"This is definitely one of the toughest Indian teams ever" - Deep Dasgupta
Former wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta has praised the mental strength of the current Indian side, calling them one of the "toughest Indian teams ever."
Team India have earned a lot of praise from the cricketing world for the determination and fight they have shown in the last two Tests against Australia.
Deep Dasgupta believes the Men in Blue have shown great character to overcome the numerous injury blows as well as bubble fatigue Down Under.
The visitors will be missing Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Hanuma Vihari, KL Rahul and Umesh Yadav for the fourth Test against Australia, which starts on Friday. Jasprit Bumrah also remains a major doubt for the match.
However, Deep Dasgupta has praised the toughness and fight Ajinkya Rahane's charges have shown so far. He said:
"This is a very tough Indian team there are no two ways about it, especially the last two games. This is definitely one of the toughest Indian teams ever. We have to keep the conditions in mind, the series that is happening right now, almost 6 months of staying in the bubble and you have to factor in all of that. Toughness is not just about the sport that we see or the games that we are watching on air. This is a tough tour no doubt, mentally and physically."
"The biggest challenge is the mental fatigue" - Deep Dasgupta on India cricket team
Deep Dasgupta also spoke about how mentally tiring it must be for the Indian players to be without their friends and families for nearly six months.
The majority of the India squad played in the IPL in Dubai before flying straight to Australia.
"The biggest challenge is the mental fatigue (playing the final Test of a series). Even normally when you're there away from home for almost 2 months, anyways it's so tiring physically yes but mentally it's tiring. And all the Indian players, except for maybe Pujara and Vihari, they've been away for almost 6 months," Deep Dasgupta said.
India's tour to Australia is almost over, with the team set to return home after the final Test in Brisbane.
However, their next challenge is right around the corner, with England set to visit for a full-fledged tour next month.