New Zealand may have gotten a head start over India by reaching the UK early and playing two Tests against England to warm-up for the World Test Championship final, but former India batsman Dilip Vengsarkar reckons Virat Kohli and his men hold the advantage over their opponents. Vengsarkar's comment stems from his belief that India is the better-balanced side among the two and that their batsmen and bowlers are just that tad better than New Zealand.
"If you compare the New Zealand team to the Indian team, man to man, India looks the better team," Vengsarkar told Khaleej Times.
"Of course, Trent Boult is a world-class bowler and Kane Williamson is a world-class batsman. But India is a more all-round team. We have got quality spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja), we have got quality fast bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj) and quality batters as well."
A former BCCI chief selector, Vengsarkar has urged Indian batsmen to support Virat Kohli. Kohli was the lone warrior in the batting departing during India's last tour of England in 2018, scoring 593 runs with two centuries and three fifties. Although there was support in bits and pieces from Cheteshwar Pujara (278 runs in four matches), Ajinkya Rahane (257 runs in five matches) and to certain extent Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, who smacked a century each, the batting as a whole left a lot to be desire. This time around, Vengsarkar feels India needs more contributions from their players of they are to have a chance of triumphing in England.
"There are talented players in the (Indian) team. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, they are world-class cricketers. But it is also important for other players to chip in, you know, because you can't depend only on two players. If you are playing Test match cricket, everybody has to contribute," the former India batsman added.
{{/usCountry}}"There are talented players in the (Indian) team. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, they are world-class cricketers. But it is also important for other players to chip in, you know, because you can't depend only on two players. If you are playing Test match cricket, everybody has to contribute," the former India batsman added.
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