India's winning streak triggers 'best team' debate

India's third successive test series victory since defeating top-ranked Australia in November has triggered a debate in the cricket-mad nation as to whether the team is the country's best yet.
India won their first test series on New Zealand soil in four decades 1-0 on Tuesday after rain spoilt their chances of winning the third and final test at the Basin Reserve.
India's test and one-day triumph capped a spectacular streak for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men over the past six months in which they overpowered Australia 2-0 and England 1-0 in back-to-back test series to be regarded as a powerhouse in world cricket.
"Absolutely, this is the best team India has ever produced," former India captain Ajit Wadekar told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We have never had a more balanced team. We have the best batting line-up in the world and a bowling attack that can exploit all conditions," added Wadekar, who led India to their first test series wins in England and West Indies in 1971.
'UNMATCHED'
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has ranked India on par with Australia and South Africa while former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, in a newspaper column on Wednesday, described the team's batting depth as "unmatched in world cricket today."
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar said performances away from home had made this team particularly impressive.
"They have played consistently well over the past few years and have won more often abroad," he told Reuters.
"Winning tests and one-dayers abroad makes all the difference," added Vengsarkar, a former chief selector. "The past teams won more often at home."
Although India are yet to win a test series in Australia, they squared a close series 1-1 in 2004 and lost a controversial test series 2-1 before winning a tri-series last year.
In 2006, India won their first test series in West Indies in 35 years and in the following year recorded their first test series victory in England in over two decades.
India also won their first test on South African soil in 2006 and emerged surprise winners of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa two years ago.
"I think it is one of India's best ever sides of all time. I have no doubt that this side will enjoy more success in the future," Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who led India's to their first overseas series win, in New Zealand in 1968, told Mumbai tabloid Mid Day.