Click to play videoIndia gave ample proof of their status as a dominant force in world cricket by thrashing Australia by 172 runs in the fourth and final Test to regain the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a gap of four years. It was the perfect farewell for Sourav Ganguly and indeed, a great gift for Indian fans. But can India now call themselves the best team in the world?
Joining CNN-IBN's Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai in the Weekend Edition was chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth who was asked if India were worthy of the tag.
"I wouldn't like to jump to conclusions just yet. I would say we are inching forward to that particular position. A few more consistent performances all round and we should be able to call ourselves the best team in the world in the near future," Srikkanth said.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But what was it that made India win the series with a comfortable margin of 2-0?
Krishnamachari Srikkanth: Two things. One is the aggressive attitude. The Indians played the same way the Aussies played. They paid them back in their own coin. Right from the first Test match; Harbhajan Singh's partnership with Zaheer Khan was the turning point. That is when the Indians started fighting it out.
Secondly, in the second Test match, Gambhir and Sehwag played so aggressively in the second innings that the Aussies were pushed on the back foot in Mohali. They went in the defence straight away. So when you start playing aggressively, the opposition goes on the defensive. That was the striking thing about the series.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Was MS Dhoni then the real star for India for instilling the aggression in his side?
Krishnamachari Srikkanth: Probably yes. Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself is an aggressive batsman. The one thing good about him is that he takes decisions on the spot. He is not scared to take any kind of decision. For instance, in the last Test in Nagpur, he wasn't worried about opening the bowling with Harbhajan Singh, which others would have thought ten times before doing it. Dhoni is very positive and it's important for a captain.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Now that Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble are retired, will India struggle in finding their replacements or will the transition phase hurt Indian cricket?
Krishnamachari Srikkanth: You cannot immediately replace the calibre of Ganguly or Kumble. I think the transition is happening very smoothly. Captaincy was a smooth transition from Kumble to Dhoni, and even in the leg-spin department, Amit Mishra came along nicely.
There are a lot of talented batsmen waiting in the wings to get into Test cricket to replace Ganguly, so I think that transition will also take place smoothly. You have to give opportunity to youngsters. They all start young and go on to become great cricketers. If you give them an opportunity and the right time to perform, they will do so.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But where does that leave Rahul Dravid who had a poor series by his standards? And VVS Laxman... do they have a lot to offer Indian cricket?
Krishnamachari Srikkanth: Definitely. You saw Laxman's batting, a brilliant double-hundred in Delhi, superb 60-odds in Nagpur and Mohali. Dravid had good starts in Bangalore and Mohali, but couldn't go on to make a hundred. He is a great player and he will do his job in the future.
Srikkanth also said he and his team of selectors would do the best they can for Indian cricket. "I was at the receiving end when M Vijay was selected. Of course things happened in his favour from the next day. But as selectors we can't get it right every time. There are times when you're going to make mistakes. We are also human. But the policy that we have taken is that we'll put our heart and soul, we'll do our best, use our conscience and leave the rest to God."
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