The Invincibles

The thumping 4–0 victory margin against England will not only enhance the reputation of the current Indian side as true world beaters, it will also be remembered for producing the next-gen stars like Yadav and Nair.

- Chetan Narula

THERE IS a pertinent reason for India being ranked No. 1 in Test cricket at present. They have won five Test series on the trot, and are unbeaten for 18 consecutive matches after their defeat in Galle (2015).

The keen aspect herein being the difference in conditions as well as the progressive strength of opposition that these Tests have spanned—from Sri Lanka to the West Indies and India, facing the Lankans and West Indies away, and South Africa, New Zealand and England at home.

“Out of the five series that we’ve won, this one against England is the best by far, because of the quality of the opposition, and the kind of cricket that we’ve played. We’re very proud of that, and for me as a captain, this is definitely on top,” said Virat Kohli after a thumping victory in Mumbai that gave India an unassailable 3–0 lead in the five-match series. Oh, it wasn’t easy.

When the series began in Rajkot, almost two months ago, England had come into the contest as underdogs, thanks to their 1–1 drawn rubber in Bangladesh. They were under-prepared, with no practice games under their belt and had just a couple of net sessions in Mumbai before the flight to Gujarat’s interior.

The script, though, turned out different from expectations. England won the toss, and India duly dropped catches in the first session. They scored 537 runs, and the hosts were always chasing the game from there onwards. England got a healthy lead, but batted deep into the morning session on day five, with the general wonderment being if they would declare at all.