Former captain Kris Srikkanth has passed a harsh verdict on the Indian cricket team, calling its Test unit overrated. India, the No. 1 team in Test cricket has been unstoppable at home but its performance overseas has left a lot to be desired. Ever since, Virat Kohli stepped down as captain, India have lost a series in South Africa, to England and the World Test Championship final earlier this year, whereas when Kohli was in charge, India emerged victorious in Australia and led England 2-1 in 2021.
Srikkanth, whose assessment comes after India were outplayed completely in the first Test at Centurion last week, reckons the reason India are struggling in Tests is because the team is filled with too many ‘overrated’ cricketers who haven’t done justice to their talent. Shubman Gill has blown hot and cold, while Shreyas Iyer has been a success only on sub-continent pitches thus far.
Also Read: India’s Cape Town horror – 6 Tests, 0 wins and when the ‘whole country played against 11 guys’
“Test cricket, we are overrated. I think it was a phase of 2-3 years where we were outstanding when Virat Kohli was the captain of the team. We dominated in England, we fought hard in South Africa, we won in Australia,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “We have to forget the ICC rankings. We are always 1-2, 1-2. It’s a combination of having overrated cricketers and people who have not performed up to their potential. Or there are players who do not have enough chances, like Kuldeep (Yadav).”
In T20 cricket India are highly overrated, says Srikkanth
But while Srikkanth is critical of where India stand in Tests, he is upbeat about India’s force as a one-day unit. That India have been a formidable team in ODIs was demonstrated at the World Cup, where they won 10 matches in a row before stumbling against Australia at the final hurdle. They even beat South Africa in the ODIs that followed, which reaffirms Srikkanth stance. Having said that, Srikkanth firmly believes that like Tests, India are underachievers in T20Is too.
“In T20 cricket India are highly overrated. ODI cricket, we are a fantastic team. What happens in ODIs, in the semi-finals, finals, it’s just a one-off match. It’s a luck factor, a lot depends on luck in these matches. I read Rohit Sharma’s statement, for a cricketer; the 50-over World Cup is a huge achievement. We are sometimes underperforming in the knockout matches, in the semifinals and the final. But we are a gun side in ODIs. Regardless of where we play, be it India, Australia or South Africa, we are a gun side,” Srikkanth added.