The Best Test Season Of Indian Cricket Ever

- Partab Ramchand

Is the recently concluded season the most successful that any Indian cricket team has enjoyed? It certainly is as far as Tests are concerned for I am sure that even the most knowledgeable critic who knows his history well will not be able to come across another season in which the Indian team has had the kind of unprecedented success they had this time around.

Starting with the series in the West Indies in June and ending with the series against Australia in March the team played 17 Tests winning 12 and losing just one. Including the one-off Test against Bangladesh they won every series. Indeed starting from the home contest against South Africa in 2015 India have won six straight rubbers and this includes a run of 19 Tests without defeat till the first Test against Australia at Pune a loss they took in their stride on the way to completing a 2-1 victory in the four-match series.

Even during the golden decade of 2001 – 2011 when Indian cricket was at its peak with giants in the batting and bowling line-up the team did not enjoy this run of success. There will be the detractors who will point out that the majority of the victories were at home and the away win in the Caribbean is no big deal given the weakness of West Indian cricket for some years now. But even at home a comprehensive win over South Africa, a clean sweep against New Zealand and defeating England in four of five Tests are feats that cannot be just shrugged aside.