Ind vs SA | Virat Kohli's India look the most complete team in the world, says Shaun Pollock
Former South African pacer Shaun Pollock feels that India under Virat Kohli look the most complete team in the world as they have all the bases covered in all departments. With their good all-round performance, India managed to complete their first-ever whitewash of South Africa by beating them 3-0.
In conversation with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz Live, Pollock discussed the points where South Africa made mistakes and also praised the Indian team for their all-round performance and complete dominance over the Proteas. He was really happy for Shabaz Nadeem as Kohli gave him the chance to clean up the tail and win the match for his country.
"It's a nice thing for Nadeem who has waited so long for a Test opportunity. Figures of 4 for 40 so it was a nice outing for him," said Pollock.
After the tour of 2015, they must have been better prepared for what was going to be on offer. But the Indians were just too good and outplayed them in all departments showing better skill sets and composure in crunch moments. Pollock summarized the series from the Proteas' point of view and felt that they were rightly dominated on all fronts by a strong Indian side.
"It sort of summed up the SA series for me. They have been dominated. They just haven't been able to compete. The skills of India have been much better in all departments," he said.
Pollock laid huge question marks on the preparation of the South African team ahead of their tour to India. They were offered turning tracks in 2015 so they had to know what they had to expect coming to the Indian shores. He feels there was a lack of preparation coupled with the retirements of greats like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla that created a huge void of experience in the batting order. Things went downhill for South Africa after a promising first innings batting performance in Vizag.
"They had to expect a tough tour given the conditions in 2015 tour. There was a spinners camp. There was a batting camp. There was a SA A team that toured her so you thought there was enough preparation. After the first innings in Vizag, they must have thought that this is the perfect way to set the tone for the rest of the series but after that, it hasn't been all that good. A lot of questions are up in the air. They must make sure that the next time they tour the subcontinent they must be better prepared," he further added.
Pollock had all praises for this Indian team as according to him they were the most complete team and could compete in any conditions around the world. They showed superb skills in all three departments to absolutely decimate the Proteas. Pollock believes India have a great fast-bowling crop that will help them compete in foreign conditions too.
"I think this is a very well-balanced Indian team. They have got all the departments covered. In the fast bowling department, they have got three good guys and two spinners whose stats are impressive. Sharma and Kohli will go down as legends of the game. Saha is a good keeper. So given on paper, they must compete wherever they go in the world," he added.
Lastly, Pollock claimed that the wickets were good overall for cricket and thus unlike 2015, the South African team cannot complain about the pitches as they have only themselves to blame. He hopes that they will be better prepared when they tour the sub-continent the next time.
"The wickets have been good. there has been assistance for the seamers. So they cannot complain as its clearly down to their own skills and their own performance," he concluded.
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