Indian batting icon Sunil Gavaskar hailed the team for a good show in the one day series which looks set for an English whitewash. He said that despite the success in the shorter format, India should not forget the humiliation in the Test series, the form that is the true test of any cricketer.
Speaking on Indian TV channel NDTV, Gavaskar said: “The team is handling itself a lot better overseas (in ODIs) and the current form should be good enough for the side to defend World Cup title.”
He warned that Test performances count for a lot in international cricket as well.
"For me, Test cricket has always been the No.1 format in the game. It is the one that distinguishes the men from the boys. It is the one where your skills and temperament are tested to the full."
Gavaskar, who himself is one of the most accomplished Test batsmen of all time with over 10,000 Test runs stressed on the need to win overseas in the longest format.
But it is not just the wins that have impressed the former India skipper, it is the nature of the wins that he believes has made the difference. The former India opener also said that India's performance in ODIs were better than England's triumphs in the Tests.
"India won a Test. On the other hand, in the three ODI matches that we have seen so far, England have been completely overwhelmed. India have had massive wins – 133 runs in the 1st ODI, then by 6 wickets and now by 9 wickets," added Gavaskar.
Gavaskar, who knows the pressure of being the skipper of a cricket-crazy nation hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni for becoming the most successful Indian captain, surpassing Mohd Azharuddin’s record of 90 wins.
"I would not go into comparisons. They were different formats and that's the reason it's unfair to compare the captains or the players that have played in different eras" he said. "But going by sheer statistical record I think Mahendra Singh Dhoni is tops at the moment and that's how we should enjoy it."
