own aura.

[Itachi]

The 1986 mob were better IMO. More bowling strength.

i would agree with that. That team looks more stronger.

[ethan hunt]

mohali says hi. ;-)

oh yeah i remember that game , we chased down something like 322 against indias best ever attack :))), afridi saw us through , 2007 series right ??:afridi

[velu]

oh yeah i remember that game , we chased down something like 322 against indias best ever attack :))), afridi saw us through , 2007 series right ??:afridi

having short term memory loss is really a blessing :boom:

[freelance_cricketer]

Definitely is the best ever Indian side, no doubt about it.

[Robert]

Lal, Binny, Chetan Sharma all perfect for the English conditions but not good enough outside.


Well, at least they did well in one country.

And don't forget Kapil, who was effective in several countries.

[style_guru]

I would give Kapil the benifit of the doubt.

However, had he said that this Indian team is the best team ever in world cricket, I could see some chittars flying:rana

[jusarrived]

for a supporters of a team which has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI , pakistanis do talk alot .

[W63L35]

for a supporters of a team which has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI , pakistanis do talk alot .

Yet that team must be important/popular/attractive enough for the fans of a rival team who basically live on the biggest cricket forum supporting a team that has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI.

[Sherlock]

I agree with KD, it is the best Indian team in their history. Not the best team in the world right now but the best Indian team.

[ethan hunt]

for a supporters of a team which has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI , pakistanis do talk alot .

says the supporter of a team that is yet to win in srilanka:))), thats right folks , srilanka. cant even win in he subcontinent , why even play the great game if you aint ever gonna win :P
took the nation of a billion around a billion years to win abroad , its an art they are still not good at #ENGLAND4-0.
if only jayaprakash could supervise all indian matches :6:

[freelance_cricketer]

^ 2 World Cups

Shut up.

[Sherlock]

for a supporters of a team which has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI , pakistanis do talk alot .

I've read a lot of your posts, and have to admit, you're one negative poster. A lot of that negativity is towards Pakistani supporters.

I've been to Indian "cricket" forums, and guess what they don't like Pakistan or seeing them win, so keep that in mind next time you post.

[jusarrived]

Yet that team must be important/popular/attractive enough for the fans of a rival team who basically live on the biggest cricket forum supporting a team that has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI.

you must have repeated this like a million times , talk when you have a better argument . if you have a issue take it up with the owner of this site and make this a pak fans only forum

[Nics]

says the supporter of a team that is yet to win in srilanka:))), thats right folks , srilanka. cant even win in he subcontinent , why even play the great game if you aint ever gonna win :P
took the nation of a billion around a billion years to win abroad , its an art they are still not good at #ENGLAND4-0.
if only jayaprakash could supervise all indian matches :6:

India haven't beaten sri lanka in sri lanka??? My friend Atleast get your facts right before Indian bashing.

[ethan hunt]

^ 2 World Cups

.

i have a sneaking suspicion that is exactly the number of bilateral series you have won throughout your GLORIOUS cricketing past :))

[style_guru]

says the supporter of a team that is yet to win in srilanka:))), thats right folks , srilanka. cant even win in he subcontinent , why even play the great game if you aint ever gonna win :P
took the nation of a billion around a billion years to win abroad , its an art they are still not good at #ENGLAND4-0.
if only jayaprakash could supervise all indian matches :6:


You mean blind cricket?

[ethan hunt]

You mean blind cricket?

lol the padosis are out to defend their nation , read the context of the post i was replying to ..

[Itachi]

Yet that team must be important/popular/attractive enough for the fans of a rival team who basically live on the biggest cricket forum supporting a team that has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI.

being on the forum doesn't necessarily means supporting the rival team by the way.

[ethan hunt]

India haven't beaten sri lanka in sri lanka??? My friend Atleast get your facts right before Indian bashing.

when was this series win you talk about , before christ ??

[jusarrived]

I've read a lot of your posts, and have to admit, you're one negative poster. A lot of that negativity is towards Pakistani supporters. I've been to Indian "cricket" forums, and guess what they don't like Pakistan or seeing them win, so keep that in mind next time you post.

ever bothered to check which posts am responding to . Which of the above posts from ppers are exactly postive ? I cant stop myself from responding when you mock the indian team .

I cant speak for all indian fans , but I dont speak about Pak on indian forums .

[Sherlock]

ever bothered to check which posts am responding to . Which of the above posts from ppers are exactly postive ? I cant stop myself from responding when you mock the indian team .

I cant speak for all indian fans , but I dont speak about Pak on indian forums .

As I wrote before, you'll get the minority "mocking" or arguing against your team, but that's just the way it is. It's not only exclusive to PP.

The replies I've read aren't defaming India, but the results in the summer and how KD said one thing then and is totally saying something opposite.

[Nics]

when was this series win you talk about , before christ ??
Does that matter when it was played?? It is recorded in ICC records book. India have won a series there, if you don't want to check, well then its not my problem. It won't change anything.

[Anwar_194]

wasnt he the one criticizing them not too long ago. I am not sure how they analyze by beating minnows in their home country and considering India being the best. The actual talent is to do the same in other counties.

[Sherlock]

R.e.s.p.e.c.t

[Indiafan]

Not hard to be the best Indian team of all time, they've been pretty rubbish since inception.

Except they have ranked no1 in tests and won the world cup twice, which a certain other all time great team under the greatest captain ever has never achieved

[USIND]

There's no doubt about it. And Dhoni is a magician.:heart:
Whatever jealous creatures say,Dhoni's craftsmanship speaks for itself.He is the best Indian captain ever.:)

[Indiafan]

wasnt he the one criticizing them not too long ago. I am not sure how they analyze by beating minnows in their home country and considering India being the best. The actual talent is to do the same in other counties.

India became no 1 after defeating England and england and drawing with South Africa in South Africa. Which other sub continent team has done that?

[ethan hunt]

India became no 1 after defeating England and england and drawing with South Africa in South Africa. Which other sub continent team has done that?

pakistan has defeated england in england and drawn in south africa whats your point ??

[Love Pakistan]

Best ever! Well, I would say its the 2nd best ever Indian team! Not really the best ever! I mean look at the way England thrashed the best ever Indian team this English summer! You really wanna call this the "best team?"

[Blitz]

At this thread :facepalm:


You Indians need to chill.



Its nice of Kapil to say this is the best Indian team ever. But like someone else said, how is that an achievement?

[ash 68]

we still remember the summer

it was the mother/father of all phainty

couple of test vs minows on Indian Motorway tarmac pitches and its all forgotten

I will NEVER forget and nor will my kids who watched it

[giri26]

To be frank people in this thread are behaving like Kapil said this is the best team in the world. Relax people he just said that this is the best Indian team ever. He has spoken on the basis of the results over the past few years and in spite of the loss in England, India have been pretty consistent over the last 3 years. A T20 World Cup, 50 over world cup and number 1 in test cricket all in the last 4 years is a great achievement. India have been pretty poor in the past but since 2000 we have done pretty well in all formats and for sure this is India's golden decade in cricket:

Tests:

2000-2011

Played -127
Won - 50
Lost - 34
W/L - 1.47

ODI

Played - 363
Won - 195
Lost - 149
W/L - 1.30

T20

Played - 31
Won - 16
Lost - 13
W/L - 1.23

Even though the Indian teams of the past have been pretty rubbish, I guess we Indian fans of the current generation have seen the best decade for Indian team of all time since Ganguly took over in 2000. Future Indian teams might better it but as of now what Kapil says is very much true.

[giri26]

we still remember the summer

it was the mother/father of all phainty

couple of test vs minows on Indian Motorway tarmac pitches and its all forgotten

I will NEVER forget and nor will my kids who watched it

Again What Kapil said was "BEST INDIAN TEAM OF ALL TIME", not "BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD". None of us have forgotten what happened this summer. A single series loss over 3 years does not make us the worst team in the world. You are talking as if the Indian teams of the past won everything that Kapil's statement can be challenged.

[s2k]

Yet that team must be important/popular/attractive enough for the fans of a rival team who basically live on the biggest cricket forum supporting a team that has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI.

If u have issues with Indians here.....ask the owner to ask Indians to leave and we will.Else you are no one to ask or tell us why we are here.

[akheR]

Yes it's the best Indian team ever.


Not that it's an achievement.

for a supporters of a team which has never won a series in Aus , SA and WI , pakistanis do talk alot .

lol why talk of series win ? That's just random, why not the overall Test w/l ratio ?

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283877.html

Guess what, we nearly won the same amount of Test matches, despite one team playing 457* matches and the other 362 ...

:D

[Rana]

This team would get mauled over by the Aussie post 2000 team. but i think this was their strongest lineup

Sehwag
Dravid (wk)
Ganguly
Tendulkar
Laxman
Yuvraj
Irfan Pathan
Harbajhan
Kumble
Zaheer Khan
Agarkar

[Zohaib Shah]

Fair enough , I'll agree with Kapil Dav on this one.

[Buffet]

I do think that this is the best Indian team so far. They did not lose many in last 3 years and they lost only one series badly in England when they had half fit team there.

They won the world cup and had very good performance to reach and hold number one rank for some time in test. Fact is this team have achieved more than other Indian teams in past so it is clearly best Indian team.

Some comments here are of very poort taste. Indian is no way comparable to West Indian or Australian team but they are only third team to hold number one rank in test and win the world cup at the same time. No other team except Aus/west Indies has done it so far. Indian team had put together some very good performaces to warrant this comment.

[srh]

seriously kapil paa ji? This team get the worst defeat ever on a tour. How can it be consider that country's best team ever?

[pakcrickfan]

seriously kapil paa ji? This team get the worst defeat ever on a tour. How can it be consider that country's best team ever?

becos they have had teams lot worser then this crap team. we all know their history dude.. they have been one of the minnows for a long time. recently started doing better.

[freelance_cricketer]

I think the side that defeated the Aussies 2-0 in 2008 Border-Gavaskar series was our best ever.

Sehwag
Gambhir
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Laxman
Dhoni
Kumble
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Ishant

[Itachi]

If u have issues with Indians here.....ask the owner to ask Indians to leave and we will.Else you are no one to ask or tell us why we are here.

exactly! I see this attitude in some senior posters. Just cz its a pakistani forum, they think that non pakistanis can't criticise pakistan. If they do, they get statements like,"it is pak forum", "do you know which forum is this?" i specially don't expect this from senior posters as they have spend much time here and should be out of this restrictive mind.

[Ironcat]

Hah, 0-4 suggests otherwise.

[pakcrickfan]

Hah, 0-4 suggests otherwise.

dude their previous teams used to lose 0-5 or losing against average teams. thats why current team is their best. I agree with Kapil on this.

[Ironcat]

dude their previous teams used to lose 0-5 or losing against average teams. thats why current team is their best. I agree with Kapil on this.
Dude, quote us a 0-4 loss here by, say, Ganguly's team - or that 0-5 loss you want us to believe.

[Invictus]

I don't get the hoopla, this is the greatest Indian team ever. Won the T-20 WC, Won the WC, Number 1 in test rankings were all achieved by more or less this team.

[Bullet Drive]

:))) That's like saying Shoaib Malik's a great...

[OZGOD]

2001 and 2004 teams were pretty decent. I would put either of those ahead of this one. The Big 4 were in their pomp back then. This one is decent, but it was in the doldrums and got nilled in England just a few months ago. Kapil has a short memory.

[Invictus]

2001 and 2004 teams were pretty decent. I would put either of those ahead of this one. The Big 4 were in their pomp back then. This one is decent, but it was in the doldrums and got nilled in England just a few months ago. Kapil has a short memory.

I don't know about that bud. 2001-2004 was a solid team on paper but they didn't produce the results (as in climbing to the top of the rankings).
It can be argued that Australian team deteriorated drastically since then to give India\SA\Eng the chance to climb.
But results are results. Its a hard climb to get to the top of the test ranking. It takes allot of consistency. And this Indian team post 2007-8 has been hard to beat of-course minus the last English series. Which doesn't make them the best team ever but definitely the best Indian team.

[OZGOD]

I don't know about that bud. 2001-2004 was a solid team on paper but they didn't produce the results (as in climbing to the top of the rankings).
It can be argued that Australian team deteriorated drastically since then to give India\SA\Eng the chance to climb.
But results are results. Its a hard climb to get to the top of the test ranking. It takes allot of consistency. And this Indian team post 2007-8 has been hard to beat of-course minus the last English series. Which doesn't make them the best team ever but definitely the best Indian team.

Hey mate long time no see! I guess that 2001-04 team had the misfortune of being around at the same time as a very strong OZ and SA team at the time. But they had a superb batting lineup with Sehwag, Tendy, VVS and Dravid at the peak of their form, a good captain in Bumpcatcher and some solid bowlers who were at the peak of their form, including Kumble and Saint Harby (and Pathan before he turned into an offspinner).

[Ashraful_Rox]

This is the strongest Indian team undoubtedly, losing to England 4- nil came as a shock to me. At home they are pretty strong but away they played pretty horribly in England. Let's see how they perform in Australia. I think the reason for their failure is they celebrated way too much after winning the world cup and everyone got beer belly thus failure.

[zubair007]

Hey mate long time no see! I guess that 2001-04 team had the misfortune of being around at the same time as a very strong OZ and SA team at the time. But they had a superb batting lineup with Sehwag, Tendy, VVS and Dravid at the peak of their form, a good captain in Bumpcatcher and some solid bowlers who were at the peak of their form, including Kumble and Saint Harby (and Pathan before he turned into an offspinner).

Who's bumpcatcher?

[iHammad]

Well, India do have the best W/L ratio against non-minnows in the last 12 months.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=2;filter=advanced;opposition=1;op position=2;opposition=3;opposition=5;opposition=6; opposition=7;opposition=8;orderby=win_loss_ratio;s panmax1=16+Nov+2011;spanmin1=16+Nov+2010;spanval1= span;template=results;type=team

[Poison]

Except they have ranked no1 in tests and won the world cup twice, which a certain other all time great team under the greatest captain ever has never achieved

Yeah this is the first time they were ever ranked 1, so hence they were the best Indian team of all time. And good job taking ODI cricket wins into account to rank a team. India have been crap at cricket since day 1, they've been good for the past few years but otherwise they've been close to minnows.

[Ironcat]

This team was Kirsten's team. Dhoni and all other grunts just happened to be on board. All of Tendy, Laxman, Dravid, and Zaheer are or will be on their way out soon. They all started to believe under Ganguly and then kept believing under Kirsten.

[freelance_cricketer]

Respect to Kirsten, contributed a lot in making this team a good one. But credit goes to kaptaan always :kapil

[IndianWillow]

Sure this is the best Indian team, but the summer drubbing took some sheen off it.

[James]

Oi oi, jusarrived has been a fine poster on here for a good few years. His comments might get on the nipples of some of us, but they are usually fair enough! Instead of attacking a person for correctly saying that Pakistan haven't won a series in Aus/SA/WI, respond to the point. You can't blame a man for defending his own team.

[cricketindiafan]

This team was Kirsten's team. Dhoni and all other grunts just happened to be on board. All of Tendy, Laxman, Dravid, and Zaheer are or will be on their way out soon. They all started to believe under Ganguly and then kept believing under Kirsten.

Kirsten's team? We nearly lost a series to SA at home, MSD led the team in the 3rd test to a win and helped us draw that series. And then, we lost badly in SL under Kirsten and Kumble in 2008. The two tests we played at home vs Aussies in 2008 under Kirsten and Kumble, we drew them, but the two tests which MSD led in, we won and thus began the MSD era.

Kirsten's record without MSD- 9 tests, 1 won, 3 lost, 5 draws.

Kirsten's record with MSD - 24 tests, 14 won, 3 lost, 7 draws

[ash 68]

Again What Kapil said was "BEST INDIAN TEAM OF ALL TIME", not "BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD". None of us have forgotten what happened this summer. A single series loss over 3 years does not make us the worst team in the world. You are talking as if the Indian teams of the past won everything that Kapil's statement can be challenged.

I didnt think the previous Indian teams were worse than what I saw 12 weeks ago

the bowling line up was an absolute joke so how can it be the best ever?

[Itachi]

I didnt think the previous Indian teams were worse than what I saw 12 weeks ago

the bowling line up was an absolute joke so how can it be the best ever?

its called complementing each other. The void in the bowling is filled by extra batting strength. Who needs a great bowling team when we have the best batting line up? I say bring it on. We will score pile of runs so that we will win with our so called pathetic bowlers or chase any score.... 52,000 runs ain't a fluke.

[ash 68]

its called complementing each other. The void in the bowling is filled by extra batting strength. Who needs a great bowling team when we have the best batting line up? I say bring it on. We will score pile of runs so that we will win with our so called pathetic bowlers or chase any score.... 52,000 runs ain't a fluke.

yes but we saw when 2 of the 3 batsmen didnt fire what happened

the batting strength of India is aging fast and no replacement for Dravid/Tendu/Laxman is coming

[Robert]

its called complementing each other. The void in the bowling is filled by extra batting strength. Who needs a great bowling team when we have the best batting line up?

You didn't have either last English summer.

[velu]

You didn't have either last English summer.

That was a free summer trip for our boys.:batman:

[velu]

yes but we saw when 2 of the 3 batsmen didnt fire what happened

the batting strength of India is aging fast and no replacement for Dravid/Tendu/Laxman is coming

Interestingly our ODI team always do better than our test team when seniors were not there. ( except sachin )

[cricketindiafan]

You didn't have either last English summer.

Is the success of your present team immaterial because of the failure they had in WI in 2009?

[style_guru]

You didn't have either last English summer.


The English team were at their best. The Indians at their worst. Thus the margin was 4-0.

I doubt if the English team can repeat the same feat even against (With due respect to) SL in future.

However, since this thread is about a comment from a former Indian cricketer, I feel the furore over it is unnecessary. The guy has an opinion (Right or wrong), and he is entitled to it. End of.

[Itachi]

You didn't have either last English summer.

eh.... English girls are so beautiful. Our batsman lost concentration watching those girls in the crowd....

[Itachi]

yes but we saw when 2 of the 3 batsmen didnt fire what happened

the batting strength of India is aging fast and no replacement for Dravid/Tendu/Laxman is coming

in test, yup you are right.

But.... Same thing was said when gavaskar, vengsarkar, amarnath were retiring. Batting never had been indias concern. Someone always fills the shoes. Its the bowling which we have problem with.

[giri26]

I didnt think the previous Indian teams were worse than what I saw 12 weeks ago

the bowling line up was an absolute joke so how can it be the best ever?

I dont think one poor series can take the sheen of any of the performance of the team prior to that. India under MSD have made giant strides in world cricket over the past couple of years. Kapil is just acknowledging that. The English tour was poor and we accept that it was pathetic display by the team but considering the past Indian teams, the achievement of this team has been excellent.

Since Ganguly took over the captaincy in 2000, India's record has been brilliant unmatched by any Indian teams of the past.

[ash 68]

I dont think one poor series can take the sheen of any of the performance of the team prior to that. India under MSD have made giant strides in world cricket over the past couple of years. Kapil is just acknowledging that. The English tour was poor and we accept that it was pathetic display by the team but considering the past Indian teams, the achievement of this team has been excellent.

Since Ganguly took over the captaincy in 2000, India's record has been brilliant unmatched by any Indian teams of the past.

I have always maintained that MSD has been the biggest factor, a keeper that can make 100s at no 6/7 is a great great asset

I think the bowling is at its absolute poorest and is masked heavily by the batting and I dont see any replacements coming through.

Still youve had a good run for last 10 years no doubt

[giri26]

I have always maintained that MSD has been the biggest factor, a keeper that can make 100s at no 6/7 is a great great asset

I think the bowling is at its absolute poorest and is masked heavily by the batting and I dont see any replacements coming through.

Still youve had a good run for last 10 years no doubt

Yeah I agree with the bowling. I have always wanted the BCCI to shut out few upcoming bowlers from IPL tamasha but that is never going to happen. I am still hopeful that Aaron and Yadav will turn out to be different from the past bowlers. We will have to wait and see. The batting too needs experimentation, the sooner we get rid of Yuvraj in tests the better for team India. We need to get Kohli, Pujara and Rahane as quick as possible in the test side, so that they can get some quality time under the greats. Even though they might not play in the actual test matches just touring with the greats and playing the side games on tours will be a great lesson.

Virat Kohli though should get into the side immediately starting from the 3rd test against WI.

[zulfiqar]

India has series wins in Aus/SA?? That's news to me!

[Ironcat]

Kirsten's team? We nearly lost a series to SA at home, MSD led the team in the 3rd test to a win and helped us draw that series. And then, we lost badly in SL under Kirsten and Kumble in 2008. The two tests we played at home vs Aussies in 2008 under Kirsten and Kumble, we drew them, but the two tests which MSD led in, we won and thus began the MSD era.

Kirsten's record without MSD- 9 tests, 1 won, 3 lost, 5 draws.

Kirsten's record with MSD - 24 tests, 14 won, 3 lost, 7 draws
LOL. Conveniently skipped the most important stat.

MSD's record without Kirsten against top teams: 4 tests, 0 won, 4 lost, 0 drawn.

[Ironcat]

Unless India go and beat a top team without Kirsten comprehensively, there is no evidence yet this team has been the best because of its players. You have the Australian tour coming up - so that is your chance to disprove my theory.

[kungfu90]

Win against Australia = Nothing.
Drawn Series against SA in SA = Nothing.
just wait for a while , Dhoni will lose a series , and that series = it is the only series against top team and most important series.
Its plain Hypocrisy. Dhoni is certainly a very good captain. Give credit where its due.

[Ironcat]

Win against Australia = Nothing.
Drawn Series against SA in SA = Nothing.
just wait for a while , Dhoni will lose a series , and that series = it is the only series against top team and most important series.
Its plain Hypocrisy. Dhoni is certainly a very good captain. Give credit where its due.
I think he can get his credit if he goes on and gets the wins that you quote above on his own. Like I said, let him captain against Australia under Fletcher, and we shall find out.

[Invictus]

Hey mate long time no see! I guess that 2001-04 team had the misfortune of being around at the same time as a very strong OZ and SA team at the time. But they had a superb batting lineup with Sehwag, Tendy, VVS and Dravid at the peak of their form, a good captain in Bumpcatcher and some solid bowlers who were at the peak of their form, including Kumble and Saint Harby (and Pathan before he turned into an offspinner).

Been around bud, past couple of years have not been kind to the pakistani fans.
Agreed with your assessment that was one hell of an Aussie team. India had a better team on paper at that time. This team has no bowlers besides Zaheer that should be playing test level. But they keep winning I guess Dhoni is just that lucky.

[alberto]

india are improving as they have 2 quick bowlers

[Looney]

pre England tour : yeah maybe

post England tour : you :asif dude ?