The first team in the world to win four consecutive Test matches by an innings in Test cricket history. So is this Indian team the world's best ever Test side? A long shot? Maybe.
But this is the best Indian side ever to play Test cricket. Yes, it may not have all the big names or legends that would probably drive around in a cart 20 years down the line but this is a team. Not an XI which have famed batsmen and spinners.
Ironically enough, this Indian team recorded history ---12th consecutive series win at home and 7th straight world over -- when the Fab 5 were paraded and another presided. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly gave the jam-packed Eden Gardens Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh. Many would also remember Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir from that team. But they managed just a few memorable moments. Some Test matches at max. As a team.
But this Indian team, under Virat Kohli, wins series after series world over. Team India has been World No.1 before but it never really dominated. Right now this Team India dominates by its batsmen. By its bowlers.
It has the spinners in R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav who can wipe out opposition on dust bowls. It has fast bowlers, not medium pacers, who can intimidate batsmen with their rawness and skillful utilization of SG, Kookaburra and Duke alike. And most importantly, it has the batsmen who can score, defend and dominate attacks in the most challenging situations.
This is what makes Virat Kohli's Team India the best ever Indian Test team. Many scoffed when Ravi Shastri made a proclamation two years back before going to South Africa. Now, everybody believes in whatever he says. Results are there to be seen in Test cricket. Opposition be dammed.
Yes, Australia didn't have Steve Smith and David Warner. Okay, South Africa and West Indies are going through a transition, England were concentrating on white-ball cricket and Bangladesh are nothing without Shakib Al Hasan. Luck has played it part, alright but this team still deserves applause because it isn't their fault either.
This team gave breaks to youngsters in tough conditions. Prithvi Shaw and then Mayank Aggarwal. They break conventional methods by bringing in Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in Test cricket by backing potential and utility over performance. They aren't scared to drop their vice-captain for sake of balance or drop their anchorman Pujara for want of scoring quickly for the sake of the team. Their main spinner Ashwin was made to sit out. Hanuma Vihari was plucked from nowhere and so was Rishabh Pant for Test cricket. And then the Rohit Sharma transformation. These things tell the entire tale.
They don't have a lead bowler. They have lead bowlers. Each suited for an occasion. Moreover, there has been a paradigm shift in India's recipe to success on home soil. When did one last witness a well established spin duo go wicket-less and the pacers sharing all the honours in a dominant Indian triumph, that too at home. It actually happened in India's innings defeat over Bangladesh in the pink ball Test at the Edens.
This is Team India. One that plays as a team. Not just called as one for the sake of representation. And like Virat Kohli says, they are many more steps to go up. Still.