India can put up a strong fight

No longer can Indian touring teams be regarded as pushovers on bouncy tracks. The last few years count amongst India’s finest, says Peter Roebuck in The Hindu.

Certainly the past has not been without its glories but the side did not always travel well and often lacked depth; nor was wrangling always suppressed in the name of the common weal. Although always popular and attractive, Indian sides were inclined to disappoint. Sooner or later they had to lose their charm. In that regard, Gavaskar was ahead of his time. He did not merely want to win. He craved success, saw it as a means for personal and national salvation. Now a different tale is told. Robustness counts amongst the qualities detected in the teams led by Ganguly and Dravid.