Australia lack the depth India possess at the moment: Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has said that the current Australian team is lacking the depth which India possess at the moment in ODIs. India humiliated the visitors once again to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match series. They defeated the opposition by 5 wickets chasing down the total of 294 with utter ease. Gavaskar also felt that this Indian team will go down as the greatest ever if they continue to play in the same vein.

Virat Kohli and his men are on a winning spree and have won 9 consecutive matches now, the streak which started in West Indies. Since then they have defeated Sri Lanka in their own den 5-0 and now the Australians. The Men in Blue look set to continue their run as they have eight more ODIs to play in the home season which stretches until December.

The balance of the team is so good

While talking to NDTV, Gavaskar lauded the achievements of the Indian team so far and backed them to go all the way in the series. He also said that the balance of the team is so good at the moment and they are one to watch out for in the near future.

“Well, comparisons are not quite correct but this is a very, very good team. I think by the time this team finishes, I think it is going to go down as the greatest Indian one-day team ever. Because the balance is so good. The batting is right down to number 8 or 9. You have bowlers who can bowl, whatever, whenever they are asked and therefore, I think you take all aspects into consideration and you know that this is a really, really special team, captained by a very special player,” the former Indian skipper said.

He also claimed that the Sri Lankan wasn’t as strong but the Australian side is an experienced side and to beat them is an achievement.

“No. The Sri Lankan team wasn’t a very strong team and that’s only fair but this Australian team is an experienced team. Probably not the same kind of batting line-up as Hayden, Gilchrist or Ponting, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey were there but I think this is a very good Australian team. The Australians never give up and I think, what they are missing at the moment is one more batsman who can make a difference and they are missing one more bowler. But as far as India is concerned, they are not choosing the team that takes the field against them,” Gavaskar added.

The legendary cricketer felt that the visitors are lacking the depth they once possessed to compete with the more superior Indian team. He also said that Glenn Maxwell is not a dependable player at 5 or 6 and they need a batsman like Michael Hussey who would stay in the middle until the end.

“They don’t seem to have a batsman at the moment who can play the big innings, who can play the defining innings, who can play the impact innings. Yes, Maxwell will come and hit the odd boundary, maybe he will score runs in 10-15 innings but he is not what you call a dependable player at 5 or 6.

“So that is something that the Australians are lacking. Because earlier on, they had Mike Hussey batting at 5 or 6 and who would take them to a big total. They had Michael Bevan at 5 or 6 who would take them to a big total. So that is what they are missing out on,” he concluded highlighting the issues in Australian cricket.