Former Australian bowler Shane Warne mentioned that the current Indian batting line-up led by Virat Kohli is nowhere near to that of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid’s time.
India displayed a valiant effort in the recent Test series against England, which somehow could not be concluded because of the COVID-19 situation that prevailed in the Indian camp. The Indian batters were competitive in their approach, especially opener Rohit Sharma, who scored a belligerent knock at the Oval in the fourth Test to put India in a commanding position to win.
I don’t think you can say that it’s the best batting Indian side: Shane Warne
Apart from Rohit, Cheteshwar Pujar and Virat Kohli were in the process of getting into the groove, wherein their last few innings they showed changes in their batting technique and scored enough runs to end the series on a good note.
Warne, who himself has played against the likes of Ganguly, Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, was in awe with the batting these set of players would bring on the table. Warne also believes that this isn’t the best India batting side one can see.
“Their batting is nowhere near as strong as Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulkar, Sehwag. Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen on the planet, if not the best across all forms, but when you see that top five of Sehwag, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar, that isn’t bad. I don’t think you can say that it’s the best batting Indian side,” Warne told Sky Sports.
I think it is their fast bowlers that have elevated India to be able to win in all conditions: Shane Warne
India’s pace battery led by Jasprit Bumrah have been phenomenal in the last three years, as they managed to win back to back series in Australia and were very close to sealing the series in England. Bowlers like Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have not only been the star bowlers in away conditions but have also made an impact at home.
Warne feels that it is the Indian pacers that have lifted India in all conditions rather than their batters.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two standout players, and I think Rishabh Pant will be a superstar down the track. But I think it is their fast bowlers that have elevated India to be able to win in all conditions and not just in India,” Warne mentioned.
India were leading the five-match Test series 2-1 before the series, whose fate is yet to be decided, was called off.
