Best team since Waugh/ Ponting’s Australia?

[Majestic]

Combined XI from those 3 teams

Smith (c)
Cook
Amla
Kallis
Kohli
De Villiers
Prior (wk)
Ashwin
Philander
Steyn
Bumrah

2 from England, 3 from India, 6 from South Africa

Pietersen should be there which will mean de Villiers taking gloves. Team composition remains same.

Get in Anderson instead of Philander.

 

[TheJediBrah]

So Indian posters to vote India and everyone else South Africa, could have probably predicted that. As long as England don't get any love it's acceptable

 

[OverratedSanity]

Pietersen should be there which will mean de Villiers taking gloves. Team composition remains same.

Still six South Africans heh

 

[Flem274*]

They bowled to this team in the 2014 series which was very competitive despite the Indian team being very inexperienced and without a great pace attack.

Well if you're claiming the form of Kohli and his mates against the tail end of Smith's SA before the real bedrock for India's current success even debuted (the fast bowling attack, specifically Bumrah) then I nominate 2021 Indian middle order.

 

[harsh.ag]

Combined XI from those 3 teams

Smith (c)
Cook
Amla
Kallis
Kohli
De Villiers
Prior (wk)
Ashwin
Philander
Steyn
Bumrah

2 from England, 3 from India, 6 from South Africa

Smith (c)
Cook
Amla
Kallis
KP
ABdV
Pant (wk)
Swann/Ashwin
Shami
Bumrah
Steyn

Philander a better bowler but not a better change bowler and doesn't have Shami's reverse swing skills. Anderson a close call as well but same problems as Philander.

Swann vs Ashwin very close. Maybe they can alternate. Both to play in India.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Don't pick Philander in these teams. Makes Jimmy Anderson look like a big-hearted all-conditions specialist in comparison

 

[Nintendo]

Kohli's India have achieved more then Smith's SA IMO but Smith's team would win in any conditions most times barring India.

 

[TheJediBrah]

It is the Saffas and wouldn't be close. I'd rate NZ's chances against the other two teams but not against them.

Yeah I forgot how good their side was. For some reason could never beat Aus in SA

 

[honestbharani]

Its very hard to compare given the CEO pitches were still a thing back in late noughties. But to me Smith's RSA are the second best side I have seen in my time of watching cricket. Kohli's India 3rd. Strauss' England had such a small peak its hard to rate them. Mano y Mano that side is up there against any but they had a very short period of dominance.

 

[Shri]

So Indian posters to vote India and everyone else South Africa, could have probably predicted that. As long as England don't get any love it's acceptable

some kiwis, poms and aussies might vote for SA too, you know their talent pool ?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Pietersen should be there which will mean de Villiers taking gloves. Team composition remains same.

Get in Anderson instead of Philander.

Remember this would be c. 2010/11 Anderson, not the bowler of the last 5 years

 

[_00_deathscar]

Well if you're claiming the form of Kohli and his mates against the tail end of Smith's SA before the real bedrock for India's current success even debuted (the fast bowling attack, specifically Bumrah) then I nominate 2021 Indian middle order.

The current middle order would get out to a team I put together in Hong Kong.

I’d also back the current team (keyword is team, not 3 players) to beat 90s/00s Aussies and 70s/80s Windies away.

Not saying they’d do it but I’d give them a fair chance.

 

[GotSpin]

The current middle order would get out to a team I put together in Hong Kong.

I’d also back the current team (keyword is team, not 3 players) to beat 90s/00s Aussies and 70s/80s Windies away.

Not saying they’d do it but I’d give them a fair chance.

Yeah nah

 

[_00_deathscar]

Yeah nah

Lesser Indian sides than this have ran peak Australia close in Australia.

You don’t need to put on 500 if you can bowl out the opposition for 200 regularly. You just need to scrape to 250…which this team usually finds a way of doing.

 

[GotSpin]

Lesser Indian sides than this have ran peak Australia close in Australia.

You don’t need to put on 500 if you can bowl out the opposition for 200 regularly. You just need to scrape to 250…which this team usually finds a way of doing.

The one in which Brad Williams led the Australian bowling attack you mean?

The Indian bowling attack is obviously world class right now but test batting standards are probably at their lowest as well. They wouldn’t be blasting through lineups as often with much more pressure on a middle order that’s pretty **** right now too

 

[Spark]

Yeah I forgot how good their side was. For some reason could never beat Aus in SA

In the case of the peak SA early-00s side, that was mainly because for whatever unfortunate reason, whenever that particular team faced Aus at home they also faced Johnson in full beast mode.

But that SA team was otherwise only a better spinner short of being a totally complete, ATG-tier side. Imagine peak Steyn/Philander/Morkel on today's pitches; that string of sub-50 scores they reduced opposition scores too would be very common today. Peak Steyn with the wobble-seamer on spicy pitches in particular = yikes. Bloke might have averaged in the teens.

Needless to say, as impressive as this current Indian side is, I don't think they're getting far in a 4 or 5 match series against that with a 3, 4, and 5 which average in the 20s in the last two years.

 

[sunilz]

Peak SA team couldn't win a single Test series against IND ( 2008, 10, 10/11) . Good luck to them beating current IND side.

KIWI posters are expected to big up AUS/SA considering their minnowesque record against them since 90s( 5 Win 40 losses ?)

 

[sunilz]

Current Indian side since 2012 has won 14 consecutive test series at home which is more than Aussie ATG / WI could ever manage ( 10 and 9 for them)

Current Indian side has also spent more time at no. 1 than Smith's side.

 

[Teja.]

That 2010/11 series was one of the best I've ever watched.

Sorely wish Dhoni didn't go defensive to settle for a 'historic' drawn series.

 

[sunilz]

The one in which Brad Williams led the Australian bowling attack you mean?

The Indian bowling attack is obviously world class right now but test batting standards are probably at their lowest as well. They wouldn’t be blasting through lineups as often with much more pressure on a middle order that’s pretty **** right now too

Nah Gillespie/Macgill led that bowling attack. The same Gillespie who won you a series in 2004 in IND.