10 characteristics of a champion team that India lack at present

6. The presence of a genuine all-rounder

Hardik Pandya has a long way to go to establish himself as a genuine Test all-rounder

To win a Test series abroad, a team should have a genuine all-rounder. That all-rounder should preferably be a fast bowling all-rounder to suit the conditions prevalent in SENA countries.

The Indian team has only one upcoming all-rounder in Hardik Pandya. In the recent Test series in South Africa and England, on a total of 16 occasions, Pandya clicked only on 3 occasions, twice as a batsman and once as a bowler. This was just an average performance for a player aspiring to become a genuine all-rounder. The spin bowling all-rounders like Ashwin and Jadeja were not all that successful with the bat outside India.

Teams like South Africa had multi-dimensional players like Jacques Kallis. The mighty West Indies had the legendary Gary Sobers. Adam Gilchrist, with his batting abilities, filled in as a different kind of all-rounder for Australia. Steve Waugh was a genuine all-rounder in the early part of his career before a back injury laid him off from the bowling crease.

In that regard, Team India is lacking a genuine all-rounder who is capable of changing the course of a match with either his batting or bowling. There are so many bits-and-pieces cricketers who are more suited for white ball cricket than for Test cricket.

7. The outcome of the toss is irrelevant for a Champion team

Kohli has been at the wrong end of the coin toss, of late

A Champion team doesn’t depend on the outcome of a toss to win a Test match. Winning the toss, of course, is vital but the outcome of a toss is not in any one’s control. A Champion team would prepare itself for both scenarios - batting first and bowling first.

In the heyday of West Indies cricket in the 80s, there used to be a slogan going around which read, “If you win the toss, Roberts and Holding would get you, If you don’t, Greenidge and Haynes certainly would do”. Such was their total dominance.

In the recent England series, India lost the toss in all the 5 Test matches which had a big impact on the final outcome of the series. Virat Kohli was extremely unlucky to lose all the 5 tosses. England had the upper hand in every match even before a single ball was bowled.

Again in South Africa, India lost the toss and with that the match in the first 2 Tests. When they were lucky with the toss in the third Test, they managed to overpower the home team.

It will be very difficult for a visiting team to come back into the game after losing the toss. But if you are a champion, you should defy the odds to take control of the match. Team India has a long way to go in this regard.

8. The strength of the bench

A champion team should have a solid bench strength of fringe players. There should be a pool of equally good players to replace an injured player. For India, thanks to the IPL, the selectors are able to unearth new and exciting talent. But that talent is on display only in home conditions. This is particularly in the case of Indian batsmen.

During the home series, the selectors will have the problem of plenty and a lot of batsmen to choose from. But the moment such players go abroad, the cupboard suddenly becomes empty. The team finds it difficult to fill the playing XI with quality batsmen. This is not a good sign for a Champion team like India.

Besides, a Champion team doesn’t resort to constant chopping and changing which is a sure sign of vulnerability.