Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has lauded the current Indian Test side, saying they are turning into one of the best teams in Test cricket history. India has been very dominant in the red-ball format at home, and recently, they also succeeded to continue their domination overseas.
India had won their first Test series on Australian soil in 2018, and they repeated a similar performance on the 2020-21 Australia tour to win the Test series once again. After their success Down Under, India has now taken an unassailable lead against England at their home by 2-1.
"This team is becoming one of the best we’ve seen in the Test match format. If they can get the job done at Old Trafford then they will have beaten Australia and England away in the last 12 months – a historic achievement. They are a much better side than England, that’s for sure," he wrote in his blog for Betway.
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Pietersen credited Indian skipper Virat Kohli for transforming the team. The current set-up has India's finest bowling unit which can challenge any of the teams in any condition. "In all departments, India are a quality side. They’ve got excellent, talented players, but are also hard-working and play with such intensity that they are very difficult to stop when they are at their best.
"Led by Virat Kohli, they love playing and performing on the biggest stage. It seems that the more intense the match is, the more likely they are to step up and take it away from the opposition. That is a culture that Kohli is responsible for."
Earlier this year, England were defeated by 3-1 in the four-match Test series on the India tour. Joe Root and co haven't been comfortable against India even in their own backyard. They defeated India only at Headingley in the ongoing series.
"It’s difficult to know what more to say about this England side. The batting, in particular, is about the worst that it’s ever been, and they have failed to win either of their two summer series for the first time in 20 years.
"This has not happened overnight. Unfortunately, you cannot expect these guys to deliver when the system is so flawed. It’s been coming, and we’re now seeing the results. It’s going to take a long time to undo the damage," Pietersen wrote.
