Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell expects India to start an era of dominance in world cricket, including rewriting the record books in overseas conditions.
Chappell’s belief arises from India's incredible depth of talent and the team’s success ratio across all forms of the game lately.
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"India's recent successes in Australia - particularly the latest one - have only reinforced the players' belief in their ability to win under any circumstances," Chappell wrote in ESPNcricinfo.
"In an era where teams struggle overseas, India now have the depth of talent to alter that pattern. No longer can opponents afford to say, when India are on their doorstep, 'Just pick a string of fast bowlers with long run-ups and the series will be ours'."
According to Chappell, India can replicate the success of the West Indian and Australian teams of the past.
"An abundance of talent like this is reminiscent of West Indies and Australia during dominant periods when they overflowed with good players, many of whom struggled to make the first XI.
"Can India replicate the dominant periods of West Indies and Australia? It's a much more difficult proposition these days, with an extra form of the game, a frightful schedule, and the riches of the IPL, not to mention a pandemic to circumnavigate.
"However, India have finally got the equation right and as long as they avoid the pitfalls often associated with continuing success, they are better equipped than any team to produce an era of dominance. The rest of the cricketing world beware."
In the last few years, the emergence of special batting and bowling talents in Indian cricket has left Chappell in awe.
"The emergence of such talents as Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan and Axar Patel would have been monumental if it had happened in the space of three years, let alone just three months as it did.
"And when you consider that Shardul Thakur excelled in just his second game and the ebullient Rishabh Pant was an international match-winner before his 20th appearance, it really is a rosy picture.
"A rosy picture, that is, if you're an Indian fan; for the rest of the cricket world, it strikes a note of fear."
Widely regarded as one of the shrewd cricketing brains during his time, Chappell added, "It's even more imposing when you consider that of those debutants, only Gill and possibly Siraj would play when every player is available for selection.
"The picture attains a veritable glow when you consider that Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya have all made successful white-ball debuts against England."
He also lauded former India captains Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni for laying the foundation of today’s domination.
"It was MS Dhoni, born in Ranchi, whose success provided the inspiration for young cricketers from outlying areas to suddenly believe they could play for India.
"The belligerent Sourav Ganguly's captaincy style encouraged all players in the Indian team to believe they were the equal of their opponents. This belief grew under the guidance of Dhoni, followed by the highly emotive leadership of Virat Kohli."
(With PTI inputs)
