Can India's current crop dominate the global Test scene

Can India kick on from their recent exploits and become one of the all-time great teams in Test cricket?

With a typically formidable batting line-up, naturally gifted spinners and a vastly improved pace attack, India's Test team is arguably the most balanced and well-rounded in Test cricket.

Virat Kohli's men had an unbroken three-and-a-half year spell as the No. 1 Test nation in the world, holding on to the top position on the ICC rankings between October 2016 and April 2020. They were eventually dethroned by Australia at the start of May. Although India are now ranked No. 3, they are only two points away from the No. 1 spot, and remain a tremendously talented unit.

Can India kick on from their recent exploits and become one of the all-time great teams in Test cricket?

India's long stint on top of the world rankings was largely built on their incredible home form. They have been pretty much unplayable in India for most of the last decade, winning a record-breaking 12 consecutive home series, and 28 of 35 test matches since 2013. Their only defeat during this run was against Australia in Pune in 2017.

If you are into betting, you may want to keep an eye on India's next set of home matches which will be featured on one of the many cricket betting sites in India. There are not many better bankers around.

Of course, being great at home is not a new phenomenon in Test cricket, but India have taken home dominance to another level in the last seven years. However, to reach the pantheon of the greats, they have to step out of their comfort zone and start bossing sides away from home.

The fearsome West Indies team of the 1980s blew away England and Australia on enemy territory (including a famous 5-0 whitewash in England), while Ricky Ponting's excellent Australian group of the mid-to-late 2000s scored a 3-0 series win in South Africa as part of their 16-match winning streak. Those are the heights that this talented Indian team must aspire to reach.

While there is still plenty of work to be done, India have been pushing closer to that level in recent years, scoring an impressive 2-1 victory in Australia in 2018/2019 and suffering a narrow 2-1 loss to South Africa in 2018. Even in the 4-1 loss to England in the summer of 2018, they were competitive for long spells, and could have altered the outcomes of one or two matches with a couple of better sessions.

However, some of that good work was undone by a crushing 2-0 series defeat to New Zealand in their most recent international engagement at the start of 2020. The torrid New Zealand series opened up old wounds, as India's batting woes in seaming and swinging conditions were once again brutally exposed. Kohli and co. were bowled out for less than 200 in three of their four innings.

Credit must go to New Zealand for the quality of cricket they produced, but that Indian side was a shadow of the swash-buckling group we had become used to. They looked under-prepared and uncharacteristically short of confidence. It did not help that the captain, Kohli was totally out of form, neither did it help that the Test matches were held on the back of a 3-0 ODI series defeat against the same opposition.

India would have been hurt by that New Zealand series, but they must not lose track of the progress they had made in the preceding tours. Their batsmen might have failed in New Zealand, but a lot of these players have scored runs in tough overseas conditions, especially middle order stalwarts, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli. Even rookie wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant has got centuries in Australia and England in his fledgling career.

If they can find an opening pair that can absorb the new ball and consistently give the team solid opening stands (easier said than done!), they have the quality down the order to take the game away from any opposition.

The opening pair remains a bit of a conundrum for the selectors. India appear to have moved on from Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan in the Test arena, with younger players like Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw taking over the mantle. There is also Rohit Sharma, who auditioned for the Test opener's slot with big scores in the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh at the end of 2019.

It is important for the selectors to stick with two guys, give them a chance to improve their techniques and own the position. Rohit, with all of his ODI experience, and Agarwal, who got runs in Australia and piled them on in India, appear to be the frontrunners at the moment.

The bowling looks in good shape, with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav leading the pace brigade. As long as these guys stay fit, they are good enough to take out any batting unit.

Maybe Kohli can show a bit more bravery and go with four fast bowlers in seam-friendly conditions instead of his usual three? That will not only give him more options, but will also prevent his speedsters from being overworked. Sharma, Shami and Yadav are all over 30 years old. New Zealand had the pace Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner for the second Test of that series in February/March, and completely dismantled India.