"Cricketing world beware, India can produce an era of dominance" - Ian Chappell
Australian legend Ian Chappell believes the Indian cricket team is well-equipped to produce an 'era of dominance' like the great West Indian (70s & 80s) and Australian (late 90s till mid-2000s) teams of yore.
Writing in his column for ESPNcricino, Ian Chappell added that although there are still some inhibitions for Virat Kohli's team to reach that point, they have now got the 'equation right'.
Chappell also sounded a note of caution for the cricketing world, advising it to be wary of the surfeit of emerging cricketers from the country.
"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. 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," said Ian Chappell.
"Not only are India now in the enviable position of having a surplus of young talent but the candidates are also highly competitive cricketers," the former Australian skipper explained.
Ian Chappell's comments come in light of Team India's back-to-back Test series wins against Australia Down Under and England at home.
Both rubbers saw youngsters like Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel blossom from the grind of domestic cricket and shine at the highest level for the country.
The emergence of talent in India strikes a note of fear for the rest of the world: Ian Chappell
Writing further, Ian Chappell called the abundance of talent a 'rosy picture' for India but a daunting one for their opponents.
Chappell cited the example of pugnacious wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who has been instrumental in India's recent triumphs.
"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," said Ian Chappell.
"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," he added.
Ian Chappell also talked about the new lot of debutants who are currently plying their trade in the ODI series against England. In this regard, the 77-year-old said:
"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."
The third India-England ODI is underway in Pune. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have already made their marks in the T20I series.
It remains to be seen if Praisidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya can rise to the occasion in the decider to keep the trend of match-winners going.