My 1996 team of Vaas, Muralitharan would've beaten current Indian team in India inside 3 days: SL great Arjuna Ranatunga
Legendary Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga feels his 1996 World Cup-winning side would've made light work of Rohit Sharma's side in India in Tests.
India's invincibility at home in Test cricket was ended in spectacular manner by New Zealand of all sides last year. Legendary former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has now said that his 1996 side, which won the World Cup that year which was hosted in his country, India and Pakistan, would've beaten Rohit Sharma's current side in a Test match at the latter's home.
“With bowlers like (Chaminda) Vaas and Murali (Muttiah Muralidaran), that team of mine would have beaten India in India in three days,” he is quoted as saying by the Telegraph. Apart from Ranatunga himself, the Sri Lankan side of 1996 that stunned the world by winning the World Cup consisted legendary names like Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, among others.
India's defeat that shook the world
The Kiwis have been among the worst tourists to India historically, never winning more than one Test in a tour and having last won a Test match in the country all the way back in November 1988. And yet, they ended up blanking Rohit's India 3-0 in October and November last year in a result that sent shockwaves around the world. India were favourites to make it to their third consecutive World Test Championship final at the start of the series. At the end of it though, they were among the outliers and their subsequent defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under led to them missing out on the WTC Final for the first time ever.
The result was even more shocking as India had forced a victory in the most spectacular fashion in the final Test of the previous series against Bangaldesh despite two and a half days of the match being washed out. India smashed 285/9 in less than 35 overs, breaking all kinds of scoring records to set up a statement win that had made it look like they are stronger than ever at home.
That was India's 18th consecutive Test series win at home. The previous record was 10 held by Australia in twice, first between November 1994 to November 2000 and later from July 2004 to November 2008.
