4 Lessons that the current Indian team can learn from the Indian team of 2000's

Third Test - Australia v India: Day 4
Saurav Ganguly led the resurgence of Indian team during 2000's

The Indian team which played during the first decade of the millennium was perhaps the greatest Indian Test team of recent times. That team had an exceptional batting line-up which included the likes of Sehwag, Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly & Laxman and there were few exceptional bowlers in Kumble, Zaheer and Harbhajan.

This team performed all over the world, which included Test series wins in England and New Zealand. Also, this Indian team drew test series in Australia and South Africa which is a great accomplishment considering the overseas history of Indian Test cricket.

Lately, the performance of the current Indian Test team in overseas conditions has left a lot to be desired. They were beaten 2-1 in South Africa and surrendered meekly to an average English side, which won the series by an embarrassing margin of 4-1. Batting has been the bone of contention for the current Indian side.

Let's see what are the lessons that the current Indian test team can learn from the great team of the 2000's.


#1 Playing with six batsmen

Virat Kohli's team has a theory of playing with five bowlers. This theory works fine in Indian conditions where wickets are flat and the sixth batsman is seldom needed. But, in overseas conditions where the ball does a lot, Indian batsmen are often found wanting.

In such a scenario it makes sense to play an extra batsman who can provide a cushion to the lower middle order.

Australia v India - Second Test: Day 4
Laxman evading a bouncer

In the Indian team of 2000's, the great VVS Laxman used to play at #6. VVS was a master of batting with the tail and often helped India in crossing the finishing line.

Adding an extra batsman during overseas Tests is a key strategy that the current Indian team can do well to adapt.

#2 Stop frequent chopping and changing

Australia v India - Fourth Test: Day 5
Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid

Frequent chopping and changing of the present side has led to a lack of confidence amongst players. Virat Kohli during his tenure as Indian captain has retained the eleven only once, which tells you how much chopping and changing is going on in the current set up.

The side of 2000's was a settled side, which revered in each other's company. Players had a lot of confidence in each other's ability and there was no room for doubts. Players were given a long rope which helped them to play freely and express themselves.

Players like Sehwag were given a lot of freedom to play their natural game and not worry about their place in the eleven.

#3 Respecting the conditions

4th Test Australia v India Day One
Sachin acknowledging the crowd

T-20 cricket is bread and butter for a lot of players in the modern day Indian Test team which has resulted in inflated egos for most of the batsmen. In T-20 cricket, wickets are flat and batsmen can attack bowlers from the word go, but in Test cricket, especially in overseas conditions, batting is difficult. One has to be patient and give bowlers due respect.

After getting out on a few occasions while playing the cover drive, Sachin Tendulkar once dropped offside play from his game during a Test match in Sydney, which resulted in a magnificent knock of 241 not out. Such was the discipline with which those greats played.

#4 Selecting specialists for the test squad

LG ICC Awards Press Conference
Anil Kumble

Lately, the Indian team has been guilty of selecting players like Pandya, Dhawan and Rahul on the basis of their T-20 form, which has proved disastrous considering their performances lately. Mixing two formats has never been prudent as a player needs different skill sets for both these formats.

The Indian team of 2000's had some Test specialists like Laxman, Kumble and Zaheer, who kept on playing Tests even after getting dropped from the one-day sides. These players were highly successful Test cricketers.

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Edited by Abhinav Munshi