'This is reminiscent of West Indies and Australia': Ian Chappell feels India can produce their 'era of dominance'

With almost every debutant showing tremendous spark, Chappell feels India could go on to rule world cricket with their 'era of dominance.

The emergence of promising youngsters one after the other has convinced Ian Chappell that the current Indian team is fully capable of dominating the current era of cricket. In the past, barring two instances, when West Indies dominated the 1970 and 1980s and Australia's ruthless in late 1990s till mid-2000s, there hasn't been a period where one team dominated world cricket. However, considering India's impressive current crop of cricketers, with almost every debutant showing tremendous spark, Chappell feels India could go on to rule world cricket with their 'era of dominance.

Ian Chappell is highly impressed with India's emergence of youngsters. (Getty Images)

"Can India replicate the dominant periods of West Indies and Australia? It's a much more difficult proposition these days, with an extra form of the game, a frightful schedule, and the riches of the IPL, not to mention a pandemic to circumnavigate," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

"However, India have finally got the equation right and as long as they avoid the pitfalls often associated with continuing success, they are better equipped than any team to produce an era of dominance. The rest of the cricketing world beware."

Over the last few months, since the tour of Australia, India have handed debuts to several cricketers – Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj during the tour of Australia, followed by Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya against England. India's bench strength has impressed Chappell immensely, to an extent that he considers the rise of youngsters a threat for opposing teams around the world.

"The emergence of such talents as Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan and Axar Patel would have been monumental if it had happened in the space of three years, let alone just three months as it did. And when you consider that Shardul Thakur excelled in just his second game and the ebullient Rishabh Pant was an international match-winner before his 20th appearance, it really is a rosy picture," Chappell added.

"A rosy picture, that is, if you're an Indian fan; for the rest of the cricket world, it strikes a note of fear. It's even more imposing when you consider that of those debutants, only Gill and possibly Siraj would play when every player is available for selection."

As far as the latest string of debutants is concerned, the likes of Kishan, Suryakumar, Krunal and Prasidh. Kishan, Suryakumar and Krunal have all blasted half-centuries playing their first innings for India, while Prasidh, in his maiden ODI, registered best figures by an India bowler on debut. Such is India's strength that it reminds Chappell of the dominant WI of the 80 and Australia of 2000s.

"The picture attains a veritable glow when you consider that Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya have all made successful white-ball debuts against England. An abundance of talent like this is reminiscent of West Indies and Australia during dominant periods when they overflowed with good players, many of whom struggled to make the first XI," Chappell pointed out.