The current Indian batting is nowhere near as strong as Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulkar, Sehwag: Shane Warne

Team India’s heroics against England have been receiving praises from different quarters. Although the fifth and final Test in Manchester was abruptly suspended, the Virat Kohli-led side has an unassailable 2-1 lead. In fact, the side has been doing well across all formats lately. Owing to the same, many are of the opinion that this is the strongest Indian team ever.

However, former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne doesn’t seem to be of the same opinion. Speaking particularly of the side’s batting strength, Warne reckoned the line-up is pretty impressive but is nowhere close to the golden era of Indian batting, which featured Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman.

These five talismans tormented the best of bowlers during their playing days and took their team to numerous memorable triumphs. Hailing Virat Kohli as one of the best batters of the modern era, Warne said the current team’s overall batting strength is no match for the ‘fab five.’

I don’t think you can say this is the best batting Indian side: Shane Warne

“Their batting is nowhere near as strong as Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulkar, Sehwag. Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen on the planet, if not the best across all forms, but when you see that top five of Sehwag, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar, that isn’t bad. I don’t think you can say that it’s the best batting Indian side,” Warne said on Sky Sports.

Besides Kohli, Warne also heaped praises on opener Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. However, the legendary spinners feel India’s recent success is majorly due to the formidable pace attack they have been able to assemble.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two standout players, and I think Rishabh Pant will be a superstar down the track. But I think it is their fast bowlers that have elevated India to be able to win in all conditions and not just in India,” Warne added.

Meanwhile, the Indian players will next be seen in the second leg of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which gets underway on September 19. With the high-voltage T20 World Cup commencing just a couple of days after IPL’s conclusion, several players would view the Indian tournament as a great preparation opportunity.