India vs Australia | Not the best Indian batting side I’ve seen, says Ian Chappell

The Indian cricket team was always the favourites to outplay the Aussies down under due to the absence of star duo - Steven Smith and David Warner. However, many believed that Virat Kohli & Co. would crumble under pressure just like they did in England and South Africa earlier last year. However, the Men in Blue kept their calm to see to it that they create history and win their first-ever Test series on Australian soil.

The Indian batting-order however, did not seem to be up to the mark, at least not in the first two games in Adelaide and Perth. Former Australian great, Ian Chappell, was critical of the same as he revealed that he had seen better batting line-ups from the Indian team in the past.

“This Indian side is the best fast bowling contingent I have seen from India and the best fielding side that I have seen from India. But it’s not the best batting side. I have seen better batting combinations from India than this team,” Chappell said in a discussion with ESPNCricinfo.

Although Cheteshwar Pujara was adjudged Man of the Series for being the series’ top-scorer, India’s traditionally strong batting line-up was upstaged by the pace bowling department on this occasion. The Indian pacers accounted for 50 of the 70 Australian wickets during the four-match series. The visiting pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami combined for an average of 21.62 over the course of the series in Australia.

“I thought the Indian bowlers did really well and overall they out-bowled the Australians. They got more swing than the Australian bowlers.

“I think the seam position of the Indian fast bowlers was very good. They kept it up the whole time and perhaps that’s why they swung the ball more than the Australians,” Chappell added.